District Administration - June 2008 - (Page 34)

DistrictProﬁle WASHINGTON COUNTY (UTAH) SCHOOL DISTRICT A Middle School to Watch By Don Parker-Burgard WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOL District sprawls across more than 2,400 square miles in the southwestern corner of the state of Utah. While tourists and adventurers ﬂock to Zion National Park, which lies in the eastern part of the county, educators have recently been drawn to a much smaller attraction: Tonaquint Intermediate School, one of 47 middle-grades schools across 16 states to be named a “School to Watch” by the National Forum to Accelerate MiddleGrades Reform. Located in a brand new building in St. George, a city of about 70,000, Tonaquint teems with energetic sixth- and seventhgraders. Its faculty and staﬀ are deeply committed to seeing that these students are both challenged and cared for. Christine Huley, co-director of Utah’s Schools to Watch program, believes that the sense of community at Tonaquint sets it apart from most middle-grades schools. The development of this sense of community has been no accident. Rather, Tonaquint’s teachers and administrators alike know where the students are developmentally. “They understand the uniqueness of young adolescents,” observes Huley. Marshall Topham, assistant superintendent for secