In addition to the groundbreaking advanced-diploma proposal, the Canyons District Board of Education voted Tuesday night for a grade reconfiguration that will affect every school in the District. As a result of the Board’s stamp of approval, sixth-graders will move into middle school and ninth-graders will move into high school. The Board also approved changing the names of the middle schools to “preparatory schools” to better reflect their academic mission.

The aim of the grade reconfiguration is to provide ninth-graders with the full college- and career-prep high school curriculum, middle school students with a nurturing, rigorous and high school preparatory focus, and elementary schools with room to offer additional school-choice programs. 

Superintendent David Doty presented a report from the National Middle School Association, which recommends middle schools house grades 5 or 6 through 8 to focus directly and exclusively on their needs and interest to increase the chance they will be more successful academically during a challenging time in their development.