2010-2011 South Carolina Schools To Watch Application Process Opens
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in 2006 accepted South Carolina into its state Schools to Watch Program. South Carolina's collaborating partners are the
South Carolina Middle School Association
South Carolina Association of School Administrators-Middle Level Principals
SC Department of Education
SC Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Developmentally Responsive - These schools are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence.
Socially Equitable - These schools are democratic and fair, providing every student with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports.
Organized - These schools establish norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain their trajectory toward excellence.
To achieve this level of performance, high-performing schools establish norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain their trajectory toward excellence. They have a sense of purpose that drives every facet of practice and decision-making.
2010-2011 SC updated Schools to Watch Application (PDF) and (WORD) and Data Form.
At this time, there are no plans to hold a summer training for observers and potential applicants. If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Linda Allen (
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) or Phyllis Pendarvis (
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).
The Schools To Watch Program is a copyright protected program of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Criteria established by the National Forum is used as the basis for the Forum’s Schools To Watch Program. The following Self Study and Rating Rubric may be used freely by any middle grades or secondary school to study and rate its practices. No adaptations to this self-study and rubric may be used without written permission from the Schools To Watch Committee and Board of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
If you would like to learn more about the application process or want your school to be reviewed as a 2010-2011 South Carolina School to Watch, you can contact:
Linda Allen at
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Phyllis Pendarvis at
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The National Schools to Watch Conference provides an excellent
opportunity for all those interested in learning more about the Schools to
Watch criteria and their application in improvement of middle schools and
student achievement. The conference is
scheduled for June 24-27,
2009 in Washington,
DC. Newly names SC Schools to Watch will receive
their award at the conference.
2009: Palmetto Middle School 2008: Blythewood Middle and Palmetto Middle 2007: Lugoff-Elgin Middle School
All of the SC Schools to Watch open their doors to visitors who want to see at close hand what an effective middle school program looks and feels like. Contact the principals at each of these schools and arrange visits. Click on the school name and view a profile of that school.
Belton Middle School was named South Carolina's 2009 School to Watch. Belton becomes the 4th middle school in South Caroina to meet the stringent criterion based standards for recognition in this National Program. Belton Middle celebrated their success with a schoolwide celebration in the spring and presented their award winning program to other Schools to Watch at the srping SCMSA conference and in Washington, DC at the National Schools to Watch Conference.
South Carolina named Blythewood Middle School and Palmetto Middle School as 2008 Schools to Watch. The celebration for Palmetto Middle in Anderson School District 1 was held on March 5, 2008 and the celebration for Blythewood Middle in Richland School District 2 was held on March 20, 2008. Congratulations to the administration, faculty, staff, students, parents and community members of these Schools to Watch. Both schools welcome visitors who want to learn more about the Schools to Watch process and criteria for use in their schools and communities. Blythewood and Palmetto were recognized at the National Schools to Watch Conference in Washington, DC in June, 2008.
Lugoff-Elgin Middle School was named South Carolina's first School to Watch in 2007 under the National Forum to Accelerate Middle School Reform's Schools to Watch review program. Lugoff-Elgin Middle School celebrated this distinction with a school celebration in the spring of 2007 and a visit to Washington, DC in the summer of 2007 to present highlights of their program along with other Schools to Watch sites from across the country. Our hats are off to Lugoff-Elgin for becoming SC's charter school in the state's newly formed Schools to Watch partnership with SCMSA, SCASA, SCASCD, SCDE, and Middle Grades Project.
