Miami-Dade County Public Schools redesigns middle school experience

Miami-Dade County Public Schools redesigns middle school experience
Miami-Dade County Public Schools redesigns middle school experience
Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho addresses the teachers and administrators, gathered to participate in middle school redesign.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) recently took another step to ensure that the transition from elementary school to traditional middle school is a seamless, rewarding, and exciting experience for students and parents.

Teachers, school-site and district administrators, and staff met to discuss progress and refine the Middle School Redesign (MSR) process.

In 2016, after careful analysis of student performance data and school climate surveys in K-8 centers and traditional middle schools, it became evident that there was a need to redesign the middle school experience.

Throughout the 2016-17 school year, M-DCPS launched an exploratory process that included meetings, student shadowing days, student panels and surveys, research, and presentations. Students’ voices have been essential throughout the MSR process.

Three focus areas emerged: ensuring students develop social and emotional competencies; creating and/or enhancing academic offerings, scheduling, and collaborative structures that lead to improved student achievement, and engaging student-centered, 21st Century learning environments that foster communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

This year, M-DCPS launched several initiatives targeting some of the principals of the redesign effort, such as a visit by all seventh-grade students to a live performance of Kitty Hawk at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Kitty Hawk provides both a musical experience and science lessons.

Additionally, Amplify, an English Language Arts (ELA) blended curriculum for middle schools, will be expanded, and through the district’s Digital Convergence initiative, sixth-grade ELA classrooms will be the main recipients of this year’s deployment of devices to enhance personalization and engagement in this important transitional grade level.

Currently, M-DCPS is exploring opportunities for MSR initiatives, including professional development for middle school principals, materials for innovative spaces, and a summer professional development academy for school-site teams.

Stay informed about the M-DCPS MSR efforts by searching the hashtag #MDCPSMSRedesign on social media. For the most up-to-date information, download the Dadeschools mobile app on your iPhone or Android device.


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3 COMMENTS

  1. Do something real!

    FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK

    Miami-Dade County Public Schools and all state schools need to go on a four-day school week. Oklahoma has had to do this, and has saved a lot of money in resources. The fifth day is used as an internal school suspension, which has dramatically improved behavior. Apparently, the resources have brought back Art Music and PE, and a lot of other extracurricular activities, as we know are so needed in our schools.

    Many so-called experts are saying this is not right, however facts from Finland prove otherwise.

    If you can’t give a raise (which all of us know you can, but you’re so caught up in stealing and being corrupt) give us respect, help improve our working environment, and get rid of dictators as administrators….

  2. School District is way behind others. No offering of critical languages. Most other districts offer other languages besides English and Spanish. Dade has half as many kids taking classes like Physics and Computer Programming as compared to Browward and Palm Beach. Business’s with high skilled and high paying jobs aren’t interested in Dade, because of our poor quality of Education. Carvalho needs to speed more time fixing and improving schools, and less time on social media.

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