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Middle School Design Team (MSDT) Phase I and Phase II

Middle School Design Team (MSDT) Phase I and Phase II. Rigor, Relevance, and Responsiveness (R 3 ) December 2008. Implementation of Middle Schools in the Arlington Public Schools. School Board Statement of Purpose.

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Middle School Design Team (MSDT) Phase I and Phase II

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  1. Middle School Design Team (MSDT) Phase I and Phase II Rigor, Relevance, and Responsiveness (R3) December 2008

  2. Implementation of Middle Schools in the Arlington Public Schools

  3. School Board Statement of Purpose “The intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth of middle school children will be the focus of curriculum and staff development. Through effective and comprehensive academic learning in a caring environment students will have the opportunity to become thoughtful, productive, and contributing members of society.” (1989)

  4. Key Components of Middle School Implementation – 1990 • Interdisciplinary teacher teaming • Flexible block scheduling • Teacher-advisor program • Exploratory options • Extensive after-school activity program • Grade level teams • Core classes of English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies • Core classes for 5/7 of the school day at Grades 6 & 7 and 4/7 for Grade 8 • One class for Enrichment/Remediation at Grade 7 in addition to the 4 core classes • Interdisciplinary teacher teaming and instruction • Daily teacher/advisor programs

  5. Middle School Study Committee – February 1997 • Endorse middle school concept • Endorse existing configuration • Year long instrumental music classes at Grades 7 and 8 that would be grouped by achievement and/or grade level • Year long foreign language classes at Grade 7 • Differential staffing to assist schools in providing these classes

  6. Other Important Middle School Moments

  7. Middle School Design Team (MSDT)

  8. Review of MSDT’s Work The Middle School Design Team strongly supported the middle school model as implemented in the Arlington Public Schools, but saw this process as an opportune time to make some improvements. • Schools Want and Need Flexibility to Meet Challenges • Current School Initiatives Targeting Student Needs • Acceleration Opportunities During the School Day for Students Not at Grade Level • Resource Allocation • Importance of Professional Development • Adolescent learning theory • Procedurally through Summer Institutes and Small Learning Communities • Maximizing benefits of flexible scheduling

  9. Review of MSDT’s Work (continued) • Identification of Common Themes and Challenges Across Groups • Interest in Alternative Schedules • Liked Focus on Rigor, Relevance and Responsiveness • Recognized Challenges of Accreditation/AYP Systems • Alignment Between School-based Needs and System-wide Initiatives • Recognized Value of Data-driven Decision Making So…

  10. Guiding Principles • Provide student/staff teams, that lead to a nurturing, supportive environment for learning • Commit to success for all students through flexible grouping of students in heterogeneous teams • Advocate for and support the developmental needs, interests, and talents of all middle school students • Differentiate learning opportunities for students • Provide flexibility in scheduling to best meet student needs on teams, at grade levels, and in schools • Engage and educate families and the wider community to actively support middle school students

  11. Key Components • Grade level teams • Interdisciplinary team configurations • Common planning time • Individual teacher planning time • Interdisciplinary approach to teaching/curriculum • Teacher-student advisory program • A clearly articulated exploratory/electives program • A comprehensive after-school activity program • Inclusive opportunities for all students

  12. Charge Building upon the work of the Middle School Design Team Phase I, develop options that will allow the Superintendent to make short and/or long term recommendations concerning the following: • Alternative/hybrid schedules • Core • Electives (Encore) • Middle School instructional and activities times • Elective course offerings • Extended instruction in core classes in response to student need as revealed through achievement data • Teacher/Advisory time and delivery • Professional development: • Adolescent learning theory • Summer Institutes and Small Learning Communities • Maximizing benefits of flexible scheduling

  13. Middle School Design Team Phase II • Members represent the interests of their constituent group and report back on a regular basis to their constituent group • Periodic updates will be provided • To have broader input, groups of “critical friends” will be created to provide feedback at each stage of the process

  14. Next Steps and Timeline

  15. Middle School Design Team (MSDT) Phase I and Phase II Rigor, Relevance, and Responsiveness (R3) December 2008

  16. Trends in Electives • Enrollment in French and Spanish has increased regularly since 2002-2003 • Enrollment in instrumental music has increased regularly since 2002-2003 • Other electives have stayed the same or fluctuated slightly up and down since 2002-2003

  17. Grade 6 Schedules

  18. Grade 7 and 8 Schedules

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