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 Attribute: An education for young adolescents should be Responsive
Developmentally Appropriate Scheduling: The needs of young adolescents are carefully considered in our school day scheduling. We employ an 8-day rotation with 4 class periods each day and 8 blocks total. This system provides students with essentially an A Day and a B Day schedule, with the order of classes changing to ensure variety. For instance, students don't always have the same class at the end of the day on a Friday afternoon. Each day has community time where students meet either in advisory on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or in an elective, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday.
We've also prioritized movement in our schedule as we know young adolescents greatly benefit. A 30-minute morning recess allows students to play or set up meetings with teachers, while our 45-minute lunch period gives students the flexibility to eat or enjoy playground time according to their individual needs. Protecting recess and movement in our schedule fosters a culture of playfulness and collaboration, which is essential for young adolescent development.
Bridge Year Program for 5th Graders: Recognizing the unique transition needs of our youngest middle schoolers, we've implemented a specialized Bridge Year Program for 5th graders. This program eases students into the middle school environment by limiting the number of teachers in their rotation, providing a more gradual transition from the elementary model. Each day begins with a 10-minute advisor check-in and a majority of their classes take place in Bridge Year classrooms where there are targeted supports such as assignment calendars posted on walls, flexible seating, and close to their dedicated 5th grade lobby where their lockers and charging stations are.
Grade Level Meetings: Our commitment to individual student growth is further exemplified by our Grade Level Advisory team meetings, held once per cycle (roughly biweekly). Prior to these meetings, all teachers contribute comments on students' real-time academic, behavioral, and socioemotional progress, including enacted supports and next steps. Grade level advisors discuss these comments for a rotating set of students and each student is discussed multiple times a year. This collaborative approach allows our teachers to identify common themes in individual students' strengths, needs, and areas of growth, facilitating targeted interventions and supports. By discussing students holistically, our teachers gain a comprehensive understanding of each student, ensuring each child is truly known. These meetings also provide a regular forum for teachers to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and receive collegial support, further enhancing our ability to meet the diverse needs of young adolescents.
Essential Attribute: An education for young adolescents should be Empowering
Student Voice: Student voice is central to our decision-making process. Our Student Council actively participates in important matters, including the interview process for potential new staff and faculty members and hosting middle school assemblies. Their input is also sought when developing policy and creating student programming. We also survey students often and on various aspects of school life such as locations for recess, ideas for improvements to the students planners, and which elective and athletic offerings they would like to have. This involvement fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility for their educational environment.
Service Learning and Global Citizenship: Through our work with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), students have a unique opportunity of diving deep into service early in their education. Students learn that service is more than direct action; it includes indirect service, advocacy, and research. Each grade level focuses on a United Nations sustainable development goal, participating in Fall and Spring service days to work on targets that help meet their global goal. Service Days have helped students strengthen connections with their community and recognize the positive impact they can have on their world and each other. Our service days offer diverse experiences, all featuring direct community involvement to reinforce the impact of our students' efforts. An example of this is our partnership with a nearby senior living community, where our 8th graders interact with residents and also have a chance to showcase their musical talents by playing instruments and singing for the residents, creating meaningful intergenerational connections.
Inquiry Based Approach: As an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme school, we empower students to drive their own learning and greatly value student curiosity. Curriculum is backward designed with a conceptual understanding as the goal. Throughout units, students have an opportunity to choose lines of inquiry and areas to explore. Our approach offers students more opportunities to showcase learning in different formats, embracing a competency-based model. This allows students to thrive in diverse areas, moving beyond traditional content or memory-based assessments to demonstrate their understanding and skills in ways that best suit their individual strengths.
Essential Attribute: An education for young adolescents should be Engaging
Comprehensive Engagement: At MCDS, engagement begins the moment students arrive, with faculty members greeting them at the door and inviting them to open gym before classes. Student attendance is strong during our school day as is participation in programs after school. Students can access various after-school options, including athletics, clubs, and study hall until 6:00 pm, supporting caregiver work schedules and encouraging participation in extra-curricular activities. This approach also helps foster relationship-building across grade levels and with teachers who are club instructors and coaches. Our engagement efforts yield impressive results: one out of three students participated in the middle school musical, and nearly every grade level fields a sports team each season, demonstrating strong student involvement in school life.
Relevant and Creative Electives: As an MYP school, we consider all subjects core classes (music, visual arts, English, etc.), which allows our elective block to offer creative, adaptable options that are driven by student interests. These include activities like fishing and fort building, Dungeons and Dragons, Shakespeare in the Prairie, ultimate frisbee, and karaoke club to name a few. Our elective program is flexible, with students participating in two different electives (Tuesday & Thursday) and having new opportunities to join different ones each quarter. Each quarter, students rank their elective choices and are enrolled in one of their top 3 choices. Students also have the opportunity to initiate and run their own electives with teacher assistance and these have been quite successful with one student initiated elective, Flag Football, turning into an after school athletics offering. This set up helps ensure that electives remain engaging, participatory, and motivating for all learners.