Mychael Willon Member-At-Large Mychael has had a keen interest in middle schools since serving as an interim principal, while serving as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Focusing on teaching and learning and the unique challenges our middle schoolers face, has been a passion of his since that experience. Mychael is also the President-Elect of the Virginia Middle School Association. < Back

Privacy Policy GENERAL The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform (“Company” or “we” or “us” or “our”) respects the privacy of its users (“user” or “you”) that use our website located at https://www.middlegradesforum.org/, including other media forms, media channels, mobile website or mobile application related or connected thereto (collectively, the “Website”). The following Company privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) is designed to inform you, as a user of the Website, about the types of information that Company may gather about or collect from you in connection with your use of the Website. It also is intended to explain the conditions under which Company uses and discloses that information, and your rights in relation to that information. Changes to this Privacy Policy are discussed at the end of this document. Each time you use the Website, however, the current version of this Privacy Policy will apply. Accordingly, each time you use the Website you should check the date of this Privacy Policy (which appears at the beginning of this document) and review any changes since the last time you used the Website. The Website is hosted in the United States of America and is subject to U.S. state and federal law. If you are accessing our Website from other jurisdictions, please be advised that you are transferring your personal information to us in the United States, and by using our Website, you consent to that transfer and use of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. You also agree to abide by the applicable laws of applicable states and U.S. federal law concerning your use of the Website and your agreements with us. Any persons accessing our Website from any jurisdiction with laws or regulations governing the use of the Internet, including personal data collection, use and disclosure, different from those of the jurisdictions mentioned above may only use the Website in a manner lawful in their jurisdiction. If your use of the Website would be unlawful in your jurisdiction, please do not use the Website. BY USING OR ACCESSING THE WEBSITE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE PRACTICES DESCRIBED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. GATHERING, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF NON-PERSONALLY-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION Users of the Website Generally “Non-Personally-Identifying Information” is information that, without the aid of additional information, cannot be directly associated with a specific person. “Personally-Identifying Information,” by contrast, is information such as a name or email address that, without more, can be directly associated with a specific person. Like most website operators, Company gathers from users of the Website Non-PersonallyIdentifying Information of the sort that Web browsers, depending on their settings, may make available. That information includes the user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system, browser type and the locations of the websites the user views right before arriving at, while navigating and immediately after leaving the Website. Although such information is not Personally-Identifying Information, it may be possible for Company to determine from an IP address a user’s Internet service provider and the geographic location of the visitor’s point of connectivity as well as other statistical usage data. Company analyzes Non-Personally-Identifying Information gathered from users of the Website to help Company better understand how the Website is being used. By identifying patterns and trends in usage, Company is able to better design the Website to improve users’ experiences, both in terms of content and ease of use. From time to time, Company may also release the Non-Personally-Identifying Information gathered from Website users in the aggregate, such as by publishing a report on trends in the usage of the Website. Web Cookies A “Web Cookie” is a string of information which assigns you a unique identification that a website stores on a user’s computer, and that the user’s browser provides to the website each time the user submits a query to the website. We use cookies on the Website to keep track of services you have used, to record registration information regarding your login name and password, to record your user preferences, to keep you logged into the Website and to facilitate purchase procedures. Company also uses Web Cookies to track the pages that users visit during each Website session, both to help Company improve users’ experiences and to help Company understand how the Website is being used. As with other NonPersonally-Identifying Information gathered from users of the Website, Company analyzes and discloses in aggregated form information gathered using Web Cookies, so as to help Company, its partners and others better understand how the Website is being used. COMPANY USERS WHO DO NOT WISH TO HAVE WEB COOKIES PLACED ON THEIR COMPUTERS SHOULD SET THEIR BROWSERS TO REFUSE WEB COOKIES BEFORE ACCESSING THE WEBSITE, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT CERTAIN FEATURES OF THE WEBSITE MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY WITHOUT THE AID OF WEB COOKIES. WEBSITE USERS WHO REFUSE WEB COOKIES ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY RESULTING LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY. Web Beacons A “Web Beacon” is an object that is embedded in a web page or email that is usually invisible to the user and allows website operators to check whether a user has viewed a particular web page or an email. Company may use Web Beacons on the Website and in emails to count users who have visited particular pages, viewed emails and to deliver co-branded services. Web Beacons are not used to access users’ Personally-Identifying Information. They are a technique Company may use to compile aggregated statistics about Website usage. Web Beacons collect only a limited set of information, including a Web Cookie number, time and date of a page or email view and a description of the page or email on which the Web Beacon resides. You may not decline Web Beacons. However, they can be rendered ineffective by declining all Web Cookies or modifying your browser setting to notify you each time a Web Cookie is tendered, permitting you to accept or decline Web Cookies on an individual basis. Analytics We may use third-party vendors, including Google, who use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) together to inform, optimize and serve ads based on your past activity on the Website, including Google Analytics for Display Advertising. The information collected may be used to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. If you do not want any information to be collected and used by Google Analytics, you can install an opt-out in your web browser (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/) and/or opt out from Google Analytics for Display Advertising or the Google Display Network by using Google’s Ads Settings (www.google.com/settings/ads). Aggregated and Non-Personally-Identifying Information We may share aggregated and Non-Personally Identifying Information we collect under any of the above circumstances. We may also share it with third parties and our affiliate companies to develop and deliver targeted advertising on the Website and on websites of third parties. We may combine Non-Personally Identifying Information we collect with additional Non-Personally Identifying Information collected from other sources. We also may share aggregated information with third parties, including advisors, advertisers and investors, for the purpose of conducting general business analysis. For example, we may tell our advertisers the number of visitors to the Website and the most popular features or services accessed. This information does not contain any Personally-Identifying Information and may be used to develop website content and services that we hope you and other users will find of interest and to target content and advertising. Mobile Device Additional Terms Mobile Device. If you use a mobile device to access the Website or download any of our applications, we may collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model and manufacturer), operating system, version information and IP address. Geo-Location Information. Unless we have received your prior consent, we do not access or track any location-based information from your mobile device at any time while downloading or using our mobile application or our services, except that it may be possible for Company to determine from an IP address the geographic location of your point of connectivity, in which case we may gather and use such general location data. Push Notifications. We send you push notifications if you choose to receive them, letting you know when someone has sent you a message or for other service-related matters. If you wish to opt-out from receiving these types of communications, you may turn them off in your device’s settings. Mobile Analytics. We use mobile analytics software to allow us to better understand the functionality of our mobile software on your phone. This software may record information, such as how often you use the application, the events that occur within the application, aggregated usage, performance data and where the application was downloaded from. We do not link the information we store within the analytics software to any Personally-Identifying Information you submit within the mobile application. SOCIAL MEDIA We may use hyperlinks on the Website which will redirect you to a social network if you click on the respective link. However, when you click on a social plug-in, such as Facebook’s “Like” button, Twitter’s “tweet” button or the Google+, that particular social network’s plugin will be activated and your browser will directly connect to that provider’s servers. If you do not use these buttons, none of your data will be sent to the respective social network’s plugin provider. So for example, when you click on the Facebook’s “Like” button