Spring 2006
TRANSITION
DOESN’T ALWAYS EQUAL LOWER TEST SCORES
MacArthur Junior High School in Lawton, Oklahoma began the transition to a middle school in August of 2004. The first stage was to move the ninth grade students to MacArthur High School at the start of the 2004-2005 school year. The seventh and eight grades would continue to be housed at MacArthur Junior High School for one year, while making the transition to a middle school.
The second stage of the process was for the students to have a seven period day (45 minute class periods) and smaller class sizes. Smaller class sizes were only for the core subject areas, with the elective classes carrying average to above average enrollments.
Core subject area teachers and some elective teachers participated in embedded staff development as teams for one period each day. They continued to have their regular planning period every day. This eliminated the need to have staff development on weekends, and before or after school.
Most research has proven that test scores fall during a major transition or upheaval in the school climate. MacArthur Junior High School’s transition to the middle school has become an exception to that widely held belief. At the end of the 2003-2004 school year the Academic Performance Index score for MacArthur Junior High School’s regular education students was 1166. The score for the 2004-2005 school year, while the school was in transition, at the first reading from the State Department of Education was 1213 for regular education students. This clearly proves that when all stakeholders are dedicated to doing what is right for students anything is possible.