PALMER — Mat-Su students entering middle school next year could have longer class periods and see fewer teachers each day under a district plan aimed at improving math and literacy test scores among sixth graders.
The update could cut in half the number of individual classes and teachers early middle school students see daily by combining multiple subjects into one period, district officials said.
The shift is designed to give teachers more time to focus on math and reading by integrating those skills with other core subjects, such as science and social studies, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Superintendent Randy Trani told the school board during a regular meeting on Dec. 3. The change would also reduce the amount of time students spend moving between classes and provide more stability during the school day, he said.
“The model that a student experiences when they go from fifth grade to sixth grade is a dramatic switch. They go basically from having one teacher for most of the day to sometimes having as many as seven different teachers in a day or in between days,” Trani said. “The big change that we’re probably looking at next year is changing the instructional model to minimize transitions between various adults versus sixth-grade students. That will maximize — or at least adds — time for literacy and math.”
Trani said the plan is part of the district’s response to a sharp drop in literacy and math scores on the state’s AK STAR tests between fifth grade, when students are typically in a single-teacher elementary setting, and sixth grade, when they rotate through multiple classes and instructors.
In 2025, 51% of fifth graders scored at proficient or higher on the AK STAR test, compared with just 38% of sixth graders, according to district data presented to the school board. Scores in 2024 and 2023 were similar, district data show. The issue reflects national trends among students transitioning into middle school or junior high, according to several studies, officials said.
The drop in scores corresponds with a decrease in the amount of time students spend focused on math and reading each week to accommodate other subjects, as well as several other major life changes, said associate superintendent for instruction Reese Everett. Those include the onset of puberty, adjusting to a new school, and changes in how instruction aligns with tested standards.
Most Alaska students were not proficient in reading and math in 2024, according to statewide AK Star test scores. The 2025 test scores showed a slight improvement. Fifth graders have the highest scores of all students, according to those results.
Tweaking class period lengths is a relatively simple change that could help students and improve the learning the tests are designed to measure, Everett said. But whether sixth grade ultimately sees the shift by the 2026-27 school year could depend on funding.
Early Mat-Su budget projections show the district could face $22 million in cuts next year due to rising costs and stagnant state and borough funding, district officials told the board this month. Such a shortfall could force the district to eliminate about 200 staff positions, including teachers.
If that happens, any proposed changes to the middle school class schedule would be shelved, Everett said.
“If there are significant full-time employee reductions, a lot of things will need to be revised, including this,” he said.
