Resources for Breaking Ranks at the Middle level

Satisfaction Survey – How Well Does Your School Serve Each Student

This survey can be used to generate conversations about how well the school is currently meeting the needs of each student.

Importance vs. Practice Survey

This survey asks respondents to reflect on how their school is implementing the recommendations found in Breaking Ranks in the Middle and their level of satisfaction with the implementation of the practice.

Academic Rigor and Support

This instrument can be used to compare the respondents’ perceptions of the importance of academically rigorous practices and support with the level of implementation existing in the school.

21st Century School Leadership Skills

This instrument will provide school leaders with information about their strengths and improvement needs in 10 skill dimensions essential for successful leadership. Can also be used with colleagues to provide one with their perceptions of your skills.

NASSP Policy Recommendations for Middle Level Reform

The debate over education reform must include middle level schools. To address the dropout crisis, NASSP supports providing targeted assistance to low-performing schools with middle grades and requirements for states and districts to develop an early identification data system to identify those middle level students most at risk.

Annotated Bibliographies
Creating Developmentally Appropriate Middle Level Schools Middle Level School Restructuring	Transitions – elementary to middle level Transitions – middle level to high school

Middle Level Leader Archive

NASSP provides a monthly e-newsletter for middle level leaders during the school year. Our full archive provides numerous stratagies, research articles, and other resources.

National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform

NASSP is a member of this alliance of over 60 educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations committed to promoting the academic performance and healthy development of young adolescents. This organization also oversees the Schools to Watch Program that recognizes quality middle level schools in nearly 20 states.

National Middle Level Association

NMSA is a source of publications, resources and research that promote quality middle level education.

The Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR)

NASSP has worked closely with CSSR in the development of many of the Breaking Ranks materials. The resources and technical assistance CSSR provides is based heavily on the Breaking Ranks framework.

The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE)

NASSP and the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) have partnered together in order to combine each organization’s unique strengths to create a shared vision for empowering school leaders to improve student performance.

Documents

Teaming - Recommendations in Practice
A number of schools featured in Breaking Ranks in the Middle highlight effective teaming practices that banish anonymity, limit the number of students with whom teachers have instructional contact, experiment with alternative uses of time, and integrate the curriculum.
A Voice from the Middle
A May 2007 poll released by NASSP and Phi Delta Kappa, A Voice from the Middle, reveals middle level students' high aspirations for college, but a lack of clarity about how to get there. A panel of middle level students gathered to discuss the poll results at a press conference to release the poll.
Survey Tool: How Well Does Your School Serve Each Student? (pdf)
This survey tool provides a starting point for principals and their faculties to assess and discuss their school's performance on several key indicators of highly successful middle level schools.
Survey Tool: Middle Level Academic Rigor and Support Assessment (pdf)
This survey tool allows school leaders to gauge their schools' performance against a set of characteristics of middle level academic rigor and support.
Survey Tool: BRIM Recommendations' Importance vs. Practice (pdf)
This survey tool prompts school leaders and faculties to assess the importance of Breaking Ranks in the Middle recommendations and compare their importance to actual practice in schools.
Annotated Bibliography-Creating Developmentally Appropriate Middle Level Schools.pdf
Annotated Bibliography-Middle Level School Restructuring.pdf
Annotated Bibliography-Transitional Programs-Elementary to Middle Level.pdf
Annotated Bibliography-Transitional Programs-Middle Level to High School .pdf
Breaking Ranks in the Middle Executive Summary
Breaking Ranks in the Middle order form
Academic Rigor Planning Pyramid (pdf)
What Will It Look Like When We Get There? (pdf)
Business/Education Partnerships—Self-Assessment Tool for Partnership Improvement (pdf)

NASSP Policy Recommendations for Middle Level Reform
The debate over education reform must include middle level schools. To address the dropout crisis, NASSP supports providing targeted assistance to low-performing schools with middle grades and requirements for states and districts to develop an early identification data system to identify those middle level students most at risk.
Connecting Students With the Right Summer Books to Raise Achievement
Providing students with high-interest books that are appropriate for their reading abilities—and that promote reading growth—can be a challenge. Durham Public Schools and Durham County Library in North Carolina launched a community-wide effort to do just that last summer.
From the Field
Help! The Test is Only "X" Weeks from Now!
From the Field
Middle level leaders from around the country were asked how they help prepare students for taking their state assessments. Learn from their examples.
Responding to RTI in the Middle Grades
The idea that RTI is merely a new approach to get students “identified” continues to be a misconception that needs to be corrected. Response to Intervention is so much more.
Seeds of Change: Disciplined Growth and Shared Responsibility
Without safe and reasonably orderly environments to work in, the mission of our schools becomes increasingly difficult.
From the Field: Positive Behavior Support
Setting clear expectations; teaching, not telling, them to the students; and reinforcing positive behaviors helps make these schools safe places for students to learn.
Suggested Activities for Leadership Groups
Successfully working with middle level students calls for creativity, enthusiasm, and a constant variety of new ideas.
Developing a Leadership Program
It takes an enthusiastic and skilled leader with a heart for young adolescents to run an effective leadership program. Just as you want to hire the best math teacher to teach math, you want the best person possible to serve as the adviser to your leadership program, and that person may not be a teacher or administrator.
Collegial Collaboration: An Important Component of Developing a Rigorous Curriculum
Julie Fondell, Director of Assessment and Staff Development at DC Everest Middle School in Weston, WI (and an NASSP Middle Level Task Force Member) recounts collaborative work between a teacher and the media specialist that resulted in challenging literature units.
The Schedule as a Tool to Improve Student Learning
A school’s schedule is one of the most powerful tools a principal can use to shape the instructional program. The schedule can facilitate or inhibit opportunity for teacher collaboration. It can provide teaching teams with the flexibility they need to vary the length of classes and to accommodate a range of teaching strategies.
By Ronald Williamson

Links

Public School Insights
An inspiring Web site that presents a fresh, 21st-century vision for public schools, with real examples of what is working in all kinds of public schools and districts. Hosted by the Learning First Alliance, a partnership of 18 major national education associations that represent over 10 million dedicated educators, parents and education policymakers.

Information For

Resources for Breaking Ranks at the Middle level

Resources for Breaking Ranks at the Middle level

Documents

Links