EXCEPTIONAL MIDDLE-GRADES ‘SCHOOLS TO WATCH’
ANNOUNCED IN SIXTEEN STATES
ANNOUNCED IN SIXTEEN STATES
Alvarado Intermediate in Rowland Heights To Be Recognized in Washington D.C.
Champaign-Urbana, IL – Ninety-eight exemplary middle-grades schools in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia have been named “Schools to Watch” as part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Having established partnerships with education leaders in these states, the Forum today announced the names of schools in each state that meet its strict criteria. [list of schools below] *Alvarado Intermediate in Rowland Heights has been redesignated again as a “Schools to Watch.” The school was first named a Model Middle School in 2004 and re-designated in 2007.
“We are thrilled to have received this recognition,” said Principal Ying Tsao. “Our staff and students have worked very hard in an exciting and challenging middle school program to demonstrate strong student achievement. This re-designation is an affirmation of the fine work so many have done in the school, district and larger community.”
Alvarado Intermediate will receive their national recognition award in Washington D.C. on June 24, 2011. Dr. Irvin Howard, director of California’s Schools to Watch – Taking Center Stage program, noted, “Alvarado Intermediate School is a model of what an outstanding middle school can be. School leaders from across the state will now turn to Alvarado Intermediate School for guidance on improving their programs to better serve their students.”
Linda Hopping, Chair of the National Forum’s Schools to Watch Oversight Committee stated, “These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools have a clear focus on academic growth and achievement. They also recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensuring that each and every child has access to a rigorous, high-quality education. We are proud to have these schools serve as models from which others can learn.”
Selection is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria developed by the Forum. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state teams who observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years must repeat the process in order to be re-designated. Thirty-eight of the ninety-eight schools recognized have maintained or increased their levels of excellence and are being re-designated. The schools vary in size from several hundred to several thousand students and represent urban, suburban, and rural communities.
"We are pleased that our Schools to Watch program has shown that schools can meet high academic expectations while preserving a commitment to healthy development and equity for all students," said Dr. Deborah Kasak, Forum executive director. "These Schools to Watch are indeed special; they make education so exciting that students and teachers don't want to miss a day. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieving excellence, and any middle-grades school in any state can truly learn from their examples," Kasak said.
In 2002, the Forum began working with states to replicate the Schools to Watch program as a way to introduce the Forum's criteria for high-performance and identify middle grades schools that meet or exceed that criteria. Different education organizations have taken the lead in each state, but all have received training and support from the Forum to implement their Schools to Watch programs. The lead state organizations are the Arkansas Association of Middle Level Education, the California League of Middle Schools, the Colorado Association of Middle Level Education, the Georgia Middle School Association, the Association of Illinois Middle Schools, the Indiana Middle Level Education Association, the Kentucky Center for Middle School Academic Achievement, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, Garden State Partnership for Teacher Quality and New Jersey Department of Education, the New York State Middle School Association & New York State Department of Education, the North Carolina Middle School Association, the Ohio Department of Education, the Oregon Middle Level Association, the Pennsylvania Middle School Association, the South Carolina Middle School Association, the Texas Middle School Association, the Utah Middle Level Association and the Virginia Middle School Association. All together, nineteen states are currently involved in the program and the addition of these schools raises the total number of Schools to Watch to 287 nationwide.
The National Forum sponsors the Schools to Watch state program with the support of its members and the State Schools to Watch programs. Schools will convene at the Schools to Watch Conference in the Washington, DC area June 23-25, 2011.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
New & Re-Designated “Schools to Watch”STATE DIRECTORS: Mona Briggs (501)658-1811 [email protected]
Charles Green (501)851-4857 [email protected]
New
Brookland Middle School - Brookland
Central Middle School, Van Buren
Redesignation I
Cabot Middle School North-Cabot
Helen Tyson Middle School, Springdale
J.O. Kelly Middle School-Springdale
CALIFORNIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Irvin Howard (951)318-7515 [email protected]
New