on the Website, Facebook will receive your IP address, the browser version and screen resolution, and the operating system of the device you have used to access the Website. Settings regarding privacy protection can be found on the websites of these social networks and are not within our control. COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONALLY-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION Website Registration As defined above, Personally-Identifying Information is information that can be directly associated with a specific person. Company may collect a range of Personally-Identifying Information from and about Website users. Much of the Personally-Identifying Information collected by Company about users is information provided by users themselves when (1) registering for our service, (2) logging in with social network credentials, (3) participating in polls, contests, surveys or other features of our service, or responding to offers or advertisements, (4) communicating with us, (5) creating a public profile or (6) signing up to receive newsletters. That information may include each user’s name, address, email address and telephone number, and, if you transact business with us, financial information such as your payment method (valid credit card number, type, expiration date or other financial information). We also may request information about your interests and activities, your gender, age, date of birth, username, hometown and other demographic or relevant information as determined by Company from time to time. Users of the Website are under no obligation to provide Company with Personally-Identifying Information of any kind, with the caveat that a user’s refusal to do so may prevent the user from using certain Website features. BY REGISTERING WITH OR USING THE WEBSITE, YOU CONSENT TO THE USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONALLY-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION AS DESCRIBED IN THIS “COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONALLY-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION” SECTION. Company Communications We may occasionally use your name and email address to send you notifications regarding new services offered by the Website that we think you may find valuable. We may also send you service-related announcements from time to time through the general operation of the service. Generally, you may opt out of such emails at the time of registration or through your account settings, though we reserve the right to send you notices about your account, such as service announcements and administrative messages, even if you opt out of all voluntary email notifications. Company Disclosures Company will disclose Personally-Identifying Information under the following circumstances: By Law or to Protect Rights. When we believe disclosure is appropriate, we may disclose Personally-Identifying Information in connection with efforts to investigate, prevent or take other action regarding illegal activity, suspected fraud or other wrongdoing; to protect and defend the rights, property or safety of Company, our users, our employees or others; to comply with applicable law or cooperate with law enforcement; to enforce our Terms of Use or other agreements or policies, in response to a subpoena or similar investigative demand, a court order or a request for cooperation from a law enforcement or other government agency; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases, we may raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us. Marketing Communications. Unless users opt-out from receiving Company marketing materials upon registration, Company may email users about products and services that Company believes may be of interest to them. If you wish to opt-out of receiving marketing materials from Company, you may do so by following the unsubscribe link in the email communications, by going to your account settings (if applicable) or contacting us using the contact information below. Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your Personally-Identifying Information, which may include your name and contact information (including email address) with our authorized service providers that perform certain services on our behalf. These services may include fulfilling orders, providing customer service and marketing assistance, performing business and sales analysis, supporting the Website’s functionality and supporting contests, sweepstakes, surveys and other features offered through the Website. We may also share your name, contact information and credit card information with our authorized service providers who process credit card payments. These service providers may have access to personal information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to share or use such information for any other purpose. Business Transfers; Bankruptcy. Company reserves the right to transfer all PersonallyIdentifying Information in its possession to a successor organization in the event of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or other sale of all or a portion of Company’s assets. Other than to the extent ordered by a bankruptcy or other court, the use and disclosure of all transferred Personally-Identifying Information will be subject to this Privacy Policy, or to a new privacy policy if you are given notice of that new privacy policy and are given an opportunity to affirmatively optout of it. Personally-Identifying Information submitted or collected after a transfer, however, may be subject to a new privacy policy adopted by the successor organization. Changing Personally-Identifying Information; Account Termination You may at any time review or change your Personally-Identifying Information by going to your account settings (if applicable) or contacting us using the contact information below. Upon your request, we will deactivate or delete your account and contact information from our active databases. Such information will be deactivated or deleted as soon as practicable based on your account activity and accordance with our deactivation policy and applicable law. To make this request, either go to your account settings (if applicable) or contact us as provided below. We will retain in our files some Personally-Identifying Information to prevent fraud, to troubleshoot problems, to assist with any investigations, to enforce our Terms of Use and to comply with legal requirements as is permitted by law. Therefore, you should not expect that all your Personally-Identifying Information will be completely removed from our databases in response to your requests. Additionally, we keep a history of changed information to investigate suspected fraud with your account. General Use Company uses the Personally-Identifying Information in the file we maintain about you, and other information we obtain from your current and past activities on the Website (1) to deliver the products and services that you have requested; (2) to manage your account and provide you with customer support; (3) to communicate with you by email, postal mail, telephone and/or mobile devices about products or services that may be of interest to you either from us, our affiliate companies or other third parties; (4) to develop and display content and advertising tailored to your interests on the Website and other sites; (5) to resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems; (6) to measure consumer interest in our services; (7) to inform you of updates; (8) to customize your experience; (9) to detect and protect us against error, fraud and other criminal activity; (10) to enforce our Terms of Use; and (11) to do as otherwise described to you at the time of collection. At times, we may look across multiple users to identify problems. In particular, we may examine your Personally-Identifying Information to identify users using multiple user IDs or aliases. We may compare and review your Personally-Identifying Information for accuracy and to detect errors and omissions. We may use financial information or payment method to process payment for any purchases made on the Website, enroll you in the discount, rebate, and other programs in which you elect to participate, to protect against or identify possible fraudulent transactions and otherwise as needed to manage our business. COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION BY THIRD PARTIES GENERALLY Company contractually prohibits its contractors, affiliates, vendors and suppliers from disclosing Personally-Identifying Information received from Company, other than in accordance with this Privacy Policy. However, third parties are under no obligation to comply with this Privacy Policy with respect to Personally-Identifying Information that users provide directly to those third parties, or that those third parties collect for themselves. These third parties include advertisers, providers of games, utilities, widgets and a variety of other third-party applications accessible through the Website. Company neither owns nor controls the third-party websites and applications accessible through the Website. Thus, this Privacy Policy does not apply to information provided to or gathered by the third parties that operate them. Before visiting a third party, or using a third-party application, whether by means of a link on the Website, directly through the Website or otherwise, and before providing any Personally-Identifying Information to any such third party, users should inform themselves of the privacy policies and practices (if any) of the third party responsible for that website or application, and should take those steps necessary to, in those users’ discretion, protect their privacy. SECURITY We take the security of your Personally-Identifying Information seriously and use reasonable electronic, personnel and physical measures to protect it from loss, theft, alteration or misuse. However, please be advised that even the best security measures cannot fully eliminate all risks. We cannot guarantee that only authorized persons will view your information. We are not responsible for third-party circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures. We are dedicated to protect all information on the Website as is necessary. However, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Personally-Identifying Information by keeping your password confidential. You should change your password immediately if you believe someone has gained unauthorized access to it or your account. If you lose control of your account, you should notify us immediately. PRIVACY POLICY CHANGES Company may, in its sole discretion, change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any and all changes to Company’s Privacy Policy will be reflected on this page and the date new versions are posted will be stated at the top of this Privacy Policy. