Stock Defends 5th6th Grade Schools

Laramie County School District#1 Superintendent Mark Stock says people who assume an extra transition to 5th6th grade schools will hurt learning are missing a key point.

Stock says that while in general extra school transitions are not good academically, that's only true when a student must transition by themselves to a whole new social setting. Stock says while being "the new kid in school" can be a disruption, when entire classes and groups of students make that transition the effect is not the same.

He says a good local example is Deming-Miller School, which already has an extra transition but also logs some of the highest test scores in the district.

The plan for two 5th5th grade schools in each district#1 triad is part of an attempt to ease overcrowding and also create a smoother transition between elementary school and junior high school