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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today the names of four middle schools designated as California's 2007 Schools To Watch—Taking Center Stage. Each designated school was recognized for implementing replicable practices focused on academic excellence, responsiveness to the developmental needs of young adolescents, fair and equitable education for all students, and organizational processes and procedures that foster and sustain academic growth.

"It is a pleasure to congratulate these exceptional middle schools and to designate them as California's 2007 Schools To Watch—Taking Center Stage model middle schools," said O'Connell. "These schools not only represent the rich diversity of learners in California, but have made a strong commitment to developing best practices that deliver a high-quality middle grades education to young adolescents."

This year's designees are:

• Canyon Middle School, Castro Valley Unified School District, Alameda County, Principal Mark Croghan
• Edna Hill Middle School, Brentwood Union School District, Contra Costa County, Principal Eric Prater
• Frank M. Wright Intermediate School, Imperial Unified School District, Imperial County, Principal Charles Bush
• Oliver Wendell Holmes International Middle School, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County, Principal Valerie Turner

Although not designated as a Schools To Watch—Taking Center Stage model, a fifth school, Richardson PREP HI Middle School in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, was commended for its outstanding practices in academic excellence. The magnet school's standards-based instruction and its partnership with parents were cited as practices that other middle schools could replicate.

"I thank these schools for setting the stage for middle school student success in California," said O'Connell. “It is clear that student success in high school and then onto college or career begins with preparation during the middle school grades, which are a critical, pivotal point in the educational career of each student."

Each designated school was required to meet minimum eligibility criteria for the designation, including:

• A 2005 Base Academic Performance Index (API) of at least 714 (the state's median API in 2005 for middle schools); or
• Achieve all API growth targets for the previous three years; and
• Applicant schools could not be state monitored or in Program Improvement.

In addition to these indicators of academic growth, the applicant schools conducted an extensive self-study, available on the California Department of Education Web site at California Schools to Watch - Taking Center Stage - Middle Grades, and completed a narrative application. Each site selected for a visitation was reviewed by a team of middle grades experts during January.

A primary factor considered during the application review process was the extent to which each applicant drew upon the guidance presented in California's middle grades handbook, Taking Center Stage: A Commitment to Standards-Based Education for

California's Middle Grades Students (2001). The process also gauged each applicant's understanding and implementation of 12 recommendations for becoming innovative, high-impact schools; these recommendations form the basis for the soon-to-be-released Taking Center Stage—Act II: Closing the Achievement Gap for California's Middle Grades Students.

While reflecting the principles of Taking Center Stage, schools selected as model schools also exemplify the criteria for a high-performing middle school as defined by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. California is one of 15 states working with the National Forum to designate and promote model middle schools throughout the country. Additional information about the National Forum may be obtained at The National Forum - To Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform [http://www.mgforum.org/] (Outside Source).

The four schools, which join 14 other schools selected in previous cycles, will be formally recognized at the annual California League of Middle Schools Conference in San Diego, March 8-11. There, they will be given their first opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and network with other middle schools from around the state.

California's Schools To Watch—Taking Center Stage program is a collaborative endeavor of nine organizations that form the California Middle Grades Alliance: the California League of Middle Schools, the Association of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Association, the California Teachers Association, the California Middle Grades Partnership Network, the Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee of the California County Superintendents Educational Association, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), and the California Department of Education. The California League of Middle Schools is the lead organization for the state's Schools To Watch program. A virtual tour of all previously designated model middle schools is available at California League of Middle Schools [http://www.clms.net] (Outside Source).