School Plans to Adopt Format Used in Japan : Education: Emblem Elementary will begin in July to teach 2-hour math, science and humanities classes as part of a restructuring plan.

SANTA CLARITA —  A Saugus elementary school hopes to duplicate the academic successes of Japanese schools by adopting the Japanese teaching format.

Emblem Elementary School has restructured how six full-time instructors will teach 210 of its students in grades four through six, beginning in July.

“We’re not trying to teach anything different than any other teachers. We’re just trying to teach it better,” said Saugus Union School District Supt. Troy Bramlett.

The Student Teacher and Academic Restructuring (STAAR) program calls for teachers to lead two morning classes of two hours each, concentrating on math and science in one class and humanities in the other. This provides longer blocks of uninterrupted teaching, proponents say, and improves learning.

Full-time teachers spend the remainder of the school day planning future lessons, while part-time instructors teach various subjects for two 45-minute afternoon periods. Subject matter in the later classes are alternated among topics such as art, music, computers and physical education.

Emblem Principal Justin Caulfield said STAAR allows teachers to concentrate on developing lessons for two main subject areas rather than 15 to 20 topics each day, leading to improved planning and therefore better teaching.

STAAR will begin in late July, with the summertime segment of Emblem Elementary School’s multitrack schedule. District officials first discussed STAAR in January as a method of teaching differently without spending more money.

Funding is coming from a vacant full-time teaching position. Schools traditionally maintain a ratio of 30 students to one teacher, indicating seven teachers would normally be employed to instruct the 210 students in the STAAR program.

Six full-time teachers will participate in the program, and the money for the seventh position--about $60,000 including salary, benefits and other personnel costs, according to Caulfield--will pay for the eight part-time instructors.

The Saugus Union School District board approved STAAR by a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, with Eileen Connolly and Al Nocciolo dissenting because of minimal parental involvement and questions over the exact content of the program.

Connolly said restructuring ideas need to come from parents and adopting the program before contacting them leaves no options for those who don’t want their children to participate.

Nocciolo complained the presentation was vague and did not include specific curriculum.

School officials have scheduled presentations about STAAR for parents at 6:30 p.m. today, Tuesday and Wednesday in the multipurpose room of Emblem School.