Class Placement

Creating classes for the coming school year is an extensive process.

The goal of this endeavor is to establish heterogeneous classes in which children may be productive and successful learners. To accomplish this goal, our team of teachers, psychologist, counselor, specialists, special area teachers and I spend countless hours establishing a learning environment which is balanced and meets the needs of each individual learner. A balanced learning environment is one which considers general ability, academic level, social emotional concerns, guidance matters, health matters, gender, learning style, special identification (e.g. ENL, classified, etc.), and compatibility with peers.

Towards the end of the year, classroom teachers will carefully consider the academic and social needs of each child as they form classes for the coming year. Our protocol involves the teachers of a particular grade level meeting with the principal, as a group, to find the best placement mix. In addition, the school psychologist, guidance counselor, resource room teachers, speech and language teachers, reading teachers, and special area teachers provide key assistance since they see children regularly, often in a different environment. 

Parents have had the opportunity to share their child’s strengths, needs and goals with their current teachers through parent teacher conferences and when the parent input process is opened to families in April. Rest assured that this vital information will be included in our discussions. Input that is helpful includes information about your child’s relationship to other children, serious relationship issues between your child and another student, and personal successes or challenges that might help us determine which class best meets their needs. I ask that you refrain from engaging in conversations with your child’s teacher or the placement team members regarding specific teacher requests. Requests for specific teachers will not be entertained or honored. The principal will assume responsibility for all final decisions regarding your child’s placement.

I hope that this description of our process will enable us to work together in an open and fair way to serve the best interest of your child. We have an amazing team of educator’s here at Sousa and I am confident in their ability to work together to determine the right balance necessary for the success of each learning environment in September.