Calavera Hills Middle School, Carlsbad
Carnegie Middle School, Orangevale
La Paz Intermediate School, Mission Viejo
Vista Verde Middle School, Moreno Valley
Washington Academic Middle School, Sanger
Redesignation I
Alta Sierra Intermediate School, Clovis
Kastner Intermediate School, Clovis
Redesignation II
Alvarado Intermediate, Rowland Heights – Located at 1901 S. Desire Avenue, Rowland Heights. www.alvaradoschool.org
Bernice Ayer Middle School, San Clemente
John F. Kennedy Middle School, El Centro
Rancho Milpitas Middle School, Milpitas
Robert A. Millikan Middle School, Sherman Oaks
COLORADO
STATE DIRECTOR: Diane Lauer (970)613-7398 [email protected]
New
Altona Middle School, Longmont
Gypsum Creek Middle School, Gypsum
Hotchkiss K-8, Hotchkiss
Jenkins Middle School, Colorado Springs
Powell Middle School, Littleton
Steamboat Springs middle School, Steamboat Springs
Redesignation I
Russell Middle School, Colorado Springs
GEORGIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Linda Hopping (404)317-3679 [email protected]
New
East Jackson Middle School, Commerce
Waycross Middle School, Waycross
Redesignation II -
Upson Lee Middle School, Thomaston
ILLINOIS
STATE DIRECTORS: Deb Schrock (309) 438-4510 [email protected]
Gary Weilbacher (309)438-4510 [email protected]
New
Jefferson Middle School, Champaign
Redesignation II
Gordon Gregory Middle School, Naperville
Indian Creek Middle School, Waterman
Kennedy Junior High School, Lisle
INDIANA
STATE DIRECTOR: Shirley Wright 317-894-2937 [email protected]
New
Eastwood Middle School, Indianapolis
Northview Middle School, Indianapolis
Tri-West Middle School, Lizton
Westlane Middle School, Indianapolis
KENTUCKY
STATE DIRECTORS: Karen Hamilton (859)622-1513 [email protected]
Fran Salyers (859)608-2368 [email protected]
New
Monroe Middle School, Tompkinsville
North Middle School, Henderson
Redesignation I
Belfry Middle School, Belfry
Benton Middle School, Benton
Redesignation II
Olmstead School, Olmstead
MICHIGAN
STATE DIRECTOR: Steve Hoelscher (248)249-3265 [email protected]
New
Shelby Middle School, Shelby
Redesignation I
Mill Creek Middle School, Dexter
NEW JERSEY
STATE DIRECTORS: David McNair (609)777-3578 [email protected]
Gail Hillard-Nelson (908)737-3866 [email protected]
TBA
NEW YORK
STATE DIRECTORS: David Payton (518)356-3299 [email protected]
Marybeth Casey (518)474-0059 [email protected]
New
Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, Port Washington
Garden City Middle School, Garden City
Hugo Newman College Preparatory School PS/IS 180, New York City
Redesignation I
Pioneer Middle School, Yorkshire
NORTH CAROLINA
STATE DIRECTORS: John Harrison (910)235-3761 [email protected]
New
McGee’s Crossroads Middle School, Benson
Piedmont Middle School, Charlotte
Redesignation I
Kernsville Middle School, Kernsville
Kernodle Middle School, Greensboro
Rogers-Herr Middle School, Durham
West Pine Middle School, West End
Redesignation II
Carmel Middle School, Charlotte
East Yancey Middle School, Burnsville
Jay M. Robinson Middle School, Charlotte
OHIO
STATE DIRECTOR: Dan Stacey (614)644-6325 [email protected]
New
Central Intermediate School , Wadsworth
E. H. Greene Intermediate School, Cincinnati
Teays Valley West Middle School , Commercial Point
Redesignation I
Canaan Middle School, Plain City
Beachwood Middle School, Beachwood
PENNSYLVANIA
STATE DIRECTORS: Paul Meck (717)697-8909 [email protected]
Bruce Vosburgh (610)347-2000 ext.3811 [email protected]
New
Beaty-Warren Middle School, Warren
Canonsburg Middle School, Canonsburg
Mount Nittany Middle School, State College
Park Forest Middle School, State College
SenecaValley Middle School, Harmony
Titusville Middle School, Titusville
Redesignation I
Boyce Middle School, Upper Saint Clair
Fort Couch Middle School, Pittsburgh
Lenape Middle School, Doylestown
SOUTH CAROLINA
STATE DIRECTORS: Linda Allen (843)839-5025 [email protected]
Tina White (803)734-3397 [email protected]
New
Castle Heights Middle School. Rock Hill
College Park Middle School, Ladson
League Academy of Communication Arts, Greenville
Pickens Middle School, Pickens
T. E. Mabry Middle School, Inman
Redesignation I
Blythewood Middle School, Blythewood
Palmetto Middle School, Williamston
TEXAS
STATE DIRECTORS: Cecil Floyd (512)462-1105 [email protected]
Melissa Seward (512)462-1105 [email protected]
New
Alexander Middle School, Pearland
Bradley Middle School, San Antonio
Bush Middle School, San Antonio
Chapa Middle School, Kyle
Chisholm Trail Middle School, Rhome
Dawson Middle School, Southlake
Eastwood Middle School, El Paso
KIPP Aspire Academy, San Antonio
Lone Oak Middle School, Lone Oak
Pershing Middle School, Houston
Wester Middle School, Frisco
UTAH
STATE DIRECTORS: Lori Gardner (435)615-0222 [email protected]
New
Kearn Junior High School, Kearns
Redesignation I
Eisenhower Junior High School, Taylorsville
Tonaquint Intermediate School, St. George
VIRGINIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Sandy Dutemple (703)368-6465 [email protected]
New
Bull Run Middle School, Gainesville
Gainesville Middle School, Gainesville
Stonewall Middle School, Manassas
Pennington Traditional School, Manassas
Damascus Middle School, Damascus
Stone Hill Middle School, Ashburn
Redesignation I
Short Pump Middle School, Glen Allen
Blue Ridge Middle School, Purceville