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Policy applies to all information that we have about you and your account. Users should regularly check this page for any changes to this Privacy Policy. Company will always post new versions of the Privacy Policy on the Website. However, Company may, as determined in its discretion, decide to notify users of changes made to this Privacy Policy via email or otherwise. Accordingly, it is important that users always maintain and update their contact information. CHILDREN The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") protects the online privacy of children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect or maintain Personally-Identifying Information from anyone under the age of 13, unless or except as permitted by law. Any person who provides PersonallyIdentifying Information through the Website represents to us that he or she is 13 years of age or older. If we learn that Personally-Identifying Information has been collected from a user under 13 years of age on or through the Website, then we will take the appropriate steps to cause this information to be deleted. If you are the parent or legal guardian of a child under 13 who has become a member of the Website or has otherwise transferred Personally-Identifying Information to the Website, please contact Company using our contact information below to have that child's account terminated and information deleted. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the "Shine The Light" law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about the Personally-Identifying Information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of the Personally-Identifying Information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared Personally-Identifying Information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to our privacy officer as listed below. DO-NOT-TRACK POLICY Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. Because there is not yet a common understanding of how to interpret the DNT signal, the Website currently does not respond to DNT browser signals or mechanisms. CONTACT If you have any questions regarding our Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer at: The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform Attn: Privacy Officer PO Box 224 Savoy, IL 61874 Email: nationalforum@middlegradesforum.org Phone: (217) 469-6299

Terms of Use Updated May 15, 2018 This Terms of Use Agreement (“Agreement”) constitutes a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (“user” or “you”) and The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform and its affiliated companies (collectively, “Company” or “we” or “us” or “our”), concerning your access to and use of the https://www.middlegradesforum.org/ website as well as any other media form, media channel, mobile website or mobile application related or connected thereto (collectively, the “Website”). The Website provides the following service: The purpose of this website is to inform and recognize Nationally awarded Schools to Watch®. This site is also available as a school improvement resource. (“Company Services”). Supplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Website from time to time, are hereby expressly incorporated into this Agreement by reference. Company makes no representation that the Website is appropriate or available in other locations other than where it is operated by Company. The information provided on the Website is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject Company to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Website from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) are not permitted to register for the Website or use the Company Services. YOU ACCEPT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT BY ACKNOWLEDGING SUCH ACCEPTANCE DURING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS (IF APPLICABLE) AND ALSO BY CONTINUING TO USE THE WEBSITE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ABIDE BY THIS AGREEMENT, OR TO MODIFICATIONS THAT COMPANY MAY MAKE TO THIS AGREEMENT IN THE FUTURE, DO NOT USE OR ACCESS OR CONTINUE TO USE OR ACCESS THE COMPANY SERVICES OR THE WEBSITE. PURCHASES; PAYMENT Company bills you through an online billing account for purchases of products and/or services. You agree to pay Company all charges at the prices then in effect for the products you or other persons using your billing account may purchase, and you authorize Company to charge your chosen payment provider for any such purchases. You agree to make payment using that selected payment method. If you have ordered a product or service that is subject to recurring charges then you consent to our charging your payment method on a recurring basis, without requiring your prior approval from you for each recurring charge until such time as you cancel the applicable product or service. Company reserves the right to correct any errors or mistakes in pricing that it makes even if it has already requested or received payment. Sales tax will be added to the sales price of purchases as deemed required by Company. Company may change prices at any time. All payments shall be in U.S. dollars. REFUND POLICY All sales are final and no refunds shall be issued. USER REPRESENTATIONS Regarding Your Registration By using the Company Services, you represent and warrant that: A. all registration information you submit is truthful and accurate; B. you will maintain the accuracy of such information; C. you will keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your password and account; D. you are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside, or if a minor, you have received parental permission to use this Website; and E. your use of the Company Services does not violate any applicable law or regulation. You also agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Website’s registration form and (b) maintain and promptly update registration data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or Company has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, Company has the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Website (or any portion thereof). We reserve the right to remove or reclaim or change a user name you select if we determine appropriate in our discretion, such as when the user name is obscene or otherwise objectionable or when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user's actual name. Regarding Content You Provide The Website may invite you to chat or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums and other functionality and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute or broadcast content and materials to Company and/or to or via the Website, including, without limitation, text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions or personally identifiable information or other material (collectively "Contributions"). Any Contributions you transmit to Company will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. When you create or make available a Contribution, you thereby represent and warrant that: A. the creation, distribution, transmission, public display and performance, accessing, downloading and copying of your Contribution does not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or moral rights of any third party; B. you are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases and permissions to use and to authorize Company and the Website users to use your Contributions as necessary to exercise the licenses granted by you under this Agreement; C. you have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Contribution to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of the Contribution in the manner contemplated by this Website; D. your Contribution is not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing or otherwise objectionable (as determined by Company), libelous or slanderous, does not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate or abuse anyone, does not advocate the violent overthrow of any government, does not incite, encourage or threaten physical harm against another, does not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party; E. your Contribution does not contain material that solicits personal information from anyone under 18 or exploit people under the age of 18 in a sexual or violent manner, and does not violate any federal or state law concerning child pornography or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors; F. your Contribution does not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference or physical handicap; G. your Contribution does not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of this Agreement or any applicable law or regulation. CONTRIBUTION LICENSE By posting Contributions to any part of the Website, or making them accessible to the Website by linking your account to any of your social network accounts, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Company an unrestricted, unconditional, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right and license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such Contributions (including, without limitation, your image and voice) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Contributions, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. The use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels. Such use and distribution license will apply to any form, media, or technology now known or hereafter developed, and includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos, personal and commercial images you provide. Company does not assert any ownership over your Contributions; rather, as between us and you, subject to the rights granted to us in this Agreement, you retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. Company has the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, to (i) edit, redact or otherwise change any Contributions, (ii) re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations or (iii) pre- screen or delete any Contributions that are determined to be inappropriate or otherwise in violation of this