Dozens of Bromfield students gathered in front of the school early last Friday to protest the changes in classes and schedules proposed for next fall. About 35 students arrived at 7:45 a.m., but their numbers quickly doubled as the buses began to pull in and newcomers joined the early birds.
The protesting students came from every grade at the Bromfield School, even though the middle school students are the ones most directly affected. Many of the demonstrators carried signs saying “Stop deleveling,” “Stop the change,” or “Bring back Bromfield.” And several made the case for student input: “Our voices matter.”
Middle and high school students gather in front of the Bromfield School Friday, May 12, to protest changes to the middle school curriculum, including a proposed reduction in class time for world languages. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Middle schoolers will have new schedule next fall
The protest was sparked in part by a new class schedule that will be piloted at the middle school (grades 6, 7, and 8) in the 2023-24 school year. Most of the protesters objected to the proposed reduction in class time for world languages.
School Superintendent Linda Dwight said the middle school has long been operating on the same schedule as the high school. But in the past year, she said, a team of teachers and administrators worked to develop a schedule better suited to the needs of middle schoolers.
Middle school Principal Stephen Greene compared the schedule to infrastructure: “What the schedule creates is the space for us to build in … it’s the infrastructure that you fill in,” he said. “It’s a pilot, not an experiment,” he emphasized, “a way of rolling out and refining the program.”
The new schedule reduces the number of “core” subjects from five to four—English, math, science, and social studies. Those core classes meet every day. World languages have been moved to the category of “specials,” which also includes health, music, art, and others. Those classes will meet every third day.
The schedule will give middle schoolers slightly longer class periods, a longer lunch break, and a new period at the end of each day called “WYN-WIN.” That’s an acronym for “what I need, what you need.” Other schools with similar time blocks describe them as advisory periods, enrichment, or flex time. The 40-minute WYN-WIN period can be used for tutoring or special projects.
After the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Greene said bluntly, “Our students are more disorganized than they have ever been.” So another use for the new period might be teaching executive functioning skills such as planning and time management—a necessary preparation for high school and beyond.
Greene explained that Littleton calls a similar block of time the “genius hour,” in which students can tackle an independent research project, using the resources of the school library. Sixth-graders would likely have more structured uses for their WYN-WIN period, while seventh- and eighth-graders would have more autonomy in their activities.
Reduced class time for world languages
Under the new schedule, world languages go from being a daily subject to one that meets every third day. That change drew many students to the protest with signs saying “J’adore le francais” and “Language every day.”
Anna Ivanov, a senior taking part in the protest, said students need to have daily language classes: “You need that immersion in a language—like when a 2-year-old is learning and their parents talk to them all the time.”
Parent Dot Samsi, herself a French teacher in another school district, wrote in an email to the Press, “The proposed cuts significantly threaten to impede Harvard students from attaining the state’s Seal of Biliteracy.” This is the state program that gives graduates an award for showing proficiency in English and another language. (See Consider This, page 7.)
One way to make language instruction more frequent, Greene mentioned, could be to use some WYN-WIN periods for language labs, where students would get guided instruction in speaking and listening to the language they are studying.
Middle school Principal Stephen Greene talks with students, from left, Amelia Haley, Christina Kekis, Anna Selig, and Ellie Palido, about the proposed changes. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz) (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Other protestors focused on deleveling
A second major concern for the protestors was the elimination of “tracks” or “levels” in middle school and in ninth grade. Senior Finnegan Hobart said having a range of course levels “gives students the ability to choose different tracks according to their passion.”
Anna Ivanov agreed, saying, “We do not believe that deleveling aligns with the current values that we have in this school … that every single student is an individual and every single student needs their own learning environment to excel in.”
Ninth-grader Anna Selig pointed out, “We were the last group to experience ninth-grade honors,” which she considered a loss for future students.
Several sixth-graders at the protest mistakenly thought all honors classes were being discontinued. They worried that would make it harder for them to get into college.
Currently, all math classes in sixth and seventh grade are heterogeneous—that is, they include students at all ability levels. Starting next year, all eighth-graders will take Algebra 1, as about three-fourths of them already do. And by 2024, the plan is to have all ninth-grade courses deleveled. Courses in grades 10 through 12 will continue to have a range of levels—college prep, honors, and Advanced Placement.
“Our honors classes are over-subscribed,” Dwight said in a phone interview, “which means to me that [honors] is more our regular curriculum than not.” She said about 70% of ninth-graders have been taking honors courses. “You’re excluding a small group that’s not in honors. … So what you end up with is a small group of kids that goes through Bromfield not exposed to the rigor of the honors curriculum and almost pre-cast into these tracks. … They are not less capable, they just may need something different to fully take advantage of what we are offering.”
Dwight said a co-teacher will be added to some classes, paired with the regular teacher. She explained that a special education co-teacher can adapt the class materials in real time if some students need that extra assistance.
Parent John Kekis supports keeping leveled courses in middle school and ninth grade, but proposed a different solution to prevent students from being stuck at a low level. In an email to the Press, he wrote, “I think that it is easy to fix that problem by lowering the standards to get into honors-level classes for those that wish to do so, giving students more options.”
Although deleveling has provoked a sudden, strong reaction in the school community, Dwight pointed out that the process began several years ago, and there has been no change of course with the new administrative team. Greene also emphasized continuity, speaking of the many veteran teachers at Bromfield who have committed their lives to teaching: “There is so much expertise in this building. … This is the same team that is making these decisions.”
Olivia Muller-Juez contributed to this article.
