New Jersey Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Kentucky | Michigan | Missouri New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Texas | Utah | Virginia State Director Rick Delmonaco rdelmonaco@clarkschools.org Aimee Toth toth@mendhamboroschools.org Participating Organizations New Jersey Association of Middle Level Education NJ Schools to Watch 1977 North Olden Avenue, Suite 245 Trenton, NJ 08618 Email address: njschoolstowatch@njamle.org Website: njschoolstowatch.org Twitter: @njstw1 Joined National STW Program 2007 Schools to Watch Application 2027 Application Instructions New Jersey Schools to Watch Belhaven Middle School (2011, 2023) Black River Middle School (2010, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023) Byram Middle School (2018, 2023) Carl H. Kumpf Middle School (2014, 2017, 2020, 2024) Dwight D Eisenhower Middle School (2016, 2019, 2022, 2024) Eisenhower Middle School (2022) Franklin Avenue Middle School (2024) George Washington Middle School (2020, 2024) Leonia Middle School (2014) Macopin Middle School (2025) Mountain View Middle School (2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2022) Pleasant Valley School (2017) Randolph Middle School (2019, 2023) Richard Butler Middle School (2024) Richard Teitelman Middle School (2022) Ridgedale Middle School (2025) Thomas A. Edison Middle School (2020) William Annin Middle School (2016, 2019, 2024) School Profiles Coming Soon

2014-2015 Vilonia Middle School 2014 - 2015 School Statistics School Characteristics and Replicable Practices -

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

2023 Bernice Harrell Chipman Junior High Bakersfield City School District Kern County Tomás Prieto, Principal Enrollment: 727. Grade Levels: 7-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Daily advisory for academics and SEL MTSS Tier I/Tier II provide school-wide and individual student supports Reading intervention model addresses foundational literacy gaps GPA credit recovery includes recovery coursework, tutoring, mentoring Culture of literacy with school-wide and individual student goals