Agreement. By uploading your Contributions to the Website, you hereby authorize Company to grant to each end user a personal, limited, no-transferable, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully-paid license to access, download, print and otherwise use your Contributions for t heir internal purposes and not for distribution, transfer, sale or commercial exploitation of any kind. MOBILE APPLICATION LICENSE Use License If you are accessing the Company Services via a mobile application, then Company grants you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited right to install and use the application on wireless handsets owned and controlled by you, and to access and use the application on such devices strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of this license. You shall use the application strictly in accordance with the terms of this license and shall not: (a) decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, or decrypt the application; (b) make any modification, adaptation, improvement, enhancement, translation or derivative work from the application; (c) violate any applicable laws, rules or regulations in connection with your access or use of the application; (d) remove, alter or obscure any proprietary notice (including any notice of copyright or trademark) of Company or its affiliates, partners, suppliers or the licensors of the application; (e) use the application for any revenue generating endeavor, commercial enterprise, or other purpose for which it is not designed or intended; (f) make the application available over a network or other environment permitting access or use by multiple devices or users at the same time; (g) use the application for creating a product, service or software that is, directly or indirectly, competitive with or in any way a substitute for the application; (h) use the application to send automated queries to any website or to send any unsolicited commercial e-mail; or (i) use any proprietary information or interfaces of Company or other intellectual property of Company in the design, development, manufacture, licensing or distribution of any applications, accessories or devices for use with the application. Terms Applicable to Apple and Android Devices The following terms apply when you use a mobile application obtained from either the Apple Store or Google Play to access the Company Services. You acknowledge that this Agreement is concluded between you and Company only, and not with Apple Inc. or Google, Inc. (each an “App Distributor”), and Company, not an App Distributor, is solely responsible for the Company application and the content thereof. (1) SCOPE OF LICENSE: The license granted to you for the Company application is limited to a non-transferable license to use the Company application on a device that utilizes the Apple iOS or Android operating system, as applicable, and in accordance with the usage rules set forth in the applicable App Distributor terms of service. (2) MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT: Company is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the Company application, as specified in this Agreement, or as required under applicable law. You acknowledge that each App Distributor has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the Company application. (3) WARRANTY: Company is solely responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. In the event of any failure of the Company application to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify an App Distributor, and the App Distributor, in accordance with its terms and policies, may refund the purchase price, if any, paid for the Company application, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, an App Distributor will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the Company application, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty will be Company’s sole responsibility. (4) PRODUCT CLAIMS: You acknowledge that Company, not an App Distributor, is responsible for addressing any claims of yours or any third party relating to the Company application or your possession and/or use of the Company application, including, but not limited to: (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the Company application fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation. (5) INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: You acknowledge that, in the event of any third party claim that the Company application or your possession and use of the Company application infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights, the App Distributor will not be responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim. (6) LEGAL COMPLIANCE: You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. government as a “terrorist supporting” country; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties. (7) THIRD PARTY TERMS OF AGREEMENT: You must comply with applicable third party terms of agreement when using the Company application, e.g., if you have a VoIP application, then you must not be in violation of their wireless data service agreement when using the Company application. (8) THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY: Company and you acknowledge and agree that the App Distributors, and their subsidiaries, are third party beneficiaries of this Agreement, and that, upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each App Distributor will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce this Agreement against you as a third party beneficiary thereof. SUBMISSIONS You acknowledge and agree that any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback or other information about the Website or the Company Services ("Submissions") provided by you to Company are non-confidential and Company (as well as any designee of Company) shall be entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of these Submissions for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES You may not access or use the Website for any other purpose other than that for which Company makes it available. The Website may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by Company. 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CONTACT US In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Company Services or to receive further information regarding use of the Company Services, please contact Company as set forth below or, if any complaint with us is not satisfactorily resolved, and you are a California resident, you can contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 400 "R" Street, Sacramento, California 95814 or by telephone at 1-916-445-1254. The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform PO Box 224 Savoy, IL 61874 Email: nationalforum@middlegradesforum.org Phone: (217) 469-6299

John Dowd Business Partner John Dowd is the Director of Community Engagement at CORE Construction in Arizona. < Back

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2023 Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County Oxford Prep SOC Orange County Kerry Velez, Principal Enrollment: 870. Grade Levels: TK-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices MTSS addresses students’ individual academic, behavioral, social-emotional needs Champion profile defines student skills/competencies to cultivate Parent ambassador program supports parent leadership, education, voice Weekly professional learning planning on data, assessment, pacing, vertical planning Data-informed, six-week intervention program support literacy and math skills

2016-2017 Holt Middle School 2016-2017 SCHOOL STATISTICS Designated 2017 Enrollment: 441 Grade Levels: 5-6 School Schedule: Modified Block Free/Reduced Lunch 59% English Learners 14.7% Demographics Hispanic 17% White 60.3% African American 15.8% Asian 5.2% Native American .6% School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Academic Excellence Throughout all we do at Holt Middle School, the belief that “Huskies Pull Together” rings loudly and clearly! As a faculty, we believe in the motto we developed together: “We are Partners United in Learning & Life,” and we practice that core belief each day with every child who enters our doors. We PULL hard to create and build strong relationships while challenging our students to meet high academic standards. Our core beliefs are: Huskies need a safe and caring environment; Huskies excel when we use teamwork; Huskies pursue academic success; Huskies develop healthy and productive futures. These statements signify our commitment as partners to our students, parents, and community. Most of all, we are committed to each other. We are a team. Huskies PULL together. All students at Holt Middle School are expected to meet high academic standards so they can reach their fullest potential, and these expectations are made clear to both students and parents in a variety of ways. We partner with families to share our expectations by hosting a curriculum night at the beginning of the year so that families can meet core teachers in an intimate setting as they gain an overview of our grade-level curricula. Through our school-wide advisory program, students’ academic success is regularly monitored with daily communication among students and parents via student agendas, frequent grade checks, and studentled parent conferences. Our classroom websites, weekly teacher emails, and monthly pack newsletters provide direct communication with our school families so that they stay informed about what students are learning. Some teachers utilize the phone app Remind 101 to communicate with families about timely matters; others set up Google classrooms so students and parents can share a classroom together. Expectations of learning objectives are communicated every day in all of our classes--students are required to write down in their agendas the student-friendly objectives posted each class period and share with parents each night. Holt teachers have worked hard to develop curriculum maps and align core content areas with high academic standards while also clearly defining essential learning skills for students. We believe these essential learning skills serve as a foundational piece to higher academic learning. Throughout the year there is an ongoing process to measure and monitor student academic growth during an early intervention RTI (Response to Intervention) process. Faculty RTI committee members monitor individual student performance during monthly meetings throughout