Castaic Middle School: Program Castaic Middle School: Programs Standards-based instruction and a strong commitment to school-wide literacy are important components of the CMS program which the staff and community have worked diligently to develop as they strive to create a school where students meet rigorous expectations and apply their learning to real world situations.
At CMS teams and flexible scheduling allows staff to meet the needs of all students. Teachers and support staff offer students extended projects and hands-on learning experiences such as sixth grade History Alive, Renaissance Faire, Science Club, and the Santa Clarita Project. Flexible scheduling includes reading and math intervention classes for at-risk students. After school activities and clubs reinforce the core curriculum, and exploratory classes provide opportunities for students to hone and apply skills and concepts they have worked on in their core classes. At CMS, pride is also taken in their state-of-the-art science labs where students apply concepts in hands-on science experiences.
The programs at CMS provide supports needed for all students to meet rigorous academic standards. Heterogeneous grouping is used, clustering ELL, RSP and GATE students. In an effort to best meet the individual needs of students support staff work with subgroups within the class to assure access to the core curriculum, and they provide additional help through focused exploratory classes and extended learning at lunch and after school.
Castaic Middle School was selected as one of three middle schools in the county to be literacy Demonstration Site where at-risk readers receive focused instruction to close the gap. This exploratory program provides reading strategies while not removing the students from their core language arts classes.
Interventions to support students are extensive. There is a tutorial at an off-site location, Academic Saturday School helps students in need of credits, and Wednesday evening the library remains open for families to access resources and technology to succeed. Expectations are high for all students, and multiple support systems are in place to promote their success.
Relevance
is important to give standards meaning and value. At CMS applying knowledge
to real world problems is an essential part of learning across the curriculum.
The Kid Connection Program matches students with business people in
the community to establish school to career connections. Learning skills
in classrooms that will apply to their future career goals is demonstrated
in Student Led Conferences, and at the end of the eighth grade all students
share their portfolios with community members, business people, parents
and staff. As student learning takes center stage, students have multiple
opportunities to connect their learning to the world beyond the classroom.
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California
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