History 

The MSST came into being in June 2007 as an outgrowth of our dialogues at CMS during the 2006-2007 school year.  The dialogues during that year repeatedly returned to key issues in the education of adolescents, such as assessment, scheduling, collaboration and student support.  

Since these issues clearly interrelated and are fundamental to any middle school experience, our building adopted an action plan that identified the creation of the MSST to research adolescent brain development, explore effective middle school practices, and compare current practices with findings in the research 

 The action plan guiding the committee’s work set up an aggressive time-frame for our research that called for recommendations to the staff at the end of January 2008.  In reality, this work continued until May 2008 because the learning process for the MSST, as well as the whole staff, was very valuable, gave meaning to our research, and established a higher level of readiness for change.

 The MSST consisted of the following members throughout the 2007-08 school year:

 Scott Peacock             Principal

Mike Bongi                 Parent

Tina Erickson             Parent

Matthew Hamlin       Student

Alana Fouts                Student

Carolyn Coombs        Teacher/Admin. Intern

Shelley Barker            Teacher

Terri Clayton              Registrar

Monica Jaramillo       Teacher

Erica Fortune             Counselor

Heather Bird               Teacher

Larry Taylor               Teacher

Karen Taylor              Teacher

Ian Cameron              Teacher

Kathy Williams          Teacher

Information Sources 

The research that we conducted included the following books:

 Sylwester, Robert.  The Adolescent Brain: Reaching for Autonomy.  Corwin Press, 2007.

 Van Hoose, John; David Strahan; Mark L’Esperance.  Promoting Harmony: Young Adolescent Development and School Practices.  National Middle School Association, 2001.

 Erb, Thomas O. (Editor). This We Believe in Action: Implementing Successful Middle Schools.  National Middle School Association, 2005.

  Additional resources incorporated into our recommendations include:

      1.                   Student Survey given on Surveymonkey.com in December 2007.

2.                  Staff input recorded during monthly staff dialogues during the 2007-2008 school year.

3.                  Presentation given by Elaine Johnson on January 11, 2008 to the entire CMS staff.

Themes and Characteristics of Adolescence

 The following themes were prominent throughout our research, and verified in various ways on the student survey.  These themes and characteristics were central to our analysis of our strengths as a school, and to our identification of growth areas: 

•  Students are moving from dependence to independence in their lives

•  Students are severing overtly loving relationships with parents as they shift toward more romantic and sexualized relationships in adolescence

•   Independence must be balanced and fortified by strong adult guidance

•   Adult guidance and reasoning should be articulated to adolescents

•   Adolescent development is a process, emotionally and intellectually that occurs over a 10 year period (as part of a larger 20 year growth period from birth)

•   Because adolescence is a process that looks different with every child, variety is limitless in the physical and social realities of our kids

•   Adolescence is like a “second toddlerhood” in many ways

 Adolescents need choices and feedback in order to experience the outcomes of their decisions

•   Experimentation and experiences in a safe environment are critical (safety nets)

•    Adolescents require healthy relationships with adult advocates

•   Strong role models are necessary to support the healthy development of mirror neurons

•   Connections must exist from student-student, student-adult and with the world around them

•   Education must be relevant in the 21^st century, preparing them for careers that may not yet exist

•   Students must be active learners in and out of the classroom

• Adolescents must have opportunities to create and reinforce learning through interaction and integration of concepts

• Social opportunities are critical to adolescents and must be built into daily experiences

• Teenage stress is a reality that must be acknowledged and addressed by adults

• Adults must be aware of and willing to openly address “the big lie” of adolescence—the pervasive sense of inadequacy that is a reality in teen life

• Variety in the forms of media that adolescents interact with or relate to is critical in their ability to engage with the world in a meaningful way

CMS Strengths 

The following list is a compilation of our school’s strengths, identified by the whole staff at our September 2007 dialogue session, and revisited by the MSST in meetings throughout the year:

• Life Fitness, sports, electives and clubs that provide opportunities for student activity

• Priority is placed on interactive experiences such as dances, social events (Life Skills), projects and fundraisers

• Student mentor assistant program to support students and teachers in the classroom

• Adults teach and maintain clear boundaries for behavior with fairness and consistency

• Value is placed on professional development and collaboration among staff

• Commitment to teamwork in support of students such as grade level meetings, conferences and IEP’s

• Strong counselors and counseling program

• Cultivation of role-modeling and student involvement in leadership classes

• Pyramid of Interventions that provides systemic support for students

• Purposeful cultivation of the partnership between students, staff and parents

• Desire to balance the needs of individual students with the needs of all students

• Safe learning environment—physically and emotionally

• Strong communication tools such as handbooks, website, announcements

• Awareness of and commitment to role modeling on staff and with student leaders

• Focus on respect as school theme

• Staff commitment to accepting student mistakes/choices as learning opportunities

• Strong focus on community and family

• Instructional focus on critical thinking and process skills

• Cultivation of organization and use of the student planner as a priority

• Maintaining a balance between academic and social growth in student development

• Overriding value is on nurturing the whole child

Focal Points for Future Growth

 What follows is a list of focal points that address broad conditions or areas that would enrich or expand our school’s alignment with the developmental needs of our students

 Condition #1

• Making time for community and interactive learning opportunities during the school day and in classes

 Condition #2

• Helping students and teachers make connections between disciplines

Condition #3

• Creating opportunities for students to develop a relationship with an adult advocate

Condition #4

• Developing an assessment system that provides meaningful feedback to both students and parents

Condition #5

• Extending collaboration more fully throughout our school community and extending further into the district

MSST Recommendations for Further Consideration

 The recommendations that follow represent ways in which CMS could create or enrich conditions within our school that are more consistent with the lives of our students.  These recommendations are not endorsements of particular programs that we believe should be adopted, but represent strong checkpoints for future school-wide planning.  It has been the position of our group throughout our research that our school will need to adapt in its effort to change, rather than adopt pre-existing programs or curricula.  Our school is strong and unique.  Any changes we consider need to build on and accentuate our strengths as a caring, compassionate community committed to developing the capacities of the whole child.

 Condition #1

• Making time for community and interactive learning opportunities during the school day and in classes

1. Implement block schedule to increase flexibility (adopted Spring “08”)
2. Identify service learning opportunities in the curriculum
3. Develop an activities program within the school day (advocacy, student-led activities, intramural activities)
4. Plan a school-wide interdisciplinary unit

Condition #2

• Helping students and teachers make connections between disciplines

1.      Plan a school-wide interdisciplinary unit

2.      Schedule opportunities for team-teaching (adopted Spring ‘08)

Condition #3

• Creating opportunities for students to develop a relationship with an adult advocate

1.      Develop an activities program within the school day (advocacy, student-led activities, intramural activities)

2.      Explore and consider advisory/mentor programs

3.      Explore and consider student-led conferences

4.      Create opportunities for non-teaching staff and students to interact in different environments

Condition #4

• Developing an assessment system that provides meaningful feedback to both students and parents

1.      Encourage student and parents to attend conferences in spring and fall

2.      Explore and consider student-led conferences

3.      Develop a school-wide standards-based assessment rubric

4.      Evaluate and possibly expand alternative grading rubric for special education students (piloted in ’08)

Condition #5

• Extending collaboration more fully throughout our school community and extending further into the district

1.      Provide opportunities for teaching and non-teaching staff to interact

2.      Investigate opportunities for service learning outside of the school community

3.      Develop more opportunities for student leadership (assemblies, school projects, community service ideas)

4.      Increase opportunities for student/parent involvement in school improvement