Creating Significant Middle Schools in the Age of Accountability

Can public schools that utilize the "the middle school concept" meet the challenges of the 21st century? In the face of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and its focus on state standards of accountability, middle level educators are feeling the pressure of raising achievement while addressing the developmental needs of their students.

While a current trend in high schools is to establish freshman academies that utilize components of effective middle schools to make the transition to high school easier for students, some middle schools are reacting to the high-stakes testing climate by moving away from the middle school concept. Two factors may be prompting this change.

The first factor is a lack of overall understanding of what the middle school concept is. This lack of understanding tems from the fact that many middle school teachers did not attend a teacher education program that provided middle school certification. Sixth grade teachers have elementary certification, eighth grade teachers have secondary certification, and elective/encore teachers are certified in a particular area. Although it is clear that the NCLB requirements for highly qualified teachers will in the long term rectify the first factor, it is quite apparent that in the interim there is no quick fix. Adding to this dilemma is an influx of alternative licensure teachers who are being hired in high-need urban and rural settings. The end result is that faculty and staff members do not have extensive training in adolescent development and the best practices of the middle level.

The second problem is that research about the effectiveness of the middle school concept and its relationship to accountability has not been shared widely enough. The results are out there, but educators are not hearing about them.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County (NC) Schools (WSFCS), under the leadership of Superintendent Donald Martin, decided to allow the middle school concept as described in NMSA's This We Believe, an opportunity to "present its case." In doing so, it seems to have resurrected the middle school movement in that district.We present here an overview of the first two years (2003–2005) of district and school-wide efforts to develop middle schools that make significant differences in the lives of students, teachers, and families.

The Setting
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system is located in the triad area of North Carolina. The urban/suburbanblended system serves more than 48,000 students in more than 70 schools. The demographic breakdown of the student population is approximately 49% white, 34% African American, 12% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, 1% Asian, and fewer than 1% American Indian.

The Board of Education adopted a "school of choice" plan that allows parents to choose the best school for their child from among eight elementary and six middle school zones. Each middle school has adopted a learning theme that is used to connect the curricular and cocurricular programs and in turn acts as a strategy to attract students to a particular school (http://mts.admin.wsfcs.k12.nc.us).

The following are descriptions of 4 of the 16 middle school themes.

Jefferson Middle School: An Academic Village. JMS models itself on President Thomas Jefferson's vision of an "academic village," an intimate setting where everyone actively participates in the pursuit of knowledge. Jefferson embraces a theme that demonstrates how academics, technology, and the humanities are connected.

Walkertown Middle School:The Career Academy. WMS prepares students to live and work in the ever-changing world by providing them with an engaging environment. The focus is on a balance of basic academic studies and exploratory courses featuring a variety of alternative teaching strategies. Teachers link class assignments to problems and issues faced by professionals.When students leave WMS, they are able to think critically and creatively as they encounter challenges and problems in their lives.

Paisley Middle School: International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program.The focus of the International Baccalaureate: Middle Years program is the development of students' attitudes, knowledge, and skills as they learn about their own and others' social and national cultures. It not onlyfosters tolerance and respect, but also leads to empathy and understanding. Paisley will motivate and prepare students for advanced achievement so that they enjoy lifelong learning and become productive, global citizens.

Hill Middle School:Visual and Performing Arts. HMS focuses on excellence in teaching and learning. The school emphasizes strong moral values, character development, and respect for diversity. Students receive an arts-based experience that promotes academic excellence and superior artsbased products. Building on these cornerstones, students learn to work and live in the 21st century.

Some Background
The original goal of the middle school project was to develop and implement a comprehensive framework that would ensure that within two years, the 16 Winston-Salem/Forsyth County middle schools would be implementing the "best practices" of the middle school concept while addressing the components of NCLB. The framework would act as a national model for reorganizing middle schools in the accountability/information age.