the year, recording and reviewing data on Google spreadsheets. Process outcomes might lead to recommended Tier II interventions in math and literacy for students who are falling behind. Two full-time interventionists are on staff at Holt to work with these students using specialized programs such as Lexia, Raz Kids, and Dreambox. RTI outcomes might also involve new GT referrals and new enrichment opportunities for students. Trained extensively in multiple professional development workshops, Holt teachers have an overflowing teacher toolbox filled with a variety of instructional strategies designed to engage students in rich, meaningful content. Teaching strategies include the gradual release model, differentiation, learning stations, Socratic seminar, partner learning, learning labs, direct instruction, project-based learning, flipped virtual learning, flexible grouping, cooperative learning, science labs including virtual labs; the list goes on and on. To help teach important curriculum content concepts, teachers embed information literacy skills such as researching, note-taking, writing, listening, and speaking skills in carefully planned interdisciplinary study units. Aimed at helping students develop deeper understandings of important concepts, teachers connect and overlap content disciplines such as in art class where students create onomatopoeia pictures connecting art with grammar studies. After seeing her proud student’s art display at a recent family night, one parent remarked, “Wow! I never understood onomatopoeia until now!” Teachers also spend extra time planning and preparing extended learning field trips to business sites such as the County Recycling Center, environmental spaces like Devil’s Den State Park, art centers such as the Walton Arts Center and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. To increase retention of information and emphasize the importance of field trips as learning experiences, teachers often create specialized field guides with focused learning tasks that enhance field learning. Theatre classes borrow scenes from ELA texts and bring them to life on the stage with dialogue and tableaux. Engineering classes bring robots to life with math and science. Enriched learning never stops at Holt! Holt’s master schedule is designed to provide students as much time as possible in the classroom to meet rigorous academic standards. Double blocked classes in math and literacy allow time for Tier II & Tier III interventions and both co-taught and advanced classes. Professional Learning Communities also known as “Prime Time” have common planning time embedded into the master schedule so teachers can work with their content area colleagues during the school day twice a week. The master schedule also allows teachers to meet and work in grade-level teams three times a week. Both of these flexible scheduling options enable teachers to collaborate in vertical and horizontal teaming to create rigorous and relevant curriculum, engaging, effective instruction, and high quality standards-based assessment. Holt teachers value assessment as a means of monitoring student learning and designing meaningful learning experiences around the academic needs of students. Assessment data is collected by multiple methods--student science data notebooks, Google classroom quizzes with immediate feedback, district common assessments, encore showcases, rubric evaluations, self-critiques, student-created rubrics, quick writes, standardized summative assessments--that list goes on and on, too. We give students at Holt multiple opportunities to demonstrate what they know and what they are learning, and we continually search for the magic that happens when instructional methods matched with assessed needs results in student achievement and success. Developmental Responsiveness At Holt Middle School we are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence. All throughout the school year, the Holt staff spends extra effort to create a personalized environment that supports each student’s intellectual, ethical, social, and physical development. Teachers have an opportunity to learn about their students before they arrive for the new school year from profile sheets written from students’ previous teachers. The student profiles includes Triand Reports with test scores, writing samples from students about themselves, any health alerts from the school nurse, and other reference points for each student’s academic, emotional, and social needs. Advisory teachers read these reports, write postcards, and mail them to their new students to welcome students to their Holt advisory classroom. During re-enrollment and school orientation events before the new school year begins, the school counselor introduces students and their families to their “packs” (this term was chosen to highlight our school mascot, the Holt Husky) and advisory teachers. Holt has four grade level teams of teachers to enhance teaching and learning, and every student has a school-based adult (advisor) to provide mentorship in small group classes. During daily advisory periods which begin first thing in the morning, teachers develop and maintain positive relationships with students, serving as an advocate and a guide all year long. Meeting all year long in small group advisory classes, students are engaged several days a week in character building exercises including “Mind-Up” lessons. Advisory students practice setting academic, social, and personal goals and work towards reaching those goals. Advisory lessons also challenge students to confront and strengthen the best parts of themselves, growing with more confidence from team building activities. From the first week of school, routines, procedures, and school culture are taught while using flexible scheduling which makes students feel safe and nurtured within a structured environment. Holt Middle School provides students access to comprehensive services to foster healthy physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. Updated yearly, a student services plan through the counselor's office addresses all student services offered at Holt which includes ESOL, Ozark Guidance Counseling, psychological examinations, and social worker services. Holt provides outreach services to students who qualify, and through interim testing, ensure student’s academic needs are met through accelerated math, the Gifted and Talented program, Read-180, ESOL, Corrective Reading, Barton, and Alphabetic Phonics. The Special Education Department provides all teachers with specific IEP goals and modifications for all special education students in their classes, and teachers are made aware in a strict confidential manner of 504 plans and accommodations for students they serve. Holt Middle School has a dual response intervention team ( RTI-A for academics and RTI-B for behavior). These teams, formed by teachers, administrators, counselor, and the instructional facilitator, monitor data gathered through a variety of instruments and surveys to improve academics and student behavior as needed. Students, teachers, and parents are also invited to give input on the school climate through inventories and surveys. Recognizing the middle schoolers need for physical activity, all Holt students have time every day before, during, and after school to engage in physical activities. Often students have a small recess period outside in good weather after lunch, and all students have physical education opportunities that include bike trail riding and Frisbee golf. Students may also choose to play basketball through Arkansas Activities Outreach and the Boys and Girls Club, which provides free transportation from Holt to the Club after school. Numerous clubs designed to pique student interest include running, basketball, gardening, crafts, Odyssey of the Mind, Rubik's Cube, Bible, technology, and Student Council and are offered to all interested students. Some meet at lunch, some after school, some in the evenings and some even on the weekends. In order to address social/emotional needs, Holt provides access to the school counselor any time during the school day. Every student at Holt also has the opportunity to eat lunch in the counselor’s office for daily lunch groups to address student social needs. A Holt Middle School crisis intervention team is trained to respond to emergencies, and all HMS teachers are provided professional development training that emphasizes behavior tools to implement positive behavior interventions supportive and protective of the learning environment. Students are exposed to a variety of instructional situations such as Kagan strategies that enable students in different grouping arrangements to practice using respectful language and conflict resolution skills. During all classes, students are provided Brain Breaks to regroup, recharge, and refocus. Parents are involved and supported with family events such as Math and Science Night that enhance core academics and provide an opportunity to spend time at school learning with their children and Holt teachers. Internet Safety Night assists parents in educating and protecting their children online, and the school counselor hosts morning coffee talks with parents on topics affecting students and arising from parent survey feedback. Teachers aim for deep learning, delivering lessons aimed at reaching William Daggett’s “quadrant D” critical thinking and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Level 4 and encouraging creative thinking using a variety of arts integration methods to teach core curriculum. Kagan cooperative learning strategies and RTI-B committee recommendations are used to develop and support positive social skills in a structured and supported environment. Lunch groups, guidance support personnel, speech pathology services, as well as the counselor, work with individual students during the school day on study and organizational skills. Advisory teachers utilize current technology --Brain Pop, You Tube, Teacher Tube, Ted Talks-- as well as tried and true instructional strategies such as Reader’s Theater, Classroom Courtroom, and Public Service Announcements to support students in developing effective life learning skills. Meeting in interdisciplinary teams three days a week to develop and enrich existing curriculum, teachers organize field trips, a charity fair, Greek and Roman Tech Stations, Adventure Destination events, Purple Pinky for Polio fundraisers, and an Encore showcase presentations. Both 5th and 6th grade