Marsteller, Woodbridge Middle remain “Schools to Watch”

Marsteller Middle School in Bristow and Woodbridge Middle School in Woodbridge have been re-designated as Schools to Watch® for 2012 by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, according to a news release.

The S2W designation is based on a school’s test scores, management and leadership, and programs and services that meet the needs and interests of teens, among other criteria. Schools to Watch® are designated for three years, after which they must reapply and submit to a rigorous site visit to maintain their status.

Woodbridge Middle School now has received first re-designation, after being named in 2009. Marsteller Middle School was named to the list of Schools to Watch® in 2005. It achieved its first re-designation in 2008.

To meet the criteria for the honor, a school must also have achieved full accreditation status based on Standards of Learning assessment results, and serve students in grades seven and eight. A visitation team conducts a site visit in which leaders from other established Schools to Watch® observe a typical day as well as interview multiple stakeholders, including parents and students.

“The visitation team looks at the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness to the needs and interests of adolescents, social equity, and organizational structures and processes,” according to Sandy Dutemple, director of Virginia Schools to Watch®

Marsteller and Woodbridge Middle Schools will be featured in state and national publications and will be models for middle-level instruction and support for students, staff, and community members. The schools will be honored at the National Forum’s Annual School to Watch conference in Arlington in June.