COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 148

September 12, 2003

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Schools To Watch Program Announcement

In the spring of 2003, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform selected Virginia as one of four new states to participate in the Schools to Watch (STW) program. This is a special honor for the commonwealth as only seven states have been selected to participate during the two years the program has been conducted.

The Virginia Schools to Watch application was submitted by the Virginia Middle School Association (VMSA), and is a cooperative effort of VMSA, the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, and the Virginia Department of Education.

The objective of the program is to select up to four outstanding Virginia middle schools that demonstrate success in:

• achieving academic excellence;
• responding to the unique challenges of early adolescence;
• providing every child with high-quality teachers, resources, and learning opportunities; and
• structuring the school as a learning organization to sustain excellence.

These schools will be considered important resources for other schools to consult in efforts to improve all middle-level programs in the commonwealth. Recipients of the Schools to Watch designation should be prepared for visitors and inquiries about their schools; programs; and beliefs about teaching, learning, and working with middle-level students.

The Virginia STW program will require schools seeking the honor of being selected a School to Watch to meet the following criteria:

• have achieved full accreditation status based on Standards of Learning assessment results;
• have achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all subgroups based upon the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB); and
• contain grades 7 and 8.

On September 22, 2003, the Virginia STW application and process information will be available on the Virginia Middle School Association website at http://www.vmsa.org. School report cards, to be posted on the Department of Education website later this fall, will provide some of the material needed for the application. This includes accreditation status, AYP data, and additional NCLB information. Applicants will need to provide additional narrative information and school data.

Schools to Watch applications should be sent to Dr. Betty Dore, chairperson of the STW Committee, by November 14, 2003. Trained readers/assessors will review applications and select six to eight schools for two-day site visits by teams of middle-level education leaders. After these visits, the Virginia Schools to Watch finalists will be identified and announced.

Detailed information about National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform and the Schools to Watch program may be obtained at http://www.mgforum.org. Questions regarding the Virginia Schools to Watch program should be directed to Dr. Betty Dore (edore@radford.edu), STW chairperson, 6881 Riverbend Drive, Radford, VA 24141, (office) 540-831-5843, (home) 540-731-0036.

JLD/yba