Initially, principals and district administrators met to discuss the presence of and effectiveness of several components related to the middle school concept. For example, the educators cited a lack of consistency and continuity in the implementation of middle level components such as teaming and flexible scheduling within and between the 16 middle schools. All participants expressed concern about a lack of understanding about and implementation of best practices at the middle school level, as well as concern about the components of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.

To help bring clarity to the middle school concept and to facilitate its implementation across the district, each of the middle schools was studied and then placed into one of four broad categories: Schools of Surrender, Schools of Survival, Schools of Success, and Schools of Significance. The following descriptions are from Raising Achievement: Project Genesis: A Significant School Model, by Mark. L'Esperance, David Strahan, Vernon Farrington, and Patricia Anderson, published in 2003 by National Middle School Association.

Schools of Surrender: These schools long ago succumbed to the overwhelming odds of low expectations and the lack of a dynamic, shared vision for a better tomorrow. An ethos of failure permeates their environment with an easily apparent lack of financial, spiritual, and curricular support. Their infrastructures are crumbling and the mission is vague and distant from thedaily lives of students....

Devastated by years of low academic achievement, lack of leadership, and high teacher turnover…with neither affective nor cognitive strategies in place, (there is) no vision, no passion, no plan, and thus no hope for students. These schools have given up.

Schools of Survival: These schools function only at a survival level....The leadership teams may want school renewal but do not have a plan for energizing (the process).… (There are) many schools of survival. Participants spend most of their energy reacting to challenges that arise. There is little visionary leadership.…

These "survival specialists" wish they had a plan for taking their school to the next level, but lacking one, they are likely to settle for having completed another year with the ship afloat near the water line of proficiency (requirements).... Sadly, a comparison with schools of surrender brings solace, which may hinder their chances of ever doing more than simply surviving.

Schools of Success: These schools have been judged to be successful by most stakeholders. High student attendance, low teacher turnover, considerable parent involvement, and stereotypically low poverty levels have combined to produce a reputation of high student achievement and positive school climate…Ironically, their success often presents barriers to further school improvement....

Because of their legacy of success, they do not continually review…school theory or engage in strategic planning for academic improvement. As a result, they engage in yearly maintenance checks instead of participating in ongoing school renewal. Considered flagships of their districts, these schools are content to patch holes instead of considering significant design changes.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is an appropriate theme for schools of success. These schools are in danger of remaining in a maintenance mode. Any school not in ongoing renewal fails to offer the very best for its students and community.

Schools of Significance: These schools may evolve from any of the three models previously mentioned. They (are being transformed) and empowered by the collective vision of entire school communities. Their cultures are rich with indicators of broad and deep renewal with data to support (the efforts)....Schools of significance are in a constant mode of reflection....(They) are data-directed not data-driven…(and are becoming) student-centered communities that promote academic achievement for all children.

Each principal's goal is to create a School of Significance. Individual schools use the framework as an assessment tool in conducting a comparative analysis of the school's progress towards significance.

The Project
In the first year of the project, the three-person project team consisting of the two lead authors from East Carolina University and an outside middle school consultant collected and analyzed extensive data related to all aspects of each middle school. The data included

• School Improvement Plan
• Climate survey
• Disaggregated test data
• Teacher handbook
• Team configuration/schedule
• Eighth grade student/teacher survey
• School documentation
• Parent involvement data.

The members of the project team then conducted onsite visits, utilizing focus groups and interviewing teachers and administrators. Specifically, the team assessed and analyzed the following components adapted from Purkey and Strahan's "School Transformation Through Invitational Education" (1995):

• Policies. Policies currently being administered in each middle school related to the district's Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education.
• People. Individuals or groups of individuals; roles and responsibilities related to the Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education.
• Places. Physical facilities related to utilization of facilities and middle school components related to the Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education.
• Programs. Specific programs related to the Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education.
• Processes. Procedures to develop and implement sitebased or district initiatives related to the Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education.