students participate in a Financial Literacy unit with a culminating activity of a Financial Literacy Day where members of the community come to Holt and interact with interested students about career details and possibilities. Besides field trips to explore local places such as the Ozark Natural Sciences Center, and the City Water Plant, teachers arrange for engaging guest speakers from tenured university professors to business leaders to local politicians to authors to Miss America to give class presentations that enhance the curriculum, provide positive leader role models, and connect the real world to student learning. All Holt students have several opportunities for posing questions, reflecting on experiences, and participating in leadership activities. Students in both 5th and 6th grade can participate in Student Council activities that plan inclusive school-wide social functions, assist with school-wide fundraisers, initiate Student Council charity projects and take over responsibilities such as raising and lowering the American flag in front of our school. Student Council students also are provided the opportunity to travel to our state capital and learn more about community service and government. By teacher recommendation, Holt students can become student ambassadors at our school who assist new students as they adjust to a new school environment. Because advisory classes are small, students have more discussion options thinking about issues of relevance to themselves and others. Advisory lessons often involve discussions among students over topics that have no particular answer, and students learn about multiple perspectives from multiple life experiences students bring to the discussion. Students bond with teachers and students during advisory time, while learning pack songs and chants, in practicing strong citizenship skills such as helping one another on Green Team school recycling teams, canned food drives, Tween jean collection efforts, retirement center projects, garden club cooking events, and fundraising drives to help local pet shelters or children in orphanages in developing countries. Advisory classes also offer students time to reflect on their work, goals and performance, resulting in student participation in pack reward parties and in focus on student successes and areas needing improvement during student-led parent conferences. It’s not unusual to see parents at Holt Middle School throughout the day. Parents might attend a morning coffee talk with the counselor, lead a PTO meeting, join a parent involvement committee team, attend an ASCIP meeting as a parent representative, share the experience of a Literacy night with their family, or share a school lunch with their child. Movie nights, Math and Science Night, Pack Potlucks, the Health and Wellness Fair--all of these events are grand opportunities for Holt Husky families to pull together and stay strong. Social Equity While the expression “all means all” is sometimes used loosely, at Holt Middle School it is the bedrock of our decision making. We see every student as an individual deserving of the best instruction, resources, opportunities, and supports available. As we plan curriculum, design instruction, coordinate class schedules, create clubs, schedule field trips, and discuss student needs, we are driven by the notion that no single method or program is going to be effective for every student. Rather, we strive to provide as many options as possible so that all students can find a path to success. At Holt, we work hard to ensure that high expectations for academic success and behavior are never compromised. We also understand that some students need more support and scaffolding than others while some students need the option of independent studies or accelerated instruction. Through the use of our fulltime interventionists, Accelerated Math classes, Tier 2 interventions, special education aides, and carefully planned and modified instruction, we are able to meet many instructional objectives within the heterogeneous classroom. All Holt students participate in all encore classes which include art, music, theatre, and robotics classes. Additionally, we monitor students’ progress constantly through a robust RTI-A team process that meets monthly. If students demonstrate a need for more (or less) support, we act quickly to adjust instruction accordingly. Further, our Structured Learning Classroom, Gifted and Talented, and ESOL programs are staffed by talented instructors who not only teach students identified as needing their services but also support classroom and encore teachers by offering advice and strategies that can be used for all students. Because we understand that students learn best when they learn actively, teachers work hard to provide instruction through a wide variety of teaching strategies. On any given day, a visitor to any pack might observe math students in the commons area using IPads to check QR codes after solving a long division problem. Science students working in teams might be measuring the tires on bikes to determine the ratio of tire circumference to distance covered in a given distance. Students in English/Language Arts class might be participating in a Socratic Seminar to discuss relevant themes in a novel study. Social Studies students might be creating a slideshow to highlight a historical character. Or maybe an entire class might be taking a quick Brain Break to play Silent Ball or have a 3 minute dance party! Of course, the use of varied teaching strategies isn’t limited to core classrooms. In Project Lead the Way, students might be using a handmade remote control to sneak a robot down the hall. Music students might be practicing a ukulele and percussion song. Theater students might be found building sets or rehearsing a play based on novels being read in ELA classes while Input Tech students might be learning to manage folders in their own Google accounts. An art student might be painting watercolor insects to reflect science content. A peek out the window might give a glimpse of 26 kids in helmets racing around our dirt bike track. All of these activities reflect our desire to meet diverse learning styles, address middle school developmental needs, and provide real -world, relevant instruction. At Holt, teachers work hard to make school a place where the concept that learning is fun is more than just an idea; it is a reality. Along with other Fayetteville schools, Holt received training several years ago in Bill Daggett’s Framework for Instruction. This work was based upon 3 focusing words: rigor, relevance, and relationships. At Holt, we know that relationships are the driving force in students’ acceptance of rigorous and relevant work. Our diverse student population includes many students from differing socioeconomic levels, cultural and ethnic groups, and family dynamics. To help us better understand the family backgrounds and values of our students, our entire school faculty participated in two book studies based on the work of Eric Jensen, Teaching with Poverty in Mind and Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind. These book studies gave us a framework for understanding why students in poverty learn differently. We begin developing trust and friendship with our students and their families before the school year begins each year by sending postcards, making home visits, and visiting the neighborhoods of our students. During the school year, we host Pack Potlucks to give parents a chance to meet each other and give us time to visit informally. We utilize our school counselor and social worker to make sure our students are getting enough food to eat at home. We provide vouchers to the Potter’s House for clothing and allow students who need help to shower here at school. We wash and dry clothes at school when needed. When planning trips to the Walton Arts Center, we choose presentations that expand our students’ experiences beyond Fayetteville to other cultures around the world. Our 5th graders are all able to attend an overnight trip to the Ozark Natural Science Center at no cost, due to generous support from our active PTO fundraising efforts, and a supportive district administration. We also partner with the Potter’s House, the Fayetteville Public Library, and the Boys and Girls Club to provide free tutoring services for students with academic and financial needs. At Holt, we work to make sure parents are welcome in our school. Besides the Family Potlucks each of our four packs host throughout the year, our Encore teams hold tri-annual Encore Showcase Nights which are well attended. At these events, parents enjoy music, art, and theater with their children. We hold Family Night events that encourage the whole family to come for food and fun. For example, this fall we hosted an event that included food and games, a planetarium, star-gazing with big telescopes, a hayride and a campfire. This culminated in a family movie follow by a campout, both indoors and out, for several brave souls! We utilize tools such as Remind101, parent newsletters, free PTO memberships, transportation to and from parent/teacher conferences, and frequent text, phone, email, and face to face meetings with parents to keep them informed and involved about their child’s progress in school. It is common to see teachers at their students’ ballgames, recitals, and theater performances after school and on weekends. Parents at Holt know that when they drop their child off in the morning or put them on the school bus, the people that greet them when they arrive here care deeply for their child. Holt teachers and staff know our students well. While the middle school concept of teams is commonly used to create smaller school “families,” at Holt we go a step further in creating micro families through our Advisory program. Each “pack” of students is divided among their core and encore teachers to create very small (12-18) groups. Each day begins in the Advisory group. This non-academic start to the day allows each student to have a consistent personal adult interaction each day. Advisory teachers check agendas and handle some homeroom administrative tasks, but the main focus is creating a welcoming atmosphere. Advisory teachers are the first to hear about home situations. They are the ones that know who is absent often and why. They know who just lost their dog or who made the winning basket for their basketball team. They help their students set academic and behavior goals. They talk about character and