• Aligned academic core: Provide rigorous content in all middle grades academic core classes, and align core classes with performance standards that clearly state what students must know, understand and be able to do to succeed in college-preparatory English, mathematics and science courses in high school. Enroll middle grades students in core curricula that accelerate their learning, challenge them and appeal to their interests.
  o In mathematics, students develop a deep understanding of and use algebra concepts to reason and solve authentic problems and complete Algebra I with acceptable performance or demonstrate proficiency in pre-algebra and readiness for Algebra I.
  o In science, students have opportunities to engage in developing scientifically oriented questions and designing investigations to gather evidence in response to those questions. Students prioritize, organize and analyze evidence and data; formulate conclusions; and justify their proposed conclusions through written reports and oral presentations.
  o The language arts curriculum requires that students use language correctly and effectively to find, organize and report on information through reading, writing, speaking and listening before exiting eighth grade.
  o The social studies curriculum requires that, before students can exit eighth grade, they describe their heritage, their government, their world and economic principles through key issues of the past, present and future.
  o Fine arts, technology and exploratory courses are designed to enable students to use academic knowledge and skills to explore their interest and talents in several broad fields.
• Engaging classroom practices: Design classroom practices and instructional strategies to engage students intellectually, emotionally, behaviorally and socially in learning rigorous academic content. Young adolescents need varied learning activities linked to challenging academic content and opportunities to use newly acquired skills and concepts in hands-on, real-world applications so that they can understand and explain their interests, talents and aspirations.
• Literacy across the curriculum: Embed reading and writing standards and strategies for learning into all courses to advance academic and reading achievement and to help students become independent learners. Provide reading instruction in all academic curricula through grade eight and utilize research-based literacy strategies across content areas.
• High expectations and a system of extra help and time: Hold students to grade-level standards aligned to readiness standards for high school, college and careers. Organize time and resources to ensure students receive the extra help needed to meet high standards and expectations. Middle grades students learn in different ways and at different rates, and some will need more time and help to meet more grade-level standards. The complete middle grades curriculum should be focused on accelerating achievement for all students using several strategies:
  o Provide a structured system of instruction and extra help.
  o Give all students opportunities to acquire and practice habits of successful learning — effective study and literacy skills, time management and learning with others.
  o Provide students with opportunities to meet and exceed course standards and advance with their peers.
  o Define what is required for A-level and B-level work.
  o Support teachers in forming nurturing relationships with students to improve students’ academic work and achievement.
• Intervention program for at-risk students: Identify at-risk students in grades six, seven and eight who need accelerated instruction in mathematics, language arts and reading to be prepared for college-preparatory high school course work, and implement strategies and programs that target their needs.
• Comprehensive system of guidance and advisement that involves parents: Engage teachers, students and parents in a comprehensive guidance and advisement system — including academic advisement, career exploration and educational planning — that leads to a successful transition to high school. Involve parents in the school improvement process by informing them of the school’s mission and assisting them to understand the higher standards of performance now required of middle grades students and to support students to make greater effort and work hard.
• Teaching working together: Provide teams of teachers with time and support to work together — within and across disciplines — to integrate mathematics and literacy concepts across the curriculum, analyze teacher assignments and student work, and help students succeed in challenging academic and exploratory studies. All teachers need time to work together to complete a variety of planning activities:
  o Align core academic courses, instructional units, classroom assignments and assessments to high school readiness standards.
  o Determine proficiency levels of course standards.
  o Develop and coordinate learning activities.
  o Examine assignments, assessments and students work.
  o Reach a common understanding of proficient-level student work.
  o Discuss students’ strengths and challenges.
• Quality professional development to support teachers: Provide teachers with extensive, ongoing professional development on research-based instructional practices aligned with the school’s mission and school improvement plan. Today’s teachers must acknowledge that student failure is no longer acceptable and that they need extensive content knowledge coupled with effective, research-based teaching strategies to incorporate rigorous, engaging assignments and activities, and formative and summative assessments into their instruction.
• Use of technology for learning: Middle grades classrooms in all subject areas should view technology as a tool for learning. Schools can support teachers to plan units of instruction that allow students to conduct research, write papers, communicate globally, prepare presentations using electronic tools and resources, and explore the use of technology to address an array of contemporary problems and projects linked to a range of broad career areas.
• Continuous improvement through strong leadership: Develop strong instructional leaders who take an active role in engaging teachers in continuous improvement of school and classroom practices. Middle grades schools need effective principals who encourage, support and actively participate with teachers in planning and implementing research-based school improvement strategies. Schools must continuously gather and use data on student, school and teacher performance to review and revise school and classroom practices as needed.

The Purpose Conditions for Student Success

The goal of Making Middle Grades Work is to raise the academic achievement of all middle grades students to at least the Basic level, with increasing percentages of middle grades students performing at the Proficient level, as defined and measured by the National Assessment of Educational Program (NAEP).

To accomplish this goal, Texas MMGW proposes that:
all students learn a rigorous core curriculum of mathematics, reading across content areas, English/language arts, science and social studies;

• students are taught by highly qualified teachers who hold a content major or minor in the subject(s) they teach;
• teachers engage students through relevant, hands-on materials and activities; and
• all students leave eighth grade prepared for success in a challenging and accelerated high school curriculum.

Texas MMGW assists middle grades schools to implement the essential elements in the comprehensive improvement framework by creating key conditions that support improved academic achievement and by developing readiness indicators for students exiting the middle grades.

DATA AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS

2010 MMGW Data Walk-All Sites Info

2010 MMGW Data Walk Template Info
Instructions: To enter data, double-click on a chart. If that does not bring up a data sheet, right click on the chart and select “chart object – edit” For the pie chart, enter the percentage of students at each level of emphasis (high, moderate, low, incomplete). Do not include a “%” symbol. For each bar graph, enter the mean scores (based on level of emphasis).

2010 MMGW Site Data Tool Info

Evidence that Implementation of the HSTW/MMGW Framework Advances Student Achievement Info

Description of MMGW Services to Support Transformation/Turnaround Info

WAYS TO FUND

Americas Reinvestment and Recovery Act (AARA)
School Improvement (1003g) Grants and SREB Support Info

Ways HSTW/MMGW Support Districts and Schools to Meet Requirement of the School Improvement Grant Info

 

Current Making Middle Grades Work Sites

Lubbock-Cooper MS-Lubbock ISD website Burton Secondary-Burton ISD website La Villa HS-La Villa ISD website Mabank JH-Mabank ISD website Mount Pleasant JH-Mount Pleasant ISD website North Ridge MS-Birdville ISD website Truman MS-Grand Prairie ISD website Watauga MS-Birdville ISD website Southmore IS-Pasadena ISD website LaVernia JH-La Vernia ISD website Hopper MS-Cypress-Fairbanks ISD website Liberty Memorial MS-Los Fresnos CISD website Cunningham MS-Galena Park ISD website Jo Nelson MS-Santa Rosa ISD website Jane A. Hambric School-Socorro ISD website Ernesto Serna School-Socorro ISD website Humble MS-Humble ISD website Ross Sterling MS-Humble ISD website Timberwood MS-Humble ISD website Barton MS-Hays CISD website Coleman JH-Coleman ISD website Landrum MS-Spring Branch ISD website Lubbock-Cooper MS-Lubbock ISD website Spring Oaks MS-Spring Branch ISD website