Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 held a Parent University event on March 5 to discuss the redesigned middle school schedule that will take effect at Emerson and Lincoln Middle Schools in the 2026-27 academic year. The session aimed to inform parents about significant changes focused on improving academic achievement and student well-being.
The new schedule is the result of an extensive review by the Middle School Review Committee, which analyzed student data, gathered feedback from stakeholders, and considered best practices from other area schools. The district said these changes are intended to address areas where students have not been meeting growth targets, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.
One of the main adjustments is increasing ELA and Math class periods to 80 minutes, up from previous blocks of 50 or 60 minutes. Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Dr. Samantha Alaimo explained during the event that this change was made because “we’ve missed our targets since 2018, and only 37% of our students are meeting their growth goals.” She added, “In just 50 minutes, we just weren’t hitting all of those standards or doing them justice.”
Dr. Alaimo addressed concerns about reallocating instructional time: “The science and social studies teachers and I have been evaluating our instructional time to see what we can adjust. We’re looking at state mandates and standards to guide our decisions… We need to identify which labs can be omitted while still meeting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).” Regarding longer math classes, she said professional development will include strategies such as brain breaks: “Research shows that children shouldn’t or may not be able to focus well for more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time… which is why the 15-minute marker is used for middle school students.”
Other aspects of the schedule will remain unchanged, including start and end times, lunch/recess periods, four core content areas, elective slots, exploratory classes for sixth grade, team configurations, and homeroom/advisory periods. Changes include a common bell schedule across both schools, trimester-based classes for all subjects, three elective periods for seventh and eighth grades, adjusted lengths for core classes, revised team configurations, and no large core/elective blocks.
Looking ahead, District 64 announced another Parent University night focused on behavioral supports scheduled for April 2 at the Hendee Professional Development Wing in Niles.