The district established the above-mentioned Guiding Principles for Middle Level Education based on a synthesis
of National Middle School Association publications. These guiding principles are:

• Rigorous and challenging curriculum for all
• Safe and supportive environment
• Educators trained and committed to middle level education
• An opportunity for every child to have a caring and mentoring adult-child relationship
• Effective and cooperative parent-school communication, high levels of parent involvement with opportunities for
  business and community involvement with each middle school.

These principles reflect the cornerstones of the middle level vision. The project team members then shared the results of the analyses with each school's core leadership team, central office administrators, and the superintendent as a foundation for future discussion and work.

Critical Analysis
An important aspect of the project was collaboration among the principals and key district administrators to develop a common vocabulary and understanding of the middle school concept. Several initial meetings were used to discuss the specific research criteria being used to analyze each school. This time allowed principals to critically assess the consistency and continuity of policies and curriculum within and between schools. Regular meetings, which continue today, provide a forum for rich discussions related to key issues affecting the project.

A major component of the initial analysis was for each school's leadership team to conduct a self-study that analyzed the components of their original theme in relation to NCLB and middle school effective practices for raising achievement. The schools used National Middle School Association's Research Summary #20—What Works to Improve Student Achievement in this endeavor.

Each leadership team rated the school in the following categories:

• Clear Academic Focus
• Teaching Strategies
• Support for Teaching and Learning
• Holistic Approach
• School's Capacity for Change
• Focus on Learning.

This analysis also helped the leadership team identify the three most effective practices in relation to organization, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and/or school climate. The results of this analysis helped the school leadership team customize professional development activities to focus on areas in need of attention. Districtwide, the two most effective practices identified by the schools were having a Clear Academic Focus and Focus on Learning. The one particular area that was identified as least effective was the School's Capacity for Change.

Results
Three major initiatives resulted from the year-long analysis. They include:

1. Leadership Development. To implement and sustain a true research-based middle school concept, principals need ongoing professional development activities that provide both the mind set and skill set necessary for them to be effective leaders.

The project team members continue to meet monthly with the entire group of principals to discuss, review, and revise district policies related to such areas as grading and formative testing. The forums have also created the framework for district curriculum administrators and the project team to create a set of standards of best practices that each school uses as benchmarks for ongoing assessment and
renewal.

The project team also developed a series of modules that challenge all principals to assess their leadership capabilities. The modules include

2. Interdisciplinary Teaming. The second major initiative was a "train the trainer" staff development model. One interdisciplinary team from each school met with a project team member during the second year of the project. The model teams received extensive training in the following areas:

• Characteristics of adolescents
• Characteristics of successful middle schools
• Characteristics of significant teams.

In turn, the model teams set up a formal schedule to provide staff development training in these areas to the administration, faculty, and staff of their respective schools. The project team used a variety of assessment tools to evaluate the progress of the training, and they used the data to develop the training plan for the next two school years.

3. School Improvement. The final major initiative was to create a "living" School Improvement Plan (SIP) for each school that moves away from a cafeteria-style plan that incorporates dozens of strategies that are difficult or impossible to evaluate. The new SIP is a targeted plan that focuses on the three or four academic or climate issues that the school leadership team identified after reviewing several years of data. Each target area may have only two to four research-based strategies that the leadership team monitors and assesses on an ongoing basis.

Each school continues to implement additional strategies outside the targeted areas; the key is that only the targeted areas are evaluated, thus alleviating the stress of staff members who feel as if they are doing a million things and accomplishing nothing. The leadership team of each school is provided ongoing training and support in developing a
rationale for implementation, assessing the identified targeted strategies, and revising or eliminating strategies based on qualitative and quantitative data.

Final Words
The WSFCS Middle School Project is an ideal example of how one school district is determined to truly serve the cognitive and affective needs of adolescents. WSFCS has created a process and model that integrates the best practices of the middle level and the challenges of NCLB.