Bernards Parents Looking for Advanced Elementary Instruction

A group of parents who want an advanced curriculum, particularly in math, and educational enrichment for kindergarten through grade 5 expects to meet next Monday evening, and then address the Bernards Board of Education, said parent Adam Hecht.

Hect said the newly formed Bernards Township Parents for Advanced Curriculum, which he described as a "group of concerned parents who are working together to ensure the educational needs of our brightest, advanced and youngest students are met," plans to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday at the William Annin Middle School. The meeting will be in room 111, he later added.

The board is scheduled to meet at the middle school starting at 7 p.m. Hecht said he is hoping some of the parents will be at that meeting to review their concerns.

Four enrichment educators at each of the district's elementary schools were let go a few years ago because of budget restrictions, and Hecht said that has left the elementary school without a formal gifted and talented program despiite state and federal requirements.

He said he has been told schools employ a concept called "differentiation" within the classroom, meaning that some children are separated out for advanced instruction. But, Hecht said he feels, "It's simply an impossible job to do this successfully while simultaneously teaching the normal curriculum to the remaining class."

He said the parents in the group, which he said numbers about 70 people, feel as though the needs of the advanced students are not being met.

The group's goals include working together with the Board of Education and administration to establish a full-time advanced curriculum, beginning with mathematics but including other academic areas as well, Hecht said. "They believe that the district should strive to meet the needs of each and every child," he said.  

He said he believes each of the schools needs to have a gifted and talented counselor. Other options might include grouping the most advanced students in one class at ech school, he suggested. Pulling students out of class for advanced instruction is another option for students who are doing work at a higher grade level, Hecht said.

The parents already have met with several administrators in the district and has supporters from all four elementary schools, Hecht said. All who are interested in offering support are invited to contact Terri Faltas at dowie0101@aol.com for more information, Hecht said.

In the 2010-11 school year, Hecht and his wife, Janina, spearheaded a group that raised money to keep full-day kindergarten in township schools. State aid cuts that year led the board to announce the kindergarten program would be scaled back to a few hours a day. However, the school district ultimately ended up funding the full-day program without the parental contribution after additional state aid was announced several months later.