One of the initiatives within the District of Columbia All Students Succeeding-A Master Education Plan for a System of Great Schools is the improvement of middle schools.
At this time, DC does not have performance expectations at each grade level around standards, nor does it have teams that can work across grade levels to address the coordination of expectations across the transition years. MACC will work with the DC SEA/LEA to develop a support system of staff to both create and implement grade-level expectations, exemplars for student work, and proficiency rubrics.
Specifically, MACC will provide assistance to the DC SEA/LEA in the following areas:
- identification of criteria for selection of principals, teacher leaders, and SEA/LEA staff with expertise in middle school transition and use of this criteria to form a planning group;
- assistance to the planning group to: (a) write grade level expectations; (b) develop student work exemplars, and (c) develop proficiency rubrics;
- formation of vertical teams across all high schools and their feeder middle schools; and
- development of a professional development plan for these vertical teams so that they are able to work with the teachers in their respective schools to use the grade level expectations, exemplars, and performance tasks in their instruction.
The ultimate goal of this project is to create and implement aligned curriculum and instruction for the transition years, particularly in schools that have been identified as needing improvement, to address both the decline in achievement during these years and the high drop out rate that occurs in ninth and tenth grades.
See also the MACC Regional Project: Leadership for the Middle School Years