Highlights of Exemplary Practices Aligned with the 18 Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools
Culture & Community:
Extensive programming is available to help each girl differentiate herself from others as she finds her own individual niche. Cocurricular programming, including clubs and activities are readily available for girls to explore options to enhance their GPS experience and often nourish future aspirations. As part of our commitment to developing the whole girl and deepening our community connections, all students participate in after-school activities. Our faculty and staff have developed a range of varied and interesting enrichment opportunities to allow all students to follow their curiosities and passions. After-school activities are offered by trimester to align with athletic seasons. Some will continue throughout all three trimesters, but most allow students to try different activities each season as they explore and experiment.
Our robust athletics program allows girls to experience a variety of sports and activities outside of the classroom, are are non-cut in the middle school. Our all-girls environment emboldens student-athletes to explore any sport that may interest them, and they have a wide array of options.The GPS middle school curriculum in the Fine and Performing Arts is also unique. Each girl is given many opportunities to experience all genres of art if she so chooses, from fine art to dance to music to theater. This breadth of programming allows her to make informed decisions as she enters the upper school. Because of her middle school experiences, she can decide which disciplines she wants to investigate further.
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Keeping the mission and vision of the school at the forefront, GPS seeks to create a learner-centered approach, one which views learners as active agents. This current approach, which empowers each student in her educational journey, differs significantly from a traditional instructor-centered approach. In a learner-centered environment, students bring their own knowledge, past experiences, education, and ideas to the table, which impacts how they process new information and learn from each other. In a learner-centered environment, students are able to be flexible thinkers, intellectually curious learners, resilient risk-takers, empathic global citizens, self-aware human beings, effective communicators, and active listeners. The framework for this learner-centered culture centers on creating learning experiences that are authentic, personalized, competency-based, and equitable + inclusive.
GPS uses a number of methods to assess student progress, both formative and summative, in and out of the classroom. Over the course of the past five years, the middle and upper schools have worked closely together to develop a grading philosophy that guides our practices and processes in assessing student progress. These practices, along with shifts in our grading of behaviors such as late work and participation, have allowed us to more accurately assess and communicate student progress. In addition to the adoption of an open grade book, each year students receive formal progress reports, including individualized comments from their teachers, which share their current progress, strengths, and areas for growth.
The GPS Student Support faculty and staff monitor student progress both academically and socially. Weekly team meetings allow teachers and student support staff to work closely together to support students using a holistic approach. Discipline and course-specific conferences in the fall, as well as student-led conferences in the spring, allow parents, teachers, advisors, and students to assess where each girl stands as a student and what supports she might need in order to be as successful as possible at GPS.