The Massapequa Board of Education last week unanimously approved the continuation of a blended grouping pattern in Massapequa High School (MHS), after Superintendent Dr. Lawrence Pereira recommended the initiative as an imperative for improving student performance.

The system places all Regents-level students in the same curriculum for social studies and English, whereas in the past they had been divided into Regents B and Regents A categories for these subjects, with the latter providing more challenging course work. Under the old tracking system, the two groups of students used the same textbooks and curriculum, and took the same Regents examination. However, Regents A students were given a broader depth of teaching.

The district began phasing in the blended grouping initiative several years ago in grades seven and eight, and implemented it this year for the ninth graders at the MHS Ames Campus. With the board's recent decision, the process will continue for tenth graders next year. The change affects the majority of tenth graders, as Regents-level performers comprise most of the student body. Separate tracking for advanced students and those with special needs will remain.

The board's vote on the issue was unexpected for district residents, because it was scheduled with only a week's notice. But Superintendent Dr. Lawrence Pereira, who is in his first year with the district, said he moved quickly to get the issue before the board for a vote because, while working on the MHS course description booklet for next year, he realized an inconsistency between the ninth and tenth grade programs. "I realized, because I'd never read this before, because I'm new, that it stated that the ninth grade students were blended, and the tenth grade students were not blended," he said. After discussing the issue with the board in executive session, all agreed that it was a key educational issue that warranted a vote at a public meeting in a timely manner, he noted.

According to Dr. Pereira, blending grouping helps raise the bar for all Regents-level students, because through it, all are taught at one, more rigorous level. This, he said, is especially important in light of the all-Regents graduation requirements that are being phased in by the state. "When you think about the fact that in 2004, every student needs to pass five Regents examinations to graduate, it simply makes sense that Regents students all be taught at a high level of competence," he said. "There may be some that need extra help, and we will provide that. But what we want to do is maintain high expectations for all students."

Last year, 68 percent of all Massapequa High School graduates received a Regents diploma, up from 59 percent the previous year. Currently, the Regents diploma can be obtained only by passing all state Regents examinations, and students who do not pass the Regents can receive a local diploma. But with the implementation of the Regents graduations requirements, the local diploma is being eliminated. Pereira noted that blended grouping is just one part of a comprehensive effort to bring students up to par, to ensure that they are ready for these changes.

Upon learning of the plan, parents and high school teachers had expressed concerns about whether there would be sufficient teacher training, student support, and monitoring associated with the program, but the administration has assured them that these will be key components.

Donna Mason, PTA director for Ames, said the blended grouping initiative is necessary to help raise student expectations, although many parents also feel teacher training and student support are vital to making the program work. "I think you really almost don't have a choice, because all the kids will have to pass the Regents. Dr. Pereira's hope is, if you put them in the same class, hopefully those lower kids can do the work, but just weren't given the opportunity," she said. "And he feels that the top A kids will push into the honors program, and accelerated program, because they wouldn't want to be in the lesser track. So he feels the whole thing will just push itself up. And what he says sounds very logical." Mason added that she has seen the program help improve student performance among ninth graders at Ames.

"The high school teachers are apprehensive," said Brian Dowd, a Social Studies teacher at MHS and president of the Massapequa teachers union, the Massapequa Federation of Teachers. "There's a fear that it will turn into the Regents/non-Regents program of the '70s," he added, noting that that program, which lumped lower and higher performing students together, did not work well because it included neither a cap on class size nor adequate teacher preparation. "But Dr. Pereira and the board of education have assured us that there will be proper training for the teachers on how to deal with blended students."

In approving the plan, the school board, too, emphasized the importance of teacher training and extra assistance for students. The plan specifically includes the following four points: 1) Continue phase-in of "higher expectations" teaching in MHS, 2) Determine teacher training needs by March 15, 2000, 3) Determine student assistance needs by May 1, 2000, 4) Monitor and adjust. The board also noted that success of the plan was critical, and that timely reports on its progress were expected.