McKinleyville Program

McKinleyville Middle School: Program

Students who attend McKinleyville Middle School feel a sense of interconnectedness with their teachers. At each grade level, students have a core class in which they spend three periods of their academic day studying reading, language arts, and social studies with the same teacher. This Core class allows teachers and students to develop personal relationships and to engage in interactive, interdisciplinary studies.

The rest of a student's day is departmentalized. Students have one period each of math, science, PE and electives. Seventh- and eighth-grade electives include band, art, Spanish, yearbook/print media, technology, student teaching assistant and academic support. Sixth-grade students are enrolled in Building Skills for Success or an academic support class.

There are many support systems in place to support students' social, intellectual, emotional and physical development. A full inclusion program is in place for resource students. Teachers use differentiated instruction under the support and guidance of resource specialists to accommodate students' needs. A daily RtI program for reading provides appropriate tiered reading instruction for all students. Students also have access to counselors (one full time and one part time), a district psychologist, a school nurse, and two resource specialist teachers. Programs available to students and their families include friendship groups, individual counseling, an outreach program through our community resource center, parenting classes, an after-school community computer lab, an after-school tutorial program, and academic Saturday school. A character development program, “Character Counts,” has been implemented that values diversity, civility, service, and democratic citizenship.

Teachers have a common curriculum preparation period. This model allows teachers to collaborate on curriculum, align programs, and share ideas and practices. The grade-level teams meet once a week to discuss students, plan grade-level activities, and plan cross-curricular lessons. The entire staff meets twice a month to discuss school-related business, evaluate ongoing programs, and share ideas. This school is committed to lifelong learning and constant improvement geared toward meeting the needs of today's young adolescents.

Standardized, consistent, schoolwide reporting has become a priority for the school. Teachers evaluate student assignments, projects, and other assessments based on the California standards. Over the last two years, teachers have implemented a standards-based report card that enables families and students to better monitor student academic progress.

California League of Middle Schools
6615 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 120, Long Beach, California 90803
Voice: 562/430-3136 or 800/326-1880 . . . FAX: 562/430-5607. . . E-Mail: info@clms.net