Week 1 Complete: Transition to Middle Schools Begins Smoothly for Students

Students at North Central, Northwest, and Southeast have officially commenced their first year of middle school education in the Iowa City Community School District. For the first time, sixth-grade students report to secondary buildings rather than elementary schools.

“There is definitely a lot of energy with 1,000 kids in the building,” said North Central Middle School Principal Colby Miller. “We are off to a great start.”

Miller believes sixth-grade students are ready for the jump to secondary education.

“Any time a student moves into the secondary system, there is a lot more freedom and autonomy,” said Miller. “It is our job to help them handle those new responsibilities. That mission is no different from the guidance we have always given to our new seventh graders.”

Lucas Ptacek, Executive Director of Secondary Schools, says the change gives middle schools a new place in the overall educational experience of our district’s students.

“One reason for the change was to strengthen the feeling of involvement with our middle school students,” said Ptacek. “When there were only two grade levels, they were constantly in a state of transition. We always want to make sure our students have that sense of belonging.”

Accommodating the influx of students required the addition of 72 classrooms, over 160,000 square feet, and a proportionate increase in staff members across the three middle school campuses. Most new staffing was placed internally.

“The majority of those positions were filled by people already within our system, including sixth-grade teachers in our district who needed a place to go,” said Ptacek. “We sought very few external hires, except in hard-to-find areas such as special education, ELL, and career technical education classes such as Family & Consumer Science and Industrial Technology.”

Along with classrooms, each campus gains new shared spaces and renovations to existing facilities, such as cafeterias, music spaces, and industrial arts areas. 

Two-thirds of Miller's student body and approximately one-third of the staff are new to the school this year. Miller says the new arrangement requires adaptability in the short term to create the long-term benefits of stability.

“Under our current circumstances, things have gone very smoothly,” said Miller. “The kids have been awesome. Our families have been very flexible. For me, the excitement is finding routine and consistency because we know that is where kids thrive. I am so excited for our teachers to really dig in.”

The updates were made possible by the passage of two community bond votes in November 2021. School district residents voted to extend SAVE (Revenue Purpose Statement for the Secure and Advanced Vision for Education) with a resounding 87% vote and PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) with 81% support.

“For our community to continue to invest in schools is a great thing,” said Miller. “We are very blessed that our kids have this learning space.”

Along with a different atmosphere, district sixth-grade students benefit from an innovative curriculum model tailored to their unique transition period.

Just like seventh and eighth-grade students, sixth-grade students will receive grades according to a quarterly schedule. Unlike other middle schoolers, however, sixth graders will take six different exploratory classes throughout the year. The system effectively expands the number of elective-style, special-interest courses during students' first year at the new level.

“Whether it be the middle school or high school model, I think that the way that Iowa City developed our program of studies is far ahead of what many other school districts offer their students,” said Ptacek. “A lot of work has gone into the course offerings, electives, and interest areas that we make available for our students.”

Exploratory courses for sixth-grade students rotate between a fixed load of courses: Art, Health, Introduction to AVID, World of Innovators & Makers, Unlocking Your Potential, and BizTown.

“Increasing the amount of access for exploratory and elective classes during middle school will really help students to identify areas of interest and passion heading into high school,” said Ptacek.

Like other secondary students, sixth-grade students take a slate of required classes in addition to the catalog of exploratories. Block scheduling allows sixth graders to move to fewer classrooms and spend more time with individual teachers.

Sixth graders can participate in clubs, student organizations, and, eventually, intramural sports. All middle school students experience eight class periods in a day and a 28-minute advisory period.

Reconfiguring middle schools also opens new possibilities for the area’s youngest pupils. Ptacek says one future goal is to use the newly available space in our elementary schools to create equitable access to preschool education in every elementary attendance zone.

While Iowa districts take various approaches to staff and student allocations across their buildings, Ptacek notes that the Iowa City Schools remain committed to simple and stable configurations.  

Miller agrees that a more extensive middle school experience serves the culture in his building.

“We have always had a healthy culture here that looks to serve our community, families, and kids,” said Miller. “That is not going to change. Now, because we get to work with students and families for three years, we can build even stronger relationships.”