AGAWAM — Even though the current school year doesn’t end until June, plans are moving ahead for some changes in the district for the 2026-27 school year. School Superintendent Sheila Martin highlighted the changes in her “Superintendent’s Notes” portion of the School Committee’s Feb. 10 meeting.
Special education programming
Martin said the district’s special education programming requires a “strategic evolution” to better align with current best practices and the specific findings of a recent program assessment. Special education programing will be transitioning toward an even more inclusive model.
“We are moving toward a system where every student benefits from the high expectations with appropriate levels of support in the general education environment, when appropriate,” said Martin. “This shift is not just about placement — it is about optimizing our resources.”
The superintendent said the district’s “most valuable assets” — its special education educators — are locked into schedules in ways that limit their impact. “Refining our delivery model allows us to think about teaching more dynamically, utilizing co-teaching and targeted interventions to reach more students,” said Martin.
Ultimately, Martin said these changes respond directly to the district’s data, ensuring that the structural framework “supports, rather than hinders,” the academic and functional growth of learners.
Full-day pilot program for four-year-olds
Martin said the district is exploring a full-day pilot program for four-year-old preschoolers at the Early Childhood Center. The move is being driven by educational research.
“Extensive studies consistently demonstrate that high-quality, full-day early childhood education plays a pivotal role in early literacy development, providing the extended instructional time necessary to master foundational phonics and vocabulary,” said Martin.
She added that beyond academics, an expanded schedule offers the consistent social-emotional learning required to ensure students are “truly kindergarten-ready.” The superintendent said that by investing in this full-day model, the hope is that an extended school day will set the trajectory for long-term academic success.
New Agawam Junior High School schedule/program of studies
At the junior high school, plans are under way to further enhance the student experience by transitioning the school schedule. This will be achieved by reducing the total number of courses a student takes at once.
Martin said longer instructional blocks will allow for opportunities where students can engage in deeper inquiry and project-based learning. The new schedule and program of studies also will allow for more student choices, letting them explore electives that they are most interested in and that may tie into future career interests.
The superintendent added that the flexibility of this new schedule can accommodate intervention work without taking away from core instructional time.
Electronic attendance report/kindergarten screening
Martin also announced that with the hiring of a new attendance coordinator for the district, a new electronic attendance report has been added to the first School Committee meeting of the month. The report, in alignment with the district’s strategic plan, will list each school’s average daily attendance percentages by month.
The superintendent also provided dates for kindergarten screening that will begin in late March for two days at each of the district’s four elementary schools. Granger and Phelps schools will be March 24 and 25 while Clark and Sapelli schools will be April 28 and 29.
Time slots for individual screenings with families will be arranged once enrollment packets have been received. Kindergarten enrollment will be handled by the Family Resource Center/Central Office, which can answer any questions.
