Highlights of Exemplary Practices Aligned with the 18 Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools

Highlights of Exemplary Practices Aligned with the 18 Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools

Essential Attributes: An education for young adolescents should be Challenging

At Smyrna Middle School (SMS), we weave a story of academic rigor and personalized support, ensuring every student is challenged to reach their full potential. Our commitment to a challenging education begins with our dedicated content teachers, who design targeted Panther Time remediation sessions during their collaborative planning periods. In these sessions, content-tested teachers, special education teachers, and English as a Second Language (ESL) educators come together during Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings to craft differentiated lessons tailored to the diverse needs of our students. This collaborative approach ensures that every learner, regardless of their starting point, engages with instruction that pushes them to grow.

Characteristic #18: Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships.

Our master schedule is a testament to our responsiveness, carefully structured to support the varied needs of our student body. By offering multiple levels of intervention, we provide tailored support to help students overcome challenges and excel. To bolster student well-being, SMS is home to two school counselors and two licensed therapists, creating a robust support system that addresses both academic and emotional needs, fostering an environment where students feel empowered to tackle rigorous challenges.

Characteristic #11: Instruction fosters learning that is active, purposeful, and democratic.

The heart of our instructional strategy lies in the expertise of our four instructional coaches, each dedicated to one of the four major tested content areas. These coaches, alongside school administrators, meticulously analyze state testing data, district benchmark results, and local school-based assessments to strategically schedule students based on their areas of need. This data-driven approach informs professional development, equipping teachers with the tools to deliver targeted instruction. Every teacher maintains detailed student data files to track progress, ensuring that instruction remains responsive and focused on individual growth.

Characteristic #12: Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it.

Our standards-aligned grading system further enhances our ability to challenge students effectively. By pinpointing specific standards where students face difficulties, teachers can deliver precise instruction, remediation, or enrichment, ensuring that each student is both supported and pushed to achieve mastery. At Smyrna Middle School, we tell a story of challenge, collaboration, and growth, where every student is inspired to rise to the occasion and thrive in a dynamic, supportive learning community.