2017-2018 McNair Middle School 2017-2018 SCHOOL STATISTICS Designated in 2009 Re-Designated in 2012, 2015, 2018 Community Size - Suburban School Enrollment - 730 Grade Levels - 5, 6 School Calendar - Traditional Free and Reduced Lunch 22% English Learners 4% Students With Disabilities 13% Demographics Hispanic 5.4% White 80.1% African American 3.7% Asian 4.1% Native American 0.3% Pacific Islander 0.8% Filipino 0% Two or More 5.6% Other 0% School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Academic Excellence Teachers assess ongoing data to progress monitor and utilize the tools from NWEA MAP testing to differentiate the instruction in order to create personal learning goals for all. School wide processes, including daily advisory, attendance/discipline, pod team meetings, and content PLC meetings, continuously identify students who are struggling academically and provide support structures for RTI A and B interventions. To enrich students’ academic excellence and meet the diverse needs of our learners, McNair Middle School is focused on creating quality formative assessments. • Each student conferences one-to-one with their advisory teacher to create SMART goals that address areas of focus within the Reading, Language, and Math learning strands from MAP testing. From these conversations, students share their academic goals with their families creating a culture of community focused on academics between home and school. McNair is implementing a more blended approach to learning as teachers integrate Google Classroom, one-to-one technology, and other technology tools and applications. McNair has continued supporting the differentiation of learning and closing the achievement gaps by giving access to research-based interventions that support the data such as Empowering Writers, Barton, Alphabetic Phonics, ELD and Corrective Reading. To help all our students reach their full academic potential, McNair continues to focus on implementing rigorous lesson planning, relevant research-based, data-driven instruction, and building relationships with each of our Mustangs. Teachers continue to utilize data in their instruction to focus on specific learning targets/goals for each student. Developmental Responsiveness Advisory is a dedicated class period that focuses on academic planning, team building, service learning, and character education. Advisory continues to assist students with goal-setting and smaller learning communities in order to support the whole child. McNair implements an Impact Team, which is a systematic approach to support a student who may not receive support outside of the school. The Impact Team pairs teachers and staff with students. The goal of the Impact Team relationship is to ensure every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. The Impact Team may eat lunch together, check grades, recognize their hobbies, or introduce new goals. Teachers and staff are continuing to explore current research in order to understand early adolescence. McNair provides targeted professional development to teachers each year on the specific academic, social, emotional, and developmental needs of early adolescents. Students are given an opportunity to have ownership and choice in their learning. Students feel respected when topics, and how to approach the learning of that topic, can be explored in many different ways. Core and encore classes allow students the opportunity to showcase their learning in a variety of learning modes and find ways to collaborate with their peers in order to better understand the given topic. Teachers are comfortable being the facilitator while letting students lead the discussion. McNair implemented student-involved conferences that provide a hybrid approach to parentteacher conferences. Students and families meet with the teacher to discuss academic and social progress. Then the student and family meet together to review his/her Google Sites student portfolio. Using Google Sites as our mode for student portfolios creates a realistic and relevant method of communication and branding. Student portfolios currently consist of a personal mission statement, grades and attendance, a personal learning plan (data sheet and goal setting), and artifacts from each content area. Together as a family they answer reflection questions of celebrations and growth areas. Flexible Seating is utilized throughout the building to meet students’ developmental needs. Students have opportunity to explore a variety of personal interests such as Fly Fishing, Archery, Odyssey of the Mind, Theatre, and many more. This gives students a sense of belonging while building relationships with teachers outside of the classroom. Creating lifelong leaders along with lifelong learners is a high priority at McNair. We create a variety of leadership roles. These leadership roles consist of Ambassadors, Principal’s Cabinet, Fire Marshals, Student Council, Pod Council and Students of the Week who lead pod meetings. To maximize our student leadership, we ensure that there is no overlap of students for each leadership role. Through our relationship with community partners, students participate in a variety of studentlearning project through advisory, leadership roles, and after-school clubs. Service Learning is a designated time when students can focus on their passion and develop soft skills while enhancing and enriching the lives of others Community connections may include guest speakers, informing students of methods to get involved in the community, and/or partnering with a community group. Social Equity Families are provided access to comprehensive services to meet their physical, social, and emotional needs. McNair has established a PBIS/RTI Committee of teacher leaders. The PBIS/RTI meets once a month to discuss building-wide initiatives and academic/learning progressions. The PBIS/RTI committee then meets with their respective team members and leads the monthly team RTI and Praise and Polish meetings. Our staff maximizes the master schedule by having ongoing interventionist available throughout the day in order to help support the child’s academics and behavior needs. With the addition of MAP data, teachers are now able to progress monitor and create specific learning goals. Our Structured Learning Classroom (SLC) is mainstreamed for encores, advisory, and runs our Green Team. Families are supported with ongoing community resources providing access to school functions, transportation, and meals. When families attend McNair, they feel the connection of community within the school. Organizational Support McNair advisory is built on the foundation of four pillars: team building, character education, academic planning, and service learning. Our R.U.N. motto has been ingrained into our culture at McNair. ‘R’ stands for Respect, ‘U’ stands for Understand We Own Our Behavior, and ‘N’ stands for Never Quit. Our PBIS Behavior Matrix system establishes student behavior expectations. By using researchbased strategies, the PBIS increases positive interactions. The PBIS leadership team meets monthly in order to answer building questions and review on a regular basis about the student success. McNair has a school-wide instructional leadership teams focusing on promoting the middle school philosophy, effective instructional practices, and educational initiatives. The purpose of the ILT team is to work collaboratively to develop and implement school wide improvement goals in order achieve the vision and mission of McNair Middle School. A multi-tiered RTI program is in place to support all students in academics and behavior. Professional Learning Communities are established by grade-level content teams. McNair has implemented one-to-one technology. Teachers have collaborated and researched best practices to ensure effective technology implementation and integration into their lesson plans. McNair has started MakerSpaces in the library. MakerSpace allows students to become creators of information (not just consumers), build critical thinking and problem solving skills, participate in selfdirected learning, foster a culture of creativity and collaboration, and allow for inquiry and exploration.

2023 The STEAM Academy @ Burke El Rancho Unified School District Los Angeles County Lorin Yannarella, Principal Enrollment: 544. Grade Levels: 6-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices 7-period schedule means SWD and emerging-bilingual students get an elective STEAM approach addresses the whole child with 27 elective choices Teacher collaboration/project-based learning to engage students, connect subjects Meaningful integration of technology from TinkerCad to GarageBand Counselors, PBIS and mental health supports ensure a positive environment

