SOUDERTON — Souderton Charter School Collaborative is among 11 middle schools in Pennsylvania that have been recognized as PA Don Eichhorn Schools: “Schools to Watch.”
Developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the program identifies middle schools that are meeting or exceeding 37 research-based criteria, including academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures and processes. The schools are recognized for three years, after which they must re-apply to continue to be recognized.
Souderton Charter School Collaborative was officially recognized 12 years ago and has been re-designated four times. The other schools include Beaver Area Middle School, Dorseyville Middle School, Eastern York Middle School, West Hempfield Middle School, Central Valley Middle School, Cambria Heights Middle School, Canon-McMillan Middle School, Kennet Middle School and Titusville Middle School, according to a PA STW press release.
The schools will be recognized at the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education State Conference on Feb. 24-26 at the Crowne Plaza in King of Prussia. Each of these schools will have a local celebration in either May or June. They will also be recognized nationally with all the other recognized STW schools across the country in Washington DC at the National Forum’s National Schools to Watch Conference on June 20-22.
“We congratulate these schools for being places that do great things for all of their students. These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools are places that focus on academic growth and achievement,” said Bruce Vosburgh, PA State STW director. “They are also places that recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensure that every child has access to a challenging, high-quality education. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieve excellence, and any middle-level school in any state can truly learn from their examples.”
The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Schools that appear to meet the criteria are then visited by a state team, which observes classrooms, interviews administrators, teachers, students and parents, and looks at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons and student work.
Schools must demonstrate progress on specific goals to be re-designated. Unlike the Blue Ribbon recognition program, “Schools to Watch” requires schools to not just identify strengths, but also focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus the three-year re-designation. The re-designation process is based on the school’s continued growth since their last STW recognition, said the release.
For more information about the STW program, visit the National Forum’s website at www.middlegradesforum.org or the PAMLE website at www.pamle.org/Schools-to-Watch.
