Educators preparing for sixth-graders to join Iowa City middle schools this fall

IOWA CITY — Sixth-graders in Iowa City began to develop work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills at Junior Achievement’s BizTown, a learning experience that helps students connect what they learn in the classroom to the real world.

Only a handful of sixth-graders got to partake in the experience last week as a part of a pilot program. But the curriculum will be expanded to all sixth-graders in the Iowa City Community School District this fall as the grade level is moved out of elementary schools and into middle schools.

BizTown is a “real, authentic experience” that will engage students’ interests — just one example of many career and college exploration classes students will be exposed to in middle school, said South East Junior High Principal Michelle Cook.

Adding sixth-graders to the junior high is “long overdue,” she said. Being in an elementary school for seven years — kindergarten through sixth grade — is “way too long.”

“I think they outgrow that system. They’ve been ready to be here. One of the battles we’ve fought as a junior high is not to be a blip on their radar,” Cook said.

The transition to middle school adds a third grade to the three junior high schools in the district. Educators say it will enable middle school students to find a passion and feel more connected to their school. The junior high model — which was just seventh- and eighth-graders — is too short a time to feel at home in a building.

It also alleviates overcrowding, creating space for preschool to be offered at all elementary schools in the district.

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The move — approved by the Iowa City school board in February 2022 — requires about $34 million to expand the district’s three junior highs to fit 300-400 sixth-graders at each building. The cost will be covered by already-approved sales and property taxes.

Lucas Ptacek, executive director of secondary schools, said construction is ongoing, and the district has a contingency plan of incorporating portable classrooms at the beginning of the school year if needed.

“The goal is that we don’t have to use them,” Ptacek said.

In middle school, students will learn time management, how to take notes in class, listen to a lecture, read academic texts and study for tests.

“They’re just so fun at this age,” said Hanna Collins, a school counselor at South East Junior High. “You’re helping them build a lot of foundational skills and get them ready for high school. That’s really special.”

“Middle schoolers can be kind of sassy, but they’re also really, really sweet,” Collins said. “Sometimes you realize all they needed was a listening ear and maybe a snack.”

Sixth grade classrooms will be close together in middle schools

Cook said one of the biggest concerns from families is that sixth-graders will “get lost” or “trampled” in the hallways in a larger school building with kids who are older than them.

But the middle schools will be set up so sixth-graders’ classrooms will be close together, and the sixth grade will have fewer transitions between classes than seventh- and eighth-graders do, Cook said. They also will have their own lunch period.

It’s also important sixth-graders don’t feel “isolated and separate” from the rest of the school, Cook said. They will be able to go out for intramural sports and be in after-school clubs that speak to their interests.

School counselors and administrators from the junior highs are visiting every elementary, introducing themselves to students, answering their questions and helping them choose what classes they want to register for.

Classes will help sixth-graders plot future career paths

Each sixth-grader will take several six-week exploratory classes like BizTown to help them discover what they’re passionate about — or what they’re not. In eighth grade, they will create a four-year plan to help guide them in planning out what classes they want to take in high school.

These exploratory classes include agriculture, information technology, applied sciences, health sciences and human services, to name a few.

“They’re going to get a lot more career exposure,” said Tim Sturgell, a school counselor at North Central Junior High. “I think we do a good job of not pigeonholing a kid into something. We help them gain confidence in understanding their strengths and weaknesses — and that it’s OK if you change your mind about what you want to do after high school.”

“Every year is important, but middle school is one of the most difficult, awkward, fun stages of life. I like helping kids figure out the pieces of the puzzle,” Sturgell said.

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Two-thirds of students will be new to middle schools next year

The current fifth- and sixth-graders also will get to tour the middle schools next month before the end of the school year, so they feel more confident walking into their new school in August.

Families with students going into sixth and seventh grade will have more opportunities to tour the school this summer, Ptacek said.

The transition will mean two-thirds of the students in the middle schools next year will be new to the school.

“Kids are so resilient,” Ptacek said. “Parents are often more apprehensive. Kids are excited and can’t wait for that first day. We want to make sure they have a positive experience, and we have staff who are going to make sure kids feel welcomed and supported each and every day.”

The middle school model is just one used by Eastern Iowa school districts. The College Community School District in Cedar Rapids, for example, has elementary schools for grades preschool-4th, an intermediate school for fifth- and sixth-graders, and a middle school for seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders graders. This fall, the district is launching a ninth grade center.

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