LAST BEST CHANCE

A DECADE OF CHANGE

A National Agenda Turning Points

In 1986 The Carnegie Corporation of New York established the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development to place the plight of 10-to 15-year-olds higher on the nation's agenda. In 1987, the Council created a Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents drawing members from leadership positions in education, research, government, health, and other sectors. The result of the task force's work was the 1989 classic, Turning Points: Preparing Youth for the 21st Century, a groundbreaking report that was a clarion call to all concerned about the future and fateful choices for 10 to 15 year olds (Carnegie, 1989).

Turning Points urged state governments to build consensus and strengthen the capacity of local communities to improve middle grade schools. Specifically, it asked every state superintendent of education or governor to lead the effort and immediately "convene a task force to review the recommendations in Turning Points and determine what must occur to enable their adaptation to the needs and circumstance of local communities." (Carnegie, 1989)

North Carolina's Initiative Last Best Chance

In 1989, then State Superintendent, now Congressman Bob Etheridge announced the formation of the Superintendent's Middle Grades Task Force. A 44-member task force, representative of a variety of groups involved in serving young adolescents, met for one year. The task force concluded its work in 1990 and produced Last Best Chance. Last Best Chance, supported by grant money from the Carnegie Foundation, analyzed the recommendations in Turning Points and, where needed, made important suggestions for improvements in North Carolina middle level education. Last Best Chance advocated specific reforms in middle level education in the areas of: school organization, curriculum, instruction, student success, health concerns, teacher preparation, technical assistance, professional staff, parents, and communities. (Arnold & Farmer, 1991)

The report, presented to the State Board of Education and approved as recommendations for local consideration, was the first state-initiated roadmap for fundamental reform of middle level programs and services, and became a reference point for planning and change at the district and school level.

In 2001, as a result of the collaborative efforts of the North Carolina Middle School Association and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the General Assembly officially recognized "middle school" as a classification with the passing of House Bill 15. This legislation amends the existing classifications to include middle school along with elementary, high school, junior and senior high school, and union school.

Making Middle Grades Work

In 2000, North Carolina joined the Southern Regional Education's (SREB) initiative, Making Middle Grades Work. This initiative is designed to help states, districts and schools look at what they expect, what they teach and how they teach young adolescents to prepare for success in further education. Too many students leave the middle grades unprepared to take advantage of all that high school can offer and unable to be successful in career opportunities after high school.

Making Middle Grades Work is a network of schools, districts, and states committed to implementing ten essential elements in a comprehensive improvement framework. The Making Middle Schools Work brochure (see Appendix B) details the essential elements and other component of the framework. The elements focus on a rigorous and challenging academic core curriculum for all students and on the teaching and learning conditions that support continuous improvement in student achievement.

With the support of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, SREB provides member states and schools with technical assistance, publications, assessments, and networking services. As school sites identify the help they need to implement the framework, SREB links them to specific professional development resources. A summer conference enables sites to learn what works with other middle grades and high schools and to plan further actions to improve student achievement.

North Carolina Schools to Watch

In 2002, North Carolina received the distinction of being named one of three states chosen to pioneer the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform's "Schools to Watch" program. This program recognizes middle level schools that have demonstrated a sustained trajectory of improvement and success in three key areas—academic excellence, meeting students' needs, and social equity. The Schools to Watch criteria (see Appendix C) are being used in middle level schools across the state as a road map for school improvement and reform efforts.

Schools to Watch is a collaborative effort of the North Carolina Middle School Association and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and involves the participation of a number of other education and business partnerships in identifying and recognizing high performing middle level schools. Since 2003, ten schools across the state have received Schools to Watch designation and have had numerous visitors from across the state and nation.

Changes in Middle Level Education Since 1990

Teaching and learning environments today are quite different than those found in 1990 because of the many changes in North Carolina's educational landscape. Listed below are some of the significant changes occurring over this timeframe that have directly affected middle level education.

