Woodbridge Middle continues as a “Breakthrough School”

Woodbridge Middle School joins 26 middle level and high schools redesignated as one of the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ (NASSP) 2017 Breakthrough Schools. NASSP recently evaluated each of these schools, originally recognized between 2011 and 2014, and determined they have sustained their student achievement rates since their initial recognition.

Angela Owens, principal of Woodbridge Middle, said she is proud of the work of her students, staff and community. “At WMS, we are always focused on our students and community,” she said. “We work hard when providing service to our diverse population and have earned all of our accomplishments. It takes a special educator to work on bridging the achievement gaps, while caring for the best students in the county. We are always proud Seminoles.”

Established in 2007, NASSP’s Breakthrough Schools program recognizes middle level and high schools that serve large numbers of students in poverty and are high achieving or demonstrate dramatically improving student achievement. Schools are selected based on documented success in implementing strategies aligned with the three core areas of Breaking Ranks II, including collaborative leadership; personalization; and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Woodbridge Middle School continues to make improvements in student achievement, most notably in the past seven years in writing, reading, and mathematics. Writing has shown steady increases in grade eight (2013 SY 70%, 2014 SY 74%, 2015 SY 76%), which has been attributed to realigning pacing guides to state standards, as well as giving students more opportunities to write across the curriculum (i.e., history and science).

Reading has also shown gains (2013 SY 75%, 2014 SY 75%, 2015 SY 80%) over a three-year period, which has been attributed to realigning pacing guides and giving students additional opportunities for practice. On-going professional development has led the faculty to use common language and expectations. In addition, math has also shown steady improvement in grade eight (2013 SY 83%, 2014 SY 93%, 2015 SY 91%).

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high-quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils.