Building and Recognizing Exemplary Middle Schools Marybeth Casey Associate- Middle Level Education New York State Dept. of Education 89 Washington Ave. Room 320 EB Albany, NY The New York State Essential Elements: Schools to Watch Program

History July 2003 Regents Policy Statement on Middle Level Education outlines 7 Essential Elements of Standards Focused Middle Level School Programs

The Elements  A philosophy and mission that reflect the intellectual and developmental needs and characteristics of young adolescents (youth years of age).  An educational program that is comprehensive, challenging, purposeful, integrated, relevant, and standards-based.  An organization and structure that support both academic excellence and personal development.  Classroom instruction appropriate to the needs and characteristics of young adolescents provided by skilled and knowledgeable teachers.  Strong educational leadership and a building administration that encourage, facilitate, and sustain involvement, participation, and partnerships.  A network of academic and personal support available for all students.  Professional learning and staff development for all staff that are ongoing, planned, purposeful, and collaboratively developed.

NYSED in collaboration with the field through the Statewide Network of Middle Level Liaisons develops guidance documents to aid middle schools in the implementation of the Essential Elements

Guidance Documents Included  Protocols for using the Elements including: Awareness Protocol Needs Assessment Protocol School Improvement Protocol  Essential Elements Rubric  Essential Elements Rating Scale

Promotion of the Implementation of the Essential Elements  NYSED Electronic Publications Web Presence Public Engagement and Technical Assistance  Professional Associations and Organizations New York State Middle School Association (NYSMSA)  Conference Presentations  Professional Development Academies  Printed Publications  Leadership Institutes New York State Middle Level Liaisons (SNMLL)  Statewide Communication Networks Other Professional Associations  Essential Elements Schools to Watch Recognition Program Partnership: NYSMSA, SNMLL, NYSED, NYSUT et.al

What is a National School to Watch (STW) ? A National School to Watch (STW) is a school containing Middle Grades that shows evidence of excellence in:  4 Domains  Academic Excellence  Developmental Responsiveness  Social Equity  Organization and Structure  37 Recognized Criteria

What is an Essential Elements School to Watch (EESTW) ? An EESTW is a New York school with middle grades that shows evidence of excellence in: 7 Essential Elements 37 Criteria 4 Domains

What is the Essential Elements: Schools- to-Watch (EE: STW) program?  An opportunity for self-study and targeted school improvement.  A program to identify and publicize effective middle schools that are committed to continuous improvement.  An opportunity for mentoring  An opportunity for networking about good practices  A national campaign to educate professionals and the public about criteria and indicators for high- performing middle schools

Why Schools to Watch?  National Schools to Watch (STW) Criteria align perfectly with the Essential Elements.  Schools to Watch criteria go beyond State Assessment performance.  EESTW offers State and National recognition (incentive) to schools endeavoring to improve their programs by implementing the Essential Elements  The program is a vehicle for School Improvement  EESTW values and recognizes a sustained trajectory of improvement

How does EESTW align with STW? The Criteria…..

Academic Excellence  All students are expected to meet high academic standards. EE: 2.2, 2.8, 4.18, 7.4  Curriculum, instruction, assessment and appropriate academic interventions are aligned with high standards. EE: 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.10, 4.2, 4.13  The curriculum emphasizes deep understanding of important concepts and the development of essential skills. EE: 2.4, 4.10, 4.11  Instructional strategies include a variety of challenging and engaging activities that are clearly related to the grade level standards, concepts and skills being taught. EE: 1.6, 4.8 AND… The school is academically excellent. It challenges all students to use their minds well

Academic Excellence  Teachers use a variety of methods to assess and monitor the progress of student learning. EE: 2.11, 4.14, 4.15  The faculty and master schedule provide students time to meet rigorous academic standards. EE: 3.3  Students have the supports they need to meet rigorous academic standards. EE: 2.14, 3.8  The adults in the school are provided time and frequent opportunities to enhance student achievement by working with colleagues to deepen their knowledge and to improve their standards based practice. EE: 3.1, 3.2, 4.17

Developmental Responsiveness  The staff creates a personalized environment that supports each student's intellectual, ethical, social, and physical development. EE 1.1, 2.1, 3.6  The school provides access to comprehensive services to foster healthy physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. EE 3.15, 6.4, 6.7  Teachers foster curiosity, creativity, and the development of social skills in a structured and supportive environment. EE 4.4, 4.6, 4.7  The curriculum is both socially significant and relevant to the personal and career interests of young adolescents. EE 2.12  Teachers use an interdisciplinary approach to reinforce important concepts, skills and address real-world problems. EE 2.7 The school is sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence

Developmental Responsiveness  Students are provided multiple opportunities to explore a rich variety of topics and interests in order to develop their identity, learn about their strengths, discover and demonstrate their own competence, and plan for their future. EE: 3.12, 6.3  Students have opportunities for voice—posing questions, reflecting on experiences and participating in decisions and leadership activities. EE 5.11  The school staff members develop alliances with families to enhance and support the well-being of the children. EE 3.11, 4.19, 6.5  Staff members provide all students with opportunities to develop citizenship skills, to use the community as a classroom, and to engage the community in providing resources and support. EE 3.10  The school provides age-appropriate co-curricular activities to foster social skills and character, and to develop interests beyond the classroom environment. EE 3.9