leadership. They have fun together. This year our Advisory teams are all spending two days a week on the Mind Up curriculum which is an innovative program that teaches brain-focused strategies to improve learning. This crucial part of the day also provides essential information to other teachers in helping each child. During daily team meetings with fellow pack teachers, conversations are centered on students. We spend considerable time sharing information about students for the purpose of providing any support or intervention needed. One pack uses the term “adaption” to designate certain students with significant needs. After creating an individualized plan, teachers volunteer time before or after school or during their lunch hour to meet with the student. It might just be an informal shared lunch; it might mean becoming that child’s “school mama” for the purpose of overseeing student agendas; it might mean helping a child learn a new skill that may or may not be academic but would add value and meaning to the child’s life. With the understanding that middle schoolers need to feel that their interests are shared and that they are part of something bigger than themselves, Holt has developed a number of clubs based upon students’ needs and interests. They vary in number and content from year to year, and they are all designed and sponsored by Holt teachers and staff. This year we have 13 clubs: Technology, Running, Rubik’s Cube, Soccer, Girls on the Run, Yearbook, Garden Club, Basketball, Student Council, American Sign Language, Sew Crafty, Ukulele, and Chrome Dawgs. While some clubs are available almost every year, others are formed based upon specific needs. For example, the Ukulele Club was formed this year because one student has a great skill in the ukulele and can teach others. Last year, the Train and Lego club was created for the sole purpose of providing a special needs student with a club based upon his extreme fascination with trains. This club allowed him to interact with others in a way that he was unable to do in the classroom environment. At Holt we also recognize that citizenship, service, and personal integrity must be modeled, scaffolded, and recognized for all students. Our school rules are simple and based upon the notion of treating others with respect and holding oneself to a high standard. These rules are posted in each classroom and highlighted in the agenda and are taught explicitly at the beginning of each year. Adults in the building follow the same expectations for behavior in the common areas, and we use common attention getting signals such as the Husky Hush and a patterned clap. We all use the “W” (warning) system in the student agenda for communicating student infraction of the rules. All teachers have received training using behavioral tools strategies to assist with off task and “junk” behaviors. For students, this consistency of expectations promotes fairness and makes it easier for them to understand what is acceptable and what is not. As teachers, we follow a well-designed behavior matrix that helps us determine when an administrator should intervene or become part of the team for the purpose of shaping appropriate behavior. This year our vice-principal has created a RTI-B (behavior) team. This team is developing a referral process for teachers to use for students with significant behavioral challenges. Additionally, they will serve as consultants in planning and implementing individual behavior contracts and plans for students who need that level of support. Our hope is that the supportive team approach will reduce anxiety for the teachers and increase the likelihood that students referred can improve their behavior. Further, we look for every possible opportunity to recognize and celebrate student successes. Individual teachers do a variety of things: notes/stamps in the agenda, birthday pencils, phone calls/texts/pictures of students doing something great, and other classroom recognition. Packs use weekly Pack Meetings to recognize individuals for improvement or a job well done. Fifth grade students receive Husky Bucks which can be redeemed for a variety of items. Students with particular skills are invited to tryout and participate in the Spelling Bee, Quiz Bowl, and Fire Marshall program. Our principals recognize all students’ hard work with yearly trips to the Naturals Baseball Game or the Boys and Girls Club. Finally, at Holt students give back to their community. Our Recycling Team manages recycle bins in each classroom and in the teacher workrooms. The Student Council organizes a yearly food drive. Advisory Groups contribute jeans to a local organization in the Jeans for Teens drive. Sixth grades sponsor Purple Pinky Day to raise money for polio eradication in undeveloped countries. One advisory group visits a senior citizen home to sing for them. Each year other opportunities based upon student interest or curriculum topics are translated into a service project of some type. All means all. Again, this is our driving force in decision making. It is a challenging expectation in the busy school environment. Our school implements several tools to help us facilitate fluid and flexible placement for students. First, our daily team meetings are the front line for identifying student needs academically, behaviorally, socially, and personally. School personnel such as our counselor, school nurse, school-based counselor, special education designee or psychological examiner, and administrators are invited to attend as needed to address specific student issues. This means having a master schedule that allows the 4 core teachers to have the same planning time. Second, we also meet twice weekly during the school day with our subject area or fellow encore teachers in Professional Learning Communities (PLC). During “Prime Time,” we discuss subject area issues, look at trends in learning based upon data from formative assessments, create curriculum maps, revise and adapt instruction, and plan for upcoming units of study. Next, our Instructional Facilitator coordinates monthly RTI meetings when student academic needs are identified based upon review of test and classroom data. We develop a course of action and assign specific persons responsible for key areas. At each meeting, we review the progress of students previously referred and make decisions based upon their need for continued support. Sometimes that means a student has progressed to an indirect status, with monitoring only. Sometimes it means more supports are provided. Sometimes it means the student has progressed to a point at which no further extra support is needed. These records are kept on a Google document that can be reviewed as needed for future grades. Finally, as noted previously, we are in the process of building a Response to Intervention - B (behavior) team. This team will be responsible for managing teachers’ referrals based upon behavioral needs. All of these groups allow us to have a very clear picture of each of our students. Organizational Support In our efforts to achieve excellence, Holt Middle School drives improvement through the lens of shared core beliefs. These core beliefs were developed at our annual retreat by leadership and staff through reflective analysis of the previous year’s progress. These core beliefs, milled to precision over the course of a year, are the filter through which decision-making takes place. They are posted in highly-visible places within the building, in every student agenda, and on our website. Advisory lessons have been developed around the shared core beliefs to reinforce their value, absorb student nuance, and create school-wide action initiatives. Our common vision, “We are Partners United in Learning and Life,” is recited each morning by students and staff before the Pledge of Allegiance as a promise to our students and a reminder to each of us. Recognizing the value of shared leadership, decision-making teams are made up of members of all sections of our school, including core and encore teachers. Through the process of modifying our Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP), smaller committees determine courses of action to improve performance and close achievement gaps within the building. Evidences of shared leadership include representation from all teams in the building on the Holt Leadership team, a body responsible for communication to and from administration and toward teams regarding building-wide initiatives that do not fall under other specific headings. This collaborative body not only supports, but also fosters interdependent collaboration where the idea that “no one succeeds alone” applies: Huskies PULL together with each other. The entire Holt faculty participates on ACSIP teams that include small committees built around areas of identified need, and a central leadership team that targets specific needs and monitors growth within these areas. This central team also makes final decisions in determining the direction of funding to best meet the targeted areas of need. The RTI-A committee teams attend to the state mandate requiring the documentation of student progress and teacher interventions in the ongoing effort to scaffold excellence. Each team within the building meets monthly to update and evaluate students’ data and needs. Our new RTI-B committee, developed specifically for students whose behavior was determined to be a major obstacle to their academic success, is made up of administrators and teachers who were designated and trained to lead fellow staff in a building-wide initiative to establish norms among staff in reinforcing positive behaviors and responding to negative behaviors. With the implementation of content PLCs, came the development of SMART goals for each content area. Teachers set a quota for common assessments, and achievement to raise expectations of high-quality collaborative assessment, and accountability for student achievement. Besides shared leadership, Holt believes in clear communication among all stakeholders. Communication of general information, including testing schedules and tiered behavior resources are available through our principal’s webpage, “Morningstar Informs.” Communication of time-sensitive or day-to-day information is distributed regularly through the principal’s Daily Memo. Other more immediate tools, such as Remind 101, Blackboard Connect, and the principal’s calendar are shared electronically with all staff. Communication and collaboration at the district level is facilitated