2017-2018 Butterfield Trail Middle School 2017-2018 SCHOOL STATISTICS Designated in 2011 Re-Designated in 2015 Community Size - Suburban School Enrollment - 663 Grade Levels - 6, 7, 8 School Calendar - Traditional Free and Reduced Lunch 71% English Learners 13% Students With Disabilities 16% Demographics Hispanic 22% White 65% African American 2% Asian 2% Native American 3% Pacific Islander 0% Filipino 0% Two or More 6% Other 0% School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Academic Excellence Expeditionary learning interdisciplinary unitsprovide opportunities for student voice and choicein authentic project-based learning experienceswhich strengthen engagement with requiredcurriculum expectations. Research, reading,writing (multiple drafts), and oral communicationskills are integral components of each EL unit. Learning opportunities within the community areconnected and provide authentic opportunities for students to experience the power of service learning. Multiple data sources, including adaptive technology programs, academic performance, habits of work and learning (HOWLs), attendance, and discipline are used to support personalized learning for each student. School wide processes, including daily advisory and teacher team meetings, continuously identify students who are struggling academically and provide support structures for RtI interventions. An academic honors banquet for students who excel in academics, attendance, and leadership is provided as an end of year celebration. Students in need of intensive academic support are identified weekly as part of our ICU program, then provided time to make up missing assignments before and after school and during lunch times. A schoolwide expectation for learning objectives is evident in classroom instruction as daily learning targets, beginning with “I can” provide clear language to support students in understanding their learning goals. Students establish and monitor academic goals by checking their grades and attendance each week and discussing with advisory teachers. Academic expectation processes are outlined in Habits of Work and Learning (HOWL) and are used to change the lens from teacher to student ownership. Students are equipped and empowered of as “Leaders of Their Own Learning” with various opportunities for student voice and hands on learning throughout multiple courses of study. Explore/activity teachers and athletic coaches value the schoolwide ICU system communicating missing work and intervene to support students turning in work is being turned in on time. Real life experiences being taught in the school (budgeting, water conservation, natural disaster preparedness, speaking skills) are interwoven throughout academic classroom expectations. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses are integrated in science classrooms (medical detectives, magic of electrons, flight and space) as well as during activity times (design and modeling, robotics, technology coding) providing opportunities for all students to learn through problem-based learning units. Students have one-to-one chromebook access, as well as iPad, smartboards, and interactive VR tools available to enhance learning experiences. The core curriculum includes readers/writers workshop and conceptual math units infused with engaging instructional practices to support student problem-solving and independence. Teachers meet in content and interdisciplinary team meetings to review curriculum expectations and design engaging instructional experiences and assessments to strengthen academic learning. Developmental Responsiveness Students meet daily for advisory time (Students, Teachers, and Relationships - STAR) which includes team building activities, conversations about “sticky situations,” goal setting,reviewing academic and behavioral progress, and other activities designed to meet the needs of the whole child (healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged). Small communities of learning for students in each grade level (Discoverers, Pathfinders, Imagineers, Innovators, Adventurers, Challengers, Ignitors) are designed to strengthen relationships and personal connections with each student. Students feel they are valued, accepted and connected to adults and others in the school with daily advisory time and smaller team learning communities. 1:1 student technology is available and utilized daily by students in the learning process as a classroom tool for research, reading, and accessing/creating information as well as to address adaptive learning needs through programs such as ST Math, LightSail, Mindplay, etc. Student-led conferences where students take the lead role in communicating their learning are scheduled in the Fall and Spring which has increased family involvement to 90% parental participation. Health and Wellness (Whole-child) focuses are facilitated by numerous programs including a clothes closet, nurse, mentors, backpack meals, and our School Resource Officer (SRO. Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs) learning targets are posted in classrooms in addition to academic Learning Targets, addressing student social and emotional needs. Sponsors and teacher teams are deliberate to ensure all diverse groups are represented on committees. Counselors have means for students to access them through various platforms. Flexible seating is used to meet students developmental needs. Parents request Butterfield Trail Middle School because of the way the school responds to students academic and social needs and the level of innovation embedded in the academic culture. Transition to middle school from elementary school is supported through a “That’s How Butterfield Does It” 6th grade learning expedition, culminating with a celebration of learning where students teach their families about Butterfield Trail Middle School. Social Equity All students, including English language learners, gifted and advanced, students with disabilities, multiple ethnicities, etc., participate in heterogeneous classes with high expectations for all students. Students earn tokens through positive behavior supports (PBIS) to buy items from the school store and earn incentives, encouraging both positive behavior habits and economic learning experiences. Student voice is integral to the school culture evident in student led leadership meetings. STAR (Students, Teachers And Relationships) advisory program is implemented daily in all grade levels focused on ongoing dialogue with students in a safe environment to talk and share, including team building, sticky situations, school safety, Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs) and academic/behavioral goal setting. Student council is nominated by students and faculty and aligned to 4 areas to best meet identified needs across the school (Social, Service, Student Voice and Support). Leadership Council students meets once a month to support growth of student leadership through their STAR class built around the H.O.W.L. character attributes. Students learn through learning expedition units as equality and respect are interwoven components of each unit. Two way communication with families occurs through conferences, remind 101, surveys with feedback, email, newsletter, social media and student agendas. Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs) ideals (Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance) are visible and evident throughout the school. Parents articulate how the HOWLs are modeled across the school by students and faculty. Organizational Support Exploratory/activity teachers are paired with core teachers for STAR Advisory to ensure a smaller teacher to student ratio to strengthen relationships. Distributive leadership practices for school initiatives is evident as staff members are encouraged and invited to participate in leadership roles and articulate ideals to improve learning across the school evident in the STAR advisory program, Live School, scheduling, etc. Transition documentation and dialogue with elementary school support seamless services for high need students Teachers participate in weekly team meetings with school counselors to review student data (academic, attendance, behavioral) and make RTI referrals. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meet weekly for both content and interdisciplinary planning utilizing team structures including agendas, setting norms, roles for team members, and access to student data and curriculum resources. Annual evidence of staff, student, and community contribution to the school vision and mission process resulting in a school mantra of “Igniting a Passion for Learning-NOW!” Evidence of distributive leadership across the school to strengthen academic and social responsive areas, including the school leadership team and sub-committees for various school initiatives. The school is connected and supported by the community through a partnership with a local university for the Professional Development School as well as the Van Buren High School Teacher Cadet Program, and project based expeditionary learning opportunities with multlple community supporters. Parents are offered involvement in the school through P.T.A., after school extra curricular activities, and sub committees to support school initiatives such as the PBIS committee. Leadership is continuously involved and responsive to parents, students and staff concerns as issues and questions are addressed immediately, often with phone or face-to-face communications.

