School Officials Eye Academy

FARMINGTON — Farmington school officials are very interested in creating a ninthgrade academy after touring a new facility in Van Buren.

“The whole idea of it, I believe, is a good transition for the ninth- grade year,” Farmington High Principal Bob Echols told the School Board on Nov. 26. “These guys need a lot of help sometimes. There are discipline problems and kids not meeting their potential academically. There are hundreds of reasons for that.”

Echols said data shows that schools with a separate ninth grade program are seeing high success rates academically and fewer discipline problems.

The main goal of a ninth grade academy would be to give the students a good base and good building blocks for the rest of their high school years, he added.

The Van Buren school uses a “keystone program” that focuses on career planning, career education and core classes.

Echols pointed out that with the implementation of Common Core standards, the high school curriculum will look very different four years down the road. The curriculum will be more challenging and students and parents will need to be aware of the higher standards expected of all students, Echols said.

He said the philosophy of a ninth-grade transition program would be high expectations of all students, to engage students in challenging and meaningful instruction and to provide extra help and time to meet those challenges.

Other advantages for a ninth grade center include a sense of community among the students and opportunities to explore careers post high school and post college. A faculty of core teachers would serve in the program.

Echols said he talked to two ninth-grade boys in Van Buren and both indicated they like the program and feel they will be ready for 10th grade.

Superintendent Bryan Law said the district will continue to discuss the idea at future board meetings. When the school district eventually builds a new high school, Law said one proposal is to use the current high school building as a ninth- grade academy.