Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe, but our team is already thinking about the 2026-2027 school year. As we begin preparing for next year, I want to share how our team approaches student class placement. I share in your desire to provide the absolute best classroom experience and environment for every child. The student placement process is one of the most important responsibilities we have as educators, and it is a process we take very seriously. Our goal is to follow a set of established criteria that allows us to build balanced classrooms which support optimal teaching and learning for all K-5 students.

Our placement philosophy is as follows:

1. Heterogeneous groupings: This means that each class has a mixture of ages (within the grade level), balanced gender ratios, maturity levels, and academic ability.
2. Quantitative Factors: This means that across all rooms at the same grade level, there should be a balance of multilingual language learners, students receiving services, and ethnic/racial diversity.
3. Academic Factors: Every effort is made to arrange student placement so that each classroom has a mixture of different ability levels in literacy, math, and language but in workable groups.
4. Social Factors: It is carefully thought through and determined in which class the child’s potential leadership will be encouraged, with which group of children the child’s personality will best fit, and which teacher will best support growth and development.
5. Parent Input: We invite families to share their environmental requests to indicate the type of classroom environment they would like their child to be placed in (not specific teacher names) where parents feel they will be most successful. This is just one piece of data we consider in the scope of everything else. An electronic form is available beginning today in your PowerSchool Parent Portal and will remain open through May 5th. See below for directions on how to access the form. If you have multiple children you’d like to share input for, a form should be submitted for each child. 
6. Teacher Input: Your child’s current teacher also provides critical input based upon first hand classroom knowledge of who each child should and should not be placed with along with other factors they know about each learner. Those factors may include:

                  *Academic Performance: Quality and consistency of grade level work

                  *Energy Level: Stamina, focus, and sustained engagement throughout the day

                  *Behavior: Adjustment to routines, interactions with peers and adults, and contribution to a positive 

                    learning environment

                  *Independence: Work habits, initiative, and ability to begin and complete tasks independently

We begin working on placement planning early March, and the team spends a significant amount of time reviewing information and refining classes to get it “just right.” We recognize that the culture and dynamics of a classroom community have a tremendous impact on student outcomes, and we take that responsibility seriously.

Important Note: Because class placement is developed through a thoughtful process using many factors, requests for specific teachers and requests for class changes are strongly discouraged and may not be granted. Even small changes can impact the balance of classrooms and the overall learning environment for students.

We appreciate your understanding and trust in this process, which is designed to support all learners.

Thank you for your partnership as we prepare for another exciting school year. 

To access the form in your PowerSchool Parent Portal:

1. Sign into your PowerSchool Parent Account
2. Select your student (you will need to complete a form for each child K-4)
3. On the left menu, select the “Forms” icon
4. Click on the form titled “Class Placement Parent Input Form for the 2026-2027 School Year”
5. Complete and submit the form
6. Repeat if desired for each child K-4