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The Roles of Stakeholders in a Middle Grades Accountability System
Taking Center Stage, California Department of Education, 2001, pp. 91-93.
Middle Grades Principals
School-site administrators, as well as those in district and county offices of education, are pivotal in making an accountability system work at the local level. Keeping local needs and considerations in mind, administrators:
- Build capacity by working to provide teachers with standards-based materials and training.
- Work with local school boards, feeder elementary and destination high schools, staff, and the community to make decisions that ultimately and positively shape student learning and achievement.
- Make important decisions regarding planning, funding, and other resources (such as those used for instructional materials, professional development, and staffing needs) that serve to make standards-based instruction available and accessible for all students.
- Evaluate local achievement results to determine the instructional effectiveness, local procedures and plans, programs, materials, and professional development.
- Report local achievement results to parents, the public, and the media, helping these audiences to understand what the data reveal about students and the effectiveness of the school/district.
- Build on successes and strengths but are willing to make necessary changes when weaknesses or areas of concern surface.
Middle Grades Teachers
Teachers in the middle grades are responsible for providing relevant and appropriate standards-aligned instruction to their young-adolescent students. They are responsible for:
- Providing information about the standards to students and parents to ensure understanding about what students will be expected to know and be able to do by the end of each school year
- Working closely with parents and enlisting parental participation and support in students’ schooling
- Working with colleagues to develop common grade-level, standards-based assignments and benchmark assessments with corresponding scoring guides
- Planning engaging, student-centered, standards-based lessons that build toward assessment of what has been taught
- Using the results of a variety of appropriate assessment and diagnostic measures to inform instructional planning and practices, to report, and explain progress to students and parents
- Differentiating classroom instruction and strategies to meet the varying needs of their students (English-language learners, advanced students, or students with special needs)
- Providing appropriate assistance and brokering interventions for students in need of additional help in meeting instructional goals
- Employing effective classroom management techniques that are appropriate for the middle grades
- Engaging in dialogue with colleagues and administrators to discuss successes, challenges, and areas in which professional development is needed.
Beginning teachers are supported through programs like the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program (BTSA) (Outside Source).
Genuinely outstanding teachers are now provided financial incentives to become board certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (Outside Source). Board-certified teachers are available to assist other teachers to increase their classroom effectiveness.
Parents of Middle Grades Students
Parents have always played an important role in the education of their children. Among other things, parents are personally responsible for developing their children’s early language skills; transmitting values to their children; disciplining their children; and feeding, clothing, and providing shelter and medical care for them. Parenting encompasses many forms and is not consistent. Children come from a variety of advantaged, disadvantaged, and culturally diverse backgrounds.
Parents are held accountable for the attendance of their children in a public school or recognized educational alternative (e.g., private school, independent study program). On a personal accountability level, parents are requested to support their children and the efforts of their teachers by:
- Demonstrating that they value education and the professional expertise of the teacher
- Getting their children to school on time and to bed early on the nights before school
- Talking regularly to both the teachers and their children about what is going on in school
- Keeping in close contact and staying actively involved with their children’s school (even if their children beg them not to)
- Making every effort to understand the learning expectations for their children
- Asking routinely about their children’s homework and helping to ensure that they complete all assignments
- Talking to teachers and administrators about any special needs or concerns regarding their children
- Providing support and resources (such as transportation) so that their children take advantage of multiple learning opportunities, particularly if they are below basic performance levels.
Middle Grades Students
With cumulative top-down and parental support, middle grades students are accountable for attainment of grade-level standards by:
- Coming to school prepared to learn
- Taking responsibility for their own learning
- Staying informed about assignments and their progress towards standards, as well as understanding what is expected of them
- Asking for clarification, assistance, or extra help whenever they need it
- Completing all classroom and homework assignments on time
- Putting forth their best efforts in their learning experiences and assessments
- Taking printed information from school home to parent
Support Stakeholders
There are other stakeholders in a standards-based system whose assistance and support are crucial. They may not be in the direct line of accountability shown in Figure 4-4, but they are nevertheless valuable partners and should hold themselves accountable for providing support to community schools. County offices of education, teacher associations and unions, youth and service organizations, businesses, postsecondary schools, municipal services, and recreational districts all play a role in providing support. Districts and schools that actively seek and use the assistance and resources from other stakeholders enrich the whole school program.