This article was written by Carol Abbott, education programs consultant, Middle and High School Improvement Office, California Department of Education. It is the third in a series introducing the forthcoming reform project, “Taking Center Stage – Act II.”
The last two issues of EdCal introduced “Taking Center Stage – Act II: Ensuring Success and Closing the Achievement Gap for California’s Middle Grades Students.” ACSA has been an active partner in developing TCS II through participation in the California Middle Grades Alliance, and helped members provide input on the 12 recommendations that form the foundation for each TCS II chapter and related video.
Previous articles outlined the concepts behind TCS II and profiled the first three chapters that comprise the section on academic excellence. This article explores the issue of developmental responsiveness – the second of four parts of TCS II that mirror the organizational structure developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform to illustrate the criteria for high performing middle schools.
Middle grades administrators know the difficulties involved in hiring highly qualified teachers who are both subject matter experts and specialists in helping young adolescents navigate the tumultuous middle years. Ever since the 1989 document “Caught in the Middle” reshaped the concept of middle schools, teachers and administrators have wrestled with the question of how to respond to developmental needs while delivering an academically rich program.
During adolescence, students typically become more peer-oriented, more moody, and less focused on pleasing adults. In short, they often become a mystery to adults.
TCS II has tried to unravel the mystery of the middle years, and has incorporated breaking news about adolescent brain development throughout the project’s content. The second section of TCS II focuses specifically on three chapters that explore developmentally responsive practices.
Chapter 4 – Relevance
TCS II helps busy administrators by providing research on the developmental characteristics of young adolescents. This compilation of research and best practice ideas will help school teams as they attempt to focus middle grades students on learning at a time when peers, play and food may seem all-encompassing.
The chapter on relevance explores the adolescent needs for fairness, fun and friendship through sections on electives, personalized learning environments, educational technology, library/media centers, visual and performing arts, career exploration and service learning. It also discusses the importance of providing opportunities for student voices, meaningful participation and leadership building.
Chapter 5 – Relationships
As most veteran middle school leaders know, young adolescence is a time when peer relationships take on new significance. However, it is also an anxious and impressionable time when students need strong connections with caring adults.
Chapter 5 covers adult-to-student, student-to-student, and adult-to-adult relationships, and how all of these connections help to build a thriving school climate. The chapter covers many topics, including small learning communities, cooperative learning, clubs and extracurricular activities, competitions and celebrations, adult mentors, advisory programs, looping and discipline. Many related resource links provide busy educators with best practice ideas and examples.
Chapter 6 – Transitions
Moving from elementary to middle school, and then from middle to high school can be a scary time for self-conscious adolescents. Articulation agreements between schools and districts, and school practices that help teachers prepare students for coursework at the next grade level, are critical for overall accountability and student success.
The chapter on transitions includes many topics, including articulation agreements, course articulation, common assessments, counseling, parent involvement, school visits, strategies for integrating students into the middle grades community, promotions, and interventions to help prepare students for high school.
The chapter concludes with a discussion about the various grade configurations, and includes links to research about the relative importance of grade configuration to academic achievement.
Each chapter includes many school vignettes that illustrate the topic in action, and ends with appendices related to the recommendation, including teaming practices, online and print resources, the recommendation in action, and a chart of related initiatives on middle grades reform.
In addition to the above-mentioned chapters on developmental responsiveness, TCS II also contains a section dedicated to adolescent development that will be accessible from each chapter page. It will contain links to research as well as a summary of key findings about adolescent development in relation to the 12 TCS II recommendations.
In addition, the adolescent development section will discuss how educators can design effective programs that respond to the needs of young teens.
The next issue of EdCal will highlight the TCS II sections on social equity – a critical consideration related to closing the achievement gap. The last part of the series will explore leadership issues surrounding organizational structures and processes, with one chapter devoted exclusively to leadership.
The TCS II Web portal will premier Feb. 29, 2008 at the California League of Middle Schools Annual Conference in Sacramento. Visit http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/TCSII for a preview in the coming months, and sign up to join a listserv to get instant updates about new postings.