Social Equity  To the fullest extent possible, all students, including English learners, students with disabilities, gifted and honors students, participate in heterogeneous classes with high academic and behavioral expectations. EE 3.8, 3.13, 3.14  Students are provided with the opportunity to use many and varied approaches to achieve and demonstrate competence and mastery of standards. EE 4.6, 4.9  Teachers continually adapt curriculum, instruction, assessment, and scheduling to meet their students' diverse and changing needs. EE 7.10  All students have equal access to valued knowledge in all school classes and activities. EE 3.8, 3.13, 3.14 AND… The school is socially equitable, democratic and fair. It provides every student with high-quality teachers, resources, learning opportunities and supports. It keeps positive options open for all students

Social Equity  Students have on-going opportunities to learn about and appreciate their own and others' cultures. EE 3.7, 6.2  The school community knows every student well. EE 1.4, 1.5  The faculty welcomes and encourages the active participation of all its families and makes sure that all its families are an integral part of the school. EE 2.15  The school's reward system is designed to value diversity, civility, service, and democratic citizenship. EE 6.1  Staff members understand and support the family backgrounds and values of its students. EE 3.7  The school rules are clear, fair and consistently applied. EE Conclusion

Organizational Structures and Processes.  A shared vision of what a high-performing school is and does drives every facet of school change. EE 7.2, 7.3  The principal has the responsibility and authority to hold the school-improvement enterprise together, including day-to-day know-how, coordination, strategic planning, and communication. EE 5.6, 5.13  The school is a community of practice in which learning, experimentation, and time and opportunity for reflection are the norm. EE 4.20, 7.9  The school and district devote resources to content- rich professional development, which is connected to reaching and sustaining the school vision and increasing student achievement. EE 5.10, 7.1, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8 AND … The school is a learning organization that establishes norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain their trajectory towards excellence.

Organizational Structures and Processes  The school is not an island unto itself. It is part of a larger educational system, i.e., districts, networks and community partnerships. EE 1.7, 2.9, 3.17  The school holds itself accountable for its students' success. EE 5.7  District and school staff possess and cultivate the collective will to persevere, believing it is their business to produce increased achievement and enhanced development for all students. EE 4.21, 5.12  The school and district staffs work with colleges and universities to recruit, prepare, and mentor novice and experienced teachers. EE: 5  The school includes families and community members in setting and supporting the school's trajectory toward high performance. EE 5.14

A Good Place to Start Self Study and Rating Rubric estw_nat_self_study_rating_rubric.doc

Schools to Watch and EESTW both agree on the need for…  Academic program with high standards  Personal development  Classroom instructional strategies to ensure success for all  Knowledgeable building leadership who foster partnerships  Academic and personal support available  Ongoing professional development

The Process  Applications are due in July.  Applications are checked for completeness and eligibility.  Applications are read by trained middle- level experts around the state and evaluated against common criteria.  Site visits are arranged for schools where the written applications warrant.  Site visits are evaluated against written applications and established criteria.  Feedback is provided for all schools regardless of the outcome.

Minimum Eligibility  Schools must be either public or Charter schools within New York State  Schools must have at least TWO of the following grades: grade six, grade seven, grade eight  Schools must be in compliance with all Commissioner’s Regulations  Applicant schools may not be classified as having any of the following accountability status Phase/Category designations:  Improvement/Focused,  Improvement/Comprehensive  Corrective Action  Restructuring  School Under Registration Review (SURR)  Persistently Low Achieving (PLA). (Note: Applications from schools designated as Improvement-Basic will be accepted however must include evidence as to how the school is addressing the sub group of students identified as not meeting the state standards.)

Benefits to participating schools and districts that elect to complete and submit an application include…  A thorough, research-based, review of the middle-level school and its programs consistent with the Regents Policy Statement on Middle-Level Education, the State Education Department’s Essential Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs, and Commissioner’s Regulations related to the middle grades.  Engagement of the educational community in a constructive school improvement activity.  Identification of school/program strengths as well as areas in need of improvement.  Development of a research-based continuous improvement plan for the school. AND…

Benefits to participating schools and districts that elect to complete and submit an application and earn a site visitation include…  Site visit by team of middle-level educators with follow-up resulting in a full report addressing all criteria  Possible national and state recognition for the district, school, and staff.  Possible membership in a select group of nationally recognized middle-level schools.  Professional development opportunities and networking  Coaching towards continued success.

Schools to Watch States 2013 Number of STW States: 19 Number of Schools to Watch as of 2012: 326

New York’s Essential Elements Schools to Watch Total Number of NY Schools to Watch as of 2013: 27

Current NYS EE: Schools to Watch A.A. Kingston MSPittsford M.S. – Calkins Rd Bay Trail Middle SchoolPittsford M.S – Barker Rd Carrie Palmer Weber MSSayville M.S. Garden City MSTwelve Corners M.S. Glens Falls MSVictor Junior High School Hugo Newman College Prep. PS/IS 180Martha Brown Middle School Jericho MSIndian Lake Lakeland Copper Beach MSOceanside Middle School Merton Williams MSPleasantville Middle School Moravia M.S.Van Wyck Junior High School North Salem MSLongwood JHS Oliver Winch MSFarnsworth MS Pioneer MS Johanna Perrin MS (2013)Honeoye Falls-Lima MS (2013)

For Further Information… Visit the following websites NYSED Middle Level Webpage New York State Middle School Association Webpage National Forum STW Website

 April – Bay Trail Middle School Penfield, NY  May (TBD) – Longwood Middle School Middle Island, NY  July NYSED Albany, NY If you are interested in participating in any of the above trainings see Marybeth for a Registration Form Upcoming Reviewer Trainings

Questions?