2023 Jefferson Middle School San Gabriel Unified School District Los Angeles County Christopher Guyer, Principal Enrollment: 899. Grade Levels: 6-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Wellness center with coordinator, MFT interns, workshops, mindfulness LTEL journalists produce school newsletters Electives from mock trial to robotics and music immersion ELA/math co-teaching inclusion for fluid groupings, equity, UDL, JIT supports Student-centered facilities: fitness lab, kitchen, writing center with student fellows

Missouri Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Kentucky | Michigan | Missouri New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Texas | Utah | Virginia State Director Dr. Ron Woodard rwoodard93@gmail.com Curt Ivey cpivey@spsmail.org Participating Organizations Missouri Schools to Watch Joined National STW Program in 2025 Schools to Watch Application 2027 Application Instructions Missouri Coming Soon! School Profiles Coming Soon

2023 Vineyard Junior High School Alta Loma School District San Bernardino County Sandy Rose, Principal Enrollment: 642. Grade Levels: 7-8. School Characteristics and Replicable Practices Gold PBIS award: positive school culture Ongoing kindness and culture campaigns build positive connections MTSS to meet students’ individual academic, behavioral, SEL needs 1:1 technology, Google Classroom, i-Ready, English 3D, LANGUAGE! Live, more Instruction: differentiation, hands-on, thinking maps, writing across the curriculum

Leti Menchaca Advocacy Chair Leti brings with her 31 years of experience in education that ranges from elementary as a teacher for 10 years to administration at middle and high school for a total of 17 years. She also spent 4 years in the curriculum and instruction department. Her last assignment (10 years) prior to joining TASSP, was as the Principal at Trautmann Middle School. During her tenure there the campus was ranked as a top performing middle school in Texas consecutively beginning the 2016 through the 2020 school year. Trautmann was also named on the Texas Honor Roll list in 2017-2020 by Educational Results Partnership. Designated as an A campus by the Texas Education Agency in those years with rating assignments. In 2019 Trautmann received the distinguished honor of becoming a Designated Schools to Watch Campus and recognized by the National Forum for Schools Watch in Washington DC that summer. In 2017 Ms. Menchaca was also recognized as one of TASSPs State Finalist for Principal of the Year representing Region 1. Leti retired from education and joined TASSP in September 2021 and now serves as the Associate Executive Director for middle level services, and corporate partnerships and as the Texas State Director for the National Forum. < Back

Florida Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Kentucky | Michigan | Missouri New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Texas | Utah | Virginia State Director Alicia Harp aliciaharp@gmail.com Participating Organizations Florida Schools to Watch Joined Schools to Watch in 2024 Schools to Watch Application 2027 Application Instructions Florida Hidden Oaks K-8 School (2025) School Profiles Coming Soon