District Revamps Intermediate School Survey

The on-again, off-again survey seeking opinion about big changes afoot for the next year at the was revamped and re-posted to the district's website late Wednesday night without a word from the school district administration.

The survey, which was posted, and posted again for the second time in 24 hours, this time is apparently seeking opinion from all parents and community members on the district's plan to double the math and language instruction in the school that for years has floundered in its standardized test scores.

The move would bump music instruction from the regular school schedule, and the district proposes to create either an extra before- or after-school period to accommodate the 280 students who want to continue music instruction. Students not enrolled in music would continue with their regular school day.

was posted on Tuesday, . It was open to fifth, sixth and seventh grade parents only. 

A call to Interim Superintendent Stephanie Bilenker, , did not respond to a request for comment about the survey Wednesday.

Wall Patch obtained a copy of the original three-question, password-protected survey, which asked only if the parent's child was enrolled in music, if the student planned to re-enroll in music next year, and if the parent would prefer a before-school or after-school music period. There was no other option offered by the survey.

That survey was abruptly yanked by afternoon Wednesday, with no formal word from the administration. The notice on the district's website said only that the survey was "offline'' and that a new one would be put up later.

Later came at night, when the survey re-appeared, this time including an option for district parents of students in seventh grade and above, and community members to express their opinions about the proposed changes. Those parents and community members, however, were asked no questions.

It was unclear late Wednesday night what the password-protected portion of the survey for parents of pre-K to 7th grade students looked like.

The first appearance of the survey on Tuesday was the first public acknowledgement that the administration planned to eliminate large group music instruction from the regular school day and extend the math and language instruction to boost its standardized test scores, which have failed to keep it off a state Department of Education watch list.

Wall Intermediate School is designated as a "School In Need Of Improvement,'' by the state DOE because of repeated low test scores in math and language. Continual low test scores can jeopardize federal funding.