Curriculum and Instruction

1. Categorical funding for teaching positions for the Basic Education Program* (BEP) is no longer mandated by the General Assembly.
2. The State Board of Education requires greater district and school accountability for student performance with set standards of rewards and consequences through the "ABCs" School Accountability Program.
3. Research data show a continued problem with the reading skills of young adolescents.
4. District and school test data is widely publicized both locally and across the state. Educators and students operate in a "high-stakes testing" environment.
5. School plans for improvement in student performance are more driven by national, state, and local test data.
6. There is recognition that science and social studies, in particular, are receiving less attention because they are not included in the state accountability plan.
7. The use of technology as a learning tool and means of internal and external communication has increased dramatically across the state.
8. Students leaving 8th grade are now required to choose a four-year plan for their entire high school program, which will result in a university prep, college/tech-prep, or career prep course of study. A small group of exceptional education students will follow the occupational course of study.
9. The General Assembly has required the inclusion of specific topics such as character education, abstinence until marriage in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
10. Competitive sports have increased in availability for both boys and girls at the middle level.

*Note: Words appearing in bold type are defined in the Glossary of Terms

Diversity

11. Although performance gaps among and between populations of students still exist, significant strides have been made toward closing these academic performance gaps.
12. There has been an increase in the number of Hispanic students and the need for services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.
13. The number of children identified with special needs has increased. Academically or Intellectually Gifted and Learning Disability student populations have increased greatly, with significant concern expressed about the lack of minority students in advanced classes and their overrepresentation in lower level classes.
14. A North Carolina Commission on Closing Gaps and Raising Achievement was convened and has formulated an action plan to ensure success for ALL learners in an increasingly diverse society.
15. A "Closing the Gap" section was created in the State Department of Public Instruction's School Improvement Division in 2001.

Educator Preparation

16. The initial licensure process had undergone great change to include a longer period of induction. A comprehensive portfolio was required for initial licensure, but because of numerous concerns this requirement was rescinded by the General Assembly. A mechanism for accountability that will replace the portfolio is yet to be determined.
17. Support for new teachers has been formalized through the creation of Induction Academies, mentor programs, and other state and local efforts.
18. The teacher shortage in certain subject areas has reached near "code-red" status across the state.
19. The number of lateral entry teachers and teachers entering the profession using alternative routes has increased dramatically.
20. The turnover of licensed teachers and administrators continues to increase at an alarming rate.
21. More teachers are demonstrating their knowledge and skills by obtaining National Board Certification. North Carolina leads the nation with 6,636 and over 7% of North Carolina's teachers are now nationally certified.

Organization and Culture

22. Middle level educators consistently voice concern about class size and their ability to meet the ever-increasing needs of diverse students.
23. Administrators in the school and at the district level no longer have tenure and sign individual term contracts.
24. The vast majority of young adolescents in North Carolina now attend Grades 6-8 schools that are organized into academic "teams."
25. Year-round and modified calendar programs have increased at the middle level.
26. Many schools have initiated "block scheduling"— increasing flexibility at the team/grade level in some schools while decreasing it in others.
27. Issues of school safety are paramount. This has resulted in an increase each year in the number of school resource officers working in middle grades schools.
28. HIV, teen pregnancy, and other health-related concerns are now critical middle level education issues.
29. A number of federal regulations stemming from legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), and the McKinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Act, have forced the state and local school districts to implement new and alter existing policies and procedures.
30. Articulation among the three levels of schooling (elementary, middle, and high) has improved but still has not reached an appropriate level of coordination and planning.
31. Many school counselors are now extensively involved in meeting testing demands, and this has resulted in a diminished level of guidance services being provided to students.
32. Middle level educators are asked to do much more to meet the academic, physical, social, and emotional needs of young adolescents, within the confines of the same school day and year, and in a high-pressure, high-stakes testing environment.

Partnerships

33. The Department of Public Instruction has been dramatically reduced in size while maintaining many of the functions it had as a larger agency. There is no longer a single middle grades administrator whose primary function is to facilitate a unity of effort across service areas within the department.
34. The Center for Early Adolescence, affiliated with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and nationally-recognized as a research and service center focused on the needs of this age groups, lost financial support and is no longer in existence.
35. The North Carolina Middle School Association has grown greatly in size and services and remains the leading advocate for serving the needs of middle level educators.
36. Parent involvement in school improvement is no longer a general expectation but a statute-mandated requirement.
37. Parent involvement in schools has seen an increase in support from the corporate world in release time to attend conferences, serve on committees, and volunteer.
38. Greater parental choice has been supported in North Carolina through the creation of public-supported charter schools.
39. The greatly increased need for coordination and articulation of health and human services with schools has resulted in the creation of a comprehensive school health program.

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