Professional Learning Activities
Recommendation Seven
Access that Promotes Success in the
Middle Grades
“California must close the academic achievement gap that is threatening the futures
of too many of our students and indeed threatens the social and economic future of our state.
We need to set the same high expectations for all students within our accountability system.
I know when you raise the bar, students and schools reach to meet it.”
—Jack O’Connell, Former State Superintendent of Public School Instruction, 2006
This Professional Learning Activity (PLA) is provided to assist in implementing Recommendation 7—Access at your school. We encourage you to use the Self-Assessment Guide as well as the ideas and examples provided as catalysts for discussion and to help you customize plans for your unique needs.
Recommendation 7—Access is one of 12 integrated recommendations intended to foster middle grades excellence. Recommendation 7 focuses on providing all middle grades students with equal access to a rich learning environment.
Each PLA consists of four segments:
Acquaint: Familiarize yourself with the Recommendation
- Review the Recommendation and its major components.
Assess: Evaluate how your school stacks up in terms of implementing the basic components of the Recommendation
- Use the Self-Assessment Guide to evaluate and recognize areas of strength, identify gaps, and find opportunities for improvement
- Discuss and decide areas to target
Access: See what others have done; review research
- Review text and read featured spotlights for ideas that other schools have used to further their implementation of the Recommendation
- Find out through research why this Recommendation is important
Adapt: Create and implement your own plan; evaluate results
- Incorporate your ideas into a customized action plan to meet your school needs
- Determine how well the plan is working
Proceed to Acquaint
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