by our district interactive website and frequent bulletins and newsletters. Our new superintendent demonstrated his desire to understand the vision and needs of our school by coming to meet with us personally. We were also invited to respond to the question, “What do you need, that you don’t have, to do your job?.” This survey served as a needs assessment to accompany State and district achievement data, to better serve each member of the Fayetteville Schools community. Holt works with faculty and staff of our “feeder” elementary schools as well as the junior highs to which we send our 6th graders in order to ensure a seamless transition. Students from feeder elementary schools make multiple visits to Holt each year to inform and assuage incoming students. Holt 6th graders visit their anticipated Jr. High school in the spring for tours and informational assemblies presented by administrators and students. Each spring, Holt counselors facilitate staff preparation of student profile sheets to send to teachers at the next grade level. Needs, interests, academic performance, and social behaviors are reported in an effort to better inform new teachers. Staff volunteers time after school to examine student profiles to determine best grouping for Teams, Advisory, and class schedules to maximize potential learning and achievement, and minimize situational distress to students. The structure of Holt faculty professional development opportunities includes training tied directly to educational goals. Workshops focused on better teaming, stronger behavioral response and intervention strategies, and more defined professional learning communities are scheduled so that all Holt faculty can attend and work together. Professional development days for teachers of similar content areas are also arranged each semester by district staff to bring staff together both in horizontal and vertical teams to articulate a collaborative curriculum and to determine common methods for assessment and data collection. These are led by district-level directors for each content area, or grade-level instructional facilitators. District-level support to content disciplines is further provided through support from Instructional Facilitators, who are assigned and housed in school buildings and who assist school staff in modeling new and evaluating current instructional practices, gathering and evaluating data, and facilitating cooperative instruction and assessment. Holt definitely has the very best instructional facilitator in the district! In response to continued examination of State testing data in staff meetings, District content meetings, and Primetime PLCs, Holt develops and implements Academic Improvement Plans for each student not yet proficient in content achievement, according to the each year’s EOY benchmark. Parents receive notice, and classes are modified to provide every opportunity for best teaching and reinforced learning within the school day. In response to 2015-16 scores in Math, the master schedule was amended to create a double block of Math, similar to Literacy, in order to provide more time to all students. Accelerated Math classes were created at each grade level, and in each team, to exhort and engage those students who already demonstrated grade-level capabilities. As a result of concentrating professional development on Holt needs, Holt Middle School has implemented and improved a school-wide positive reinforcement system which has been in place for several years. A reward day schedule was created to provide an additional period to each third Friday. Students earn “reward “ status if they have received fewer than 5 “W”s (warnings) in their agenda over a three week period for misbehavior. Students are invited to participate in fun and engaging activities, many proposed by students, during this time hosted by each advisory team. Students who have attended a requisite number of reward times during the second semester are invited to a larger, out of school, celebration, such as a baseball game during the school day. Implementing this structure has focused teachers and students on achieving student successes, both by setting the expectation for success and also by celebrating success regularly. Our school Parent Teacher Organization also supports these efforts by raising funds to provide resources and learning opportunities for our students. Holt teachers take seriously the maxim that the most important factor in the education of a child is the quality of his or her teacher. The teacher evaluation process uses the Danielson model (The Framework for Teaching), in coordination with each teacher’s growth plans, allowing for general, as well as individual growth, reflection, and evaluation. The TESS process (evaluative) is under the guidance of building administrators, who, along with their assigned teachers, develop plans for ongoing improvement. This intensive self-reflection pushes us to find and use innovative practices and creative approaches. Additionally, we seek to learn from nationally recognized educators. In the past three years, teachers in our building have attended several conferences: Model Schools, Professional Learning Communities, Plain Talk About Reading, Corrective Reading, the National Science Conference, Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems, and the National Conference for Teachers of Mathematics. Finally, Holt Middle School recognizes our obligation to extend the tradition of excellence we inherited from those before us to the next generation of educators. Accordingly, Holt is host and mentor to intern teachers from regional universities, including the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), and Harding University (Rogers). Holt partners with colleagues in Higher Education to mentor experienced undergraduates for longterm placements, and for novice students through programs like UA’s Introduction to Education course. This fall, 50 UA students came to Holt to observe middle school classes and students, and have meaningful dialogue with our teachers. By invitation, Holt administrators have addressed students about the roles and responsibilities of educators and the organization and structure of middle schools.

2017-2018 Brookland Middle School 2017-2018 SCHOOL STATISTICS Designated in 2011 Re-Designated in 2015 Community Size - Rural School Enrollment - 378 Grade Levels - 5, 6 School Calendar - Block Free and Reduced Lunch 37% English Learners 3% Students With Disabilities 8% Demographics Hispanic 5% White 90% African American 2% Asian 0% Native American 0% Pacific Islander 0% Filipino 0% Two or More 0% Other 3% School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Academic Excellence Implementation of “Zero Lab” provides an additional avenue for students to excel. Availability of chromebooks for both fifth and sixth graders are housed in classrooms/ Teachers are trained in a variety of instructional strategies. Building educators provide quality training to their colleagues in their area of expertise. Online resources enhance core instruction for the classroom teacher. Recognized for being in the top 20% of schools in Arkansas on state assessment results; acknowledged by the Office of Educational Performance at the University of Arkansas. Developmental Responsiveness Watch D.O.G.S program provides a way to incorporate parents into the school. Second Chance Breakfast fosters the importance of health and wellness and also ensures the needs of all students are being met. Career Day provides students the opportunity to discover potential occupational choices. Protected Advisory time with the same adult advocate cultivates positive relationships and addresses the need of the “whole child”. Parent Teacher Organization plays a vital role in assisting the school. A well developed transition plan is in place for students both entering and exiting the building planning for student success. Social Equity Weekly Club Day embedded in Master Schedule in which students have a voice in choosing their student-led club. Implementation of quality programs such as Zero Lab, RtI, and Red Wolves Read motivates students and fosters a culture of high expectations. BMS utilizes many community partnerships enhancing opportunities for student success. Differentiated instruction is a common practice in every classroom. Organizational Support Strong Student Council which allows for student voice and choice. A multi-tiered RtI program is in place to support all students. Professional Learning Communities are established by teams and by subject area. The Master Schedule allows for teaming. Central Office Personnel is supportive of the middle school concept and initiatives. Principal is actively involved in promoting middle school concepts through participation in middle level organizations.

2023 Prairie Vista Middle School Hawthorne School District Los Angeles County Wendy Ostensen, Principal Enrollment: 753. Grade Levels: 6-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Fine arts academy Professional learning communities MTSS staff training on student needs Family engagement through workshops, meetings, and curriculum/instruction nights School climate boosted by arts, clubs, leadership, and collaborative activities

2023 Shoreline Middle School Live Oak School District Santa Cruz County Colleen Martin, Principal Enrollment: 450. Grade Levels: 7-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Student-led parent conferences for all students Equitable report card shares standards-based academic progress, student work habits Awesome Time allows interactivity before state testing sessions begin Google slide-based morning announcements Restorative, reverse referrals: administrators go to classes with disruptive behavior

Martinrex Kedziora Past President Originally, from Memphis, TN, Dr. Martinrex Kedziora has been a middle school teacher, special education coordinator, K-8 Principal and Professional Development Director during his 30-year career. He serves as Chairman of the California League of Educators. As an Education Faculty member for National and Brandman Universities. He serves as a team member of CLE for the California Department of Education and the Middle Schools Alliance. He is a committee member of the Urban Education Committee for ACSA. He is the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades, Vice President of the Moreno Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and on the advisory board for the Schools First Federal Credit Union. < Back