middle sChool Course Guide - Frederick County Public Schools

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2 2013–2014 FrederiCk County PubliC sChools middle sChool Course Guide moVinG uP to middle sChool Frederick County’s middle and elementary school administrators, teachers and counselors work together to ease students’ transition to the next level of their public education experience . The following activities provide consistency throughout the county and promote communication among teachers, students and parents . elemenTary and middle school sTaffs collaboraTe To 1 . Develop plans for a smooth transition . 2 . Review fifth grade instructional objectives and learning strategies . 3 . Review student data to make appropriate placement recommendations . middle school meeTing for parenTs 1 . Provides information about the middle school program of studies . 2 . Reviews and clarifies the scheduling process . 3 . Explains course sequences and options . 4 . Answers questions about supporting students in their transition to middle school . 5Th grade sTudenTs VisiT middle schools 1 . Tour the school and meet staff members . 2 . Learn about academic and behavioral expectations for middle school . 3 . Identifies and clarifies the instructional program expectations, the middle school schedule and resources available to all students . back-To-school nighT 1 . Welcomes parents of all sixth, seventh and eighth graders . 2 . Provides specific information about the middle school program of studies . 3 . Answers parent questions related to the middle school . 4 . Introduces the staff . WhaT is exTended learning Time (elT)? Within each FCPS middle school, students benefit from a 30-minute period of time that allows them to receive individualized instruction that meets their academic needs, as well as, to receive the structures and supports needed to meet the needs of the adolescent learner . This 30-minute extended learning time increases instructional time for students and teachers and allows teachers to provide enrichment, extension and intervention within their respective curriculum and area of expertise . Also during ELT a school wide “pull-out” tutoring program is offered . Teachers have the ability to pull small groups of students to receive more intensive support, again allowing them to meet individual student needs . ELT is delivered in a rotational model allowing teachers of each and every content area to provide small group tutoring and support . In addition, ELT provides students with opportunities to participate in enrichment activities . Finally, the ELT period within the middle school schedule allows for staff to meet the needs of adolescent learners in a less formal setting . An advisory time is provided in order for students to develop a positive relationship with a trusted adult at the school . This time period allows students to receive support and encouragement academically and socially, to develop positive habits such as goal setting and time management, and to celebrate personal achievements and appreciate differences and similarities in others . Teachers utilize bullying prevention materials from the Olweus Class Meeting resources and school counselors’ conduct career counseling, review internet safety, and more fully implement their guidance curriculum .
WhaT is The highly able learner program? Frederick County Middle Schools offers a Highly Able Learner (HAL) Program to students with advanced academic abilities in language arts, math, science, and/or social studies . The HAL Program provides academic rigor and challenge at a rapid pace to meet the specific learning styles and academic needs of highly able middle school students . Students enrolled in the HAL Program follow the FCPS curriculum, with an emphasis on depth and complexity based on students’ abilities and interests . Students are exposed to a variety of instructional activities that promote deep understanding of content such as hands-on exploratory activities, problem-solving activities and projects which require research and application of knowledge . Cluster grouping is a research-based delivery model to address the academic needs of gifted and advanced learners . Groups of identified students (varying in number from 3 to more than 10) are placed together . This allows teachers to plan and provide challenging learning opportunities and set a more rapid pace for this group of students . Teachers in the HAL Program receive ongoing, specialized professional development in instructional strategies which are proven to be most effective in meeting the needs of highly able learners . During the 2013-14 school year, Highly Able Learner cluster groups will exist in grade 6 and 7 language arts, math, science and social studies classes at all FCPS middle schools . In 2014- 15, the HAL Program will be fully implemented to serve grade 8 as well . Each middle school’s articulation committee considers all students to determine if placement in one or more Highly Able Learner clusters is appropriate based on high performance on a variety of specific data measures and demonstrated ability to learn at advanced rates and levels of understanding . 5th grade students in the Elementary Magnet Program who are performing at expected levels will be enrolled in the HAL Program . Students may be identified as highly able in one, several, or all four of the content areas . For further information about the HAL Program, contact your middle school’s enrichment specialist . A special note about course progression for advanced students in mathematics: In mathematics, advanced students enroll in the Common Core Grade 6-honors course . In 7th grade, these students enroll in Common Core grade 7 Accelerated, which covers the entire Common Core 7th grade curriculum and half of the Common Core 8th grade curriculum . Finally, in 8th grade, these students enroll in Common Core Algebra I, during which they will complete Common Core 8th grade curriculum and the entire Common Core Algebra I curriculum, which incorporates many topics from higher-level mathematics courses that are typically taught in high school . 2013–2014 FrederiCk County PubliC sChools middle sChool Course Guide 3
Page 2 and 3: Contents Moving Up to Middle School
Page 6 and 7: The FCPS middle school curriculum a
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Page 16 and 17: During the 8th grade year, instruct
Page 18 and 19: academic placemenT and grouping Stu
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Page 25: What’s next? hiGh sChool 2013-201
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Page 30: Ways To meeT The hsa passage reQuir

middle sChool Course Guide - Frederick County Public Schools

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