Background of the Development of the Middle School Elective Wheel Committee
On March 22, 2017, as a part of the art and music curriculum renewal and design process, the School Board approved a recommendation. It stated, “A District committee should be established to study the Whitefish Bay Middle School elective wheel. When the WFBMS implemented the block schedule changes in 2014-2015, the elective wheel was not part of the overall work of the original committee. We have found that we have many competing priorities in the current wheel, which may or may not be beneficial for meeting the District’s Focus Plan.”
The Whitefish Bay School District employs a formalized curriculum renewal and design process that involves review of each curricular area (science, math, etc…) at least every six to seven years. This K-12 process is designed to target continuous improvement along with ensuring a guaranteed and viable curriculum, which are essential to achieve our WFB Focus Plan. We are unable to review this wheel by looking only at the isolated curricular areas, through our current review process. What makes the MS elective programming unique is that it can provide opportunities for students to experience challenging, relevant, and integrated learning that builds upon and deepens the core curriculum, assists in exploring areas of interest, and opens pathways to further explore our seven thriving dispositions and 21st century skills. At the same time, the District has been working hard to prepare for the implementation of the new State law to include academic college and career planning for all 6-12 graders starting in the fall of 2017.
Purpose of the Middle School Elective/Exploratory Wheel Committee
The Middle School Elective/Exploratory Wheel Recommendation Committee will design a DRAFT of a workable elective wheel schedule and offerings ensuring all legal requirements, while also identifying the benefits, drawbacks and unknowns (to the extent that is even possible) that would inevitably emerge. It will utilize current research, market comparables, and practicality to uncover, understand, and articulate the complexity associated with the elective wheel.
- What are the DPI requirements and are they being fulfilled?
- Do we want an exploratory wheel or an elective wheel? What’s the difference?
- How should intervention/enrichment (RtI) time be supported in the schedule?
- What is valued by the community?
- What do we know about middle school learners?
- What are the students interested in?
- How does our current practice align to the District’s adoption of DPI’s Teaching and Learning Guiding Principles and the MS Non-negotiables/Belief Statements?
- What is our data telling us? (who is registering to take what)
- What are the financial or staffing implications of any changes?
- How does this support a robust Academic Career Planning (ACP) process?
- Can we provide students engaging opportunities to explore relevant and meaningful career paths?
- Do our offerings align with high school course offerings? Are there potential high school implications?
- How do we ensure student growth towards college, career, and social-emotional growth?
- Is our elective/exploratory experience equitable for ALL learners?
Middle School Elective/Exploratory Wheel Committee Timeline
- April-May 2017: Establish Committee Membership
- Spring 2015-Summer 2017: Collect and Organize Evidence Based Practices Research
- August 16, 2017: Summer Committee Meetings conducted. Focus on establishing current usage of time and state requirements, establishing beliefs and priorities, reviewing research in social-emotional learning and best practices, Review of HS offerings, creating surveys for parent and student feedback about current offerings and potential future needs for consideration
- Fall 2017: Administer and review student and family survey data. Depending on data results, focus group sessions may be hosted.
- Additional Meetings Scheduled: October 24, November 2, December 7, January 18th
Dates and times are subject to change. Please contact the Director of Teaching and Learning Services for additional information.
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