The “Tween” Years — Increasing Academic Rigor

1. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES The “Tween” Years — Increasing Academic Rigor Administrators’ Management Meeting for Exceptional Education and Student Services Personnel November 2004

2. Presenters Helen Lancashire School Guidance Consultant,Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services Lynda Roser Principal, Elizabeth Cobb Middle School, Leon County Adele Turnage Assistant Principal, Abraham Lincoln Middle School, Alachua County Dr. Mary Little Principal Investigator, Project CENTRAL

3. Topics • “Middle Grades Reform Act” major components • Middle school panel discussion addressing school-wide reading program development, including innovative methods to improve results for all students

4. “Middle Grades Reform Act”Section 1003.415, Florida Statutes The legislative intent is that all middle school students receive rigorous academic instruction through challenging curricula delivered by highly qualified teachers in schools with outstanding leadership to ensure that eighth grade students are prepared to successfully transition to high school.

5. Florida —477 Middle/Junior High Schools

6. Student Percentage at NAEP Achievement Levels — 8th Grade Mathematics

7. Student Percentage at NAEP Achievement Levels — 8th Grade Reading

8. Middle Grades Reform Act Components • Curricula and Courses • Rigorous Reading Requirement • Comprehensive Reform Study on the Academic Performance of Middle Grades Students and Schools • Personalized Middle School Success Plan

9. Curricula and Courses • DOE is required to review the middle grades • Course offerings • Teacher qualifications • Instructional materials • Teaching practices used in reading and language arts programs • DOE must consult with others in the development of findings and recommendations

10. DOE Requirements • State Board must adopt rules no later than March 1, 2005 • Implementation of new or revised reading requirements in all middle grades must be phased in no later than 2005-2006 with completion no later than the 2008-2009 school year

11. Rigorous Reading Requirement (RRR) • Effective for the 2004-2005 school year • Purpose is to assist each student who is not reading at or above grade level to do so before entering high school

12. RRR, cont. • Required for schools with fewer than 75% of its students reading at or below grade level in 6th, 7th, or 8th grades as measured by scoring at Level 3 or above on the FCAT Reading • Must be incorporated into language arts and reading programs by October 1 as the primary component of the school improvement plan

13. RRR must include: • Specific areas that address phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary • Desired levels of performance in those areas • Instructional and support services to be provided to meet the desired levels of performance

14. RRR Implementation Each school should use research-based reading activities that align with the Florida Formula for Success • [5] major components of reading instruction + • [3] types of assessments + • [ii] initial instruction + • [iii] immediate intensive intervention

15. RRR Implementation • School must provide quarterly reports to the district school superintendent • The RRR as part of the school improvement plan must describe how the school’s plan will align with the Florida Formula and include a listing of components

16. Academic expectations Attendance policies and student mobility issues Teacher quality Identification and availability of diagnostic testing Availability of personnel and scheduling issues Middle school leadership and performance Parental and community involvement Comprehensive Reform Study on the Academic Performance of Middle Grades Students and Schools

17. www.flmiddlegradesreform.com

18. Personalized Middle School Success Plan (PMSSP) Purpose: To assist each student in meeting state and school district expectations in academic proficiency and to prepare the student for a rigorous high school curriculum by… • Demonstrating proficiency in basic skills • Taking rigorous courses in core skills • Investigating individual interests through exploratory educational experiences

19. PMSSP For each entering sixth grader in 2004-2005 who scored below Level 3 on the most recent FCAT Reading, a PMSSP must be designed which: • Assists the student in meeting state and district expectations in academic proficiency and prepares him/her for rigorous curriculum • Shall be developed in collaboration with the student and his or her parent • Must be implemented until the student completes the eighth grade or achieves Level 3 on FCAT Reading • Must minimize paperwork

20. PMSSP Required Elements • Identify educational goals and intermediate benchmarks in the core curriculum areas • Be based on academic performance data and an identification of the student’s strengths and weaknesses • Include academic intervention strategies with frequent progress monitoring • Provide innovative methods to promote the student’s advancement • Be incorporated into existing student plans required by federal or state law

21. Academic Improvement Plan (AIP) Individual Education Plan (IEP) Section 504 Plan English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plan Individual Student Success Plan (ISSP) PMSSP must be included in any individual student plan required by federal or state law

22. PMSSP Implementation Ideas • Consider PMSSP as a more general, long-range plan for improving student achievement • Address components such as coursework and extracurricular activities designed to prepare the student for his or her goals in addition to reading and mathematics remediation

23. PMSSP Implementation Ideas • Academic Improvement Plan (AIP) is a more specific, shorter-range plan identifying areas to be addressed through remediation • Schedule level 1 and 2 students into an intensive course in reading and/or mathematics in addition to a regular, on grade level course

24. Development and Administration of the PMSSP Principal to designate certified staff members which may include: • Administrators • Teachers • Reading and math coaches • Library/media specialists • Guidance counselors • Other student services personnel

25. Development of the PMSSP and Parent Collaboration Provide parents with information regarding: • The requirement to have a plan • Student’s strength and weaknesses • The opportunity to provide input into the development of the plan through a variety of methods • Individual conferences • Telephone conferences • Exchange of information via electronic mail message • Other forms of written communication

26. Assistance to Schools and School Districts • Web-based reporting tools to help meet the requirements related to the school improvement plan, rigorous reading requirement, and the PMSSP available at www.osi.fsu.edu • District Improvement and Assistance and Intervention Plan Reporting Database • School Improvement Plan Reporting Database

27. Resources • National Middle School Association www.nmsa.org • Council of Chief State School Officers - Middle Grades Reform Project www.ccsso.org • Southern Regional Education Board - Making Middle Grades Work www.sreb.org/programs/MiddleGrades/publications/publicationsindex.asp • Middle Web www.middleweb.com/ • The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform www.mgforum.org

28. Resources, continued • Leadership Curriculum for Middle School Reform www.mgforum.org/leadership/modules/leadership.htm • Aim at Middle-Grades Results www.takingaim.org • Florida DOE www.fldoe.org • Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/index.html • Student Support Services Project sss.usf.edu