OPHS Charter Amendment To Include 8th Grade Rollout Has Been Approved


Oxford Preparatory High School’s charter amendment request to restructure the offerings of the school by adding 8th grade in 2015-2016 and 7th grade in 2016-2017 has been approved by the Office of Charter Schools, per State Board of Education policy. As a result of the charter amendment, a school name change to Oxford Preparatory School was approved as well. Adding 40 students in 8th grade and 40 students in 7th grade will allow students and their families earlier access to the rigor and culture of a school focused on ensuring that college is an attainable goal. The small numbers for these grades will allow us to continue to provide our students a highly personalized educational environment by preserving the small class sizes throughout the school.

Including the middle grades will allow students in the area a better opportunity for academic success. According to ACT’s The Forgotten Middle, the middle grades, especially 8th grade, are critical for students in their pursuit to successfully complete high school requirements and gain access to a college degree. “Waiting until high school to address preparation gaps is too late for the majority of students who have fallen behind … Catching up those students is a daunting challenge even for the most effective high schools.” 1 We are already seeing some students arrive at OPS who have a strong desire to pursue a college education, but they lack essential skills in even the most basic concepts. For these students, we have already put into place additional supporting Math and English classes, in addition to their regular Math and English classes. We believe that we can provide even greater support to students by opening our doors to them earlier and making available high school resources to them in the 7th and 8th grades.

Equally important, by bringing in students earlier we will be able to provide an accelerated curriculum for students who are ready in the 7th or 8th grade to complete high school work. Qualified students will be able to choose from a menu of high school core courses as well as electives. High school classes offered to middle school students will be taught by certified high school teachers who are also responsible for teaching other courses in the curriculum sequence. Consequently, the teachers with whom these young people engage will have an intimate knowledge of the depth of understanding that students must attain and can provide a solid foundation for students who wish to move into more difficult academic pursuits quickly.

Adding a 7th and an 8th grade, each capped at 40 students, opens a new opportunity to better prepare students for high school expectations within a high school environment. Restructuring the school does not increase the anticipated student body population and therefore, does not require resources beyond those already in the plan. Plans are being finalized to expand temporary facilities for the 2015 – 2016 school year, and move in to permanent construction for the following 2016 – 2017 school year once near full enrollment growth. The restructuring provides an immense opportunity for families in the community – an opportunity not usually available except to those who can afford to send their children to private prep schools.

Catching up to College and Career Readiness. http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/CatchingUpToCCR.pdf