Letter from Dr. Jermaine Watson, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Services, to the Masterman community
FULL TEXT VERSION:
January 26, 2024
Good afternoon Masterman Leadership Team,
My team and I wanted to provide a brief summary of our recent meeting, highlighting key points and action items to ensure we are aligned on the next steps moving forward. Your insights and contributions during our discussion were invaluable, and we look forward to further collaboration on the outlined action items.
Admissions Process:
Course Offerings and Curriculum:
Staffing:
Schedule and Roster:
Stakeholder Involvement:
Next Steps:
In Partnership,
Dr. Jermaine Dawson
Good afternoon Masterman Leadership Team,
My team and I wanted to provide a brief summary of our recent meeting, highlighting key points and action items to ensure we are aligned on the next steps moving forward. Your insights and contributions during our discussion were invaluable, and we look forward to further collaboration on the outlined action items.
Admissions Process:
- Leadership plans gradual, strategic changes in grade sizes over 3-6 years to balance middle and high school sizes.
- Emphasis on main entry points in 5th and 9th grades, addressing community concerns about sudden expansions
- Maintain a robust pathway from middle school through high school, continuing the present policy of accommodating every eligible Masterman 8th grader who meets criteria and chooses to return alongside a cohort of new students or reductions.
- The district team has agreed to review with the Home and School and SAC leadership team early next week to discuss options to meet student enrollment projections.
Course Offerings and Curriculum:
- Plans to address the loss of accelerated learning options.
- Introducing a 4-year track in French and Spanish in high school.
- Strong commitment to accelerated math tracks leading to Calculus in 11th grade.
- Consideration for expanded language tracks in 8th grade.
Staffing:
- Proposal to address teaching staff in alignment with new schedule recommendations from the larger school community.
Schedule and Roster:
- Rebuilding the schedule and roster for the next year to better serve student requests and that will accommodate staffing needs.
- All options for dividing the school day/week are under consideration, with a focus on teacher/student input.
Stakeholder Involvement:
- Emphasis on involving parents, teachers, and students in the planning and implementation process.
- Recognizing the importance of a team approach to rostering with a focus on teacher input.
Next Steps:
- Follow-up touchpoint with leadership to understand lottery results, plan for waitlisted students, and assess the sizes of 5th and 9th grades.
- Leadership will communicate directly to the community about the proposals and intentions. Parent leadership will share and convey collaboration efforts.
In Partnership,
Dr. Jermaine Dawson