The middle school, by nature of its transitional position between elementary and high school, offers students the framework for gradual change in emotional, social, intellectual, and physical characteristics. The middle school program includes:

• An instructional program with flexibility to meet the needs of all students.
• A basic skills curriculum taught in all subject areas.
• Teachers and support staff sensitive to the wide range of intellectual, physical, psychological, and social developmental needs of students.
• Opportunities for participation in social and athletic activities.
• Recognition for academic and co-curricular achievement.
• A close partnership between home and school.

Promotion/Retention

Strengthening the Middle School Academic Experience

All middle school students need to be responsible for meeting high academic standards. As we continue to move toward content area standards and performance benchmarks, strengthening our promotion requirements is an important part of the overall program.

Goals

Hold students accountable for educational success by meeting Orange Unified School District Middle School Promotion Requirements. Implement ongoing intervention strategies to help students be successful and meet the promotion requirements.

Program Description

A multi-tiered “accountability for success” program is recommended for academically at-risk students as interventions to help prevent failure and retention. Parent participation is recognized as an integral part of this process. Both school and parents will closely monitor the progress of at-risk students according to the following guidelines and may include one or more of the following:

Summer School Bridge

At-risk sixth grade students will be identified by their sixth grade teachers and recommended to attend a summer school course that emphasizes basic academic study skills before they reach the regular middle school program.

Academic After-School Tutorials

Students receiving Ds or Fs on progress reports or report cards will receive letters explaining that they are in danger of failing and outlining the intervention process.
Counselors will meet with identified students to focus on specific academic problems.
Students with two or more Fs will be mandated to after-school tutoring. Students will have learning logs signed daily by teachers and parents and checked weekly by a counselor. Students who demonstrate improved academic progress will be allowed to withdraw from the program with approval of parents and counselor and will be monitored.

Independent Learning Program

At the end of the second or third grading period, students with a second F in the same curricular area may be referred to the Independent Learning Program.

Mandatory Summer School/Intersession

At the end of the last grading period, students with two or more Fs in any curricular area or deficient in overall credits will be required to take summer school/intersession courses to make up failed grades. If summer school/intersession is not satisfactorily completed, the students will be considered for retention in the seventh grade.