CMS - Nationally Recognized A Top Middle School
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C ANO N- MAC SC HO OL D IS TR IC T News
C
anonsburg Middle School continues to prove it is among the best
middle schools and is being honored
again as an exemplary middle grades
school in Pennsylvania and the U.S.
Three years ago it was named among
the Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools:
“Schools to Watch” (PA STW), and one
of the National Schools to Watch. After
rigorous evaluation, it was recently redesignated. The evaluation takes place
every three years. About 340 schools
across the country have been named
Schools to Watch.
According to CMS principal, Dr.
Greg Taranto, “CMS is proud to have
received this designation for the second
time. It demonstrates our dedication to
growth and constant improvement to the
Canon-McMillan community.”
Canon-McMillan Superintendent
Michael Daniels added, “We are so
proud of Dr. Taranto (CMS principal)
and assistant principal, Mr. (Kenneth)
Schrag, for their efforts to constantly
improve all aspects of the Canonsburg
Middle School. They truly exemplify
the characteristics of effective school
leaders as evidenced through this honorable ‘Schools to Watch’ re-designation.
They, along with the entire Canonsburg
Middle School community including the
students, their parents, faculty and staff,
are to be congratulated.”
CMS, along with seven other schools
will be recognized at the Pennsylvania
Association for Middle Level Education
State Conference in State College on
February 23.
Presentations at the state conference
will be made by CMS faculty members:
Mr. Kenneth Schrag, assistant principal;
Ms. Melissa Cashell, social studies teacher; and Ms. Lauren Paddick, English
teacher.
“I have had the privilege to observe
the positive outcomes at the Canonsburg
Middle School over the past four years,”
said Mr. Paul Scarmazzi, CMSD School
Board president. “Dr. Taranto and Mr.
Schrag approach educating children and
working with their team in a holistic
manner that is inspirational to me. The
School Board is so proud of this re-designation but it comes as no surprise based
on the exceptionally strong leadership at
CMS.”
This re-designation is part of a
recognition program developed by the
National Forum to Accelerate MiddleGrades Reform. In partnership with the
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Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Association for
Middle Level Education, Duquesne
University, Edinboro University, Shippensburg University and Horace Mann
Service Corporation, the Pennsylvania
“Schools to Watch” team announced that
eight schools have met the strict STW
critera – two schools were re-designated
after three years, including Canonsburg
Middle School and Seneca Valley Middle
School in Harmony; two more re-designated after six years – Boyce Middle
School and Fort Couch Middle School,
both in Upper St. Clair; and four schools
for the first time: E.T. Richardson Middle
School in Spring; Kane Area Middle
School in Kane; Northley Middle School,
Aston; and Schuylkill Valley Middle
School, Leesport.
The four schools recognized for the
first time join 29 other Pennsylvania
middle-grades schools recognized previously.
State leaders selected each school
for it’s academic excellence, its responsiveness to the needs and interests of
young adolescents, and its commitment
to helping all students achieve at high
levels. In addition each school has strong
leadership, teachers who work together
to improve curriculum and instruction,
and a commitment to assessment and
accountability to bring about continuous
improvement.
Dr. John Harrison, past president of
the National Forum said, “We congratulate these schools for being places that
do great things for all of their students.
These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools are places
that focus on academic growth and
achievement. They are also places that
recognize the importance of meeting the
needs of all of their students and ensure
that every child has access to a rigorous,
high-quality education.”
Linda Hopping, Chair, as well as
other members of the National Forum
Schools to Watch Oversight Committee,
explain that selection was based on a
written application that required schools
to show how they met criteria developed
by the National Forum. Schools that
appeared to meet the criteria were then
visited by state teams, which observed
classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and
looked at achievement data, suspension
rates, quality of lessons, and student
work. Schools are recognized for a three-
Eighth-grade science class studying density
year period, and at the end of three years
must demonstrate progress on specific
goals in order to be re-designated. Unlike
the Blue Ribbon recognition program,
“Schools to Watch” requires schools not
only to identify strengths, but also to
focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus the three-year re-designation.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch
began as a national program to identify
middle-grades schools across the country
that were meeting or exceeding 37 criteria developed by the National Forum.
The Forum developed a website (http://
schoolstowatch.org) that features online
tours of schools, as well as detailed
information about the selection criteria
used in the recognition program. There
are now 19 states across the country,
which have trained Schools to Watch
State Teams, with more than 340 schools
recognized.
“We are pleased that our Schools to
Watch program has shown that schools
can meet high academic expectations
while preserving a commitment of
healthy development and equity for all
students,” said Dr. Deborah Kasak, National Forum Executive Director. “These
Schools to Watch are indeed special; they
make education so exciting that students
and teachers don’t want to miss a day.
These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieving
excellence, and any middle-level school
in any state can truly learn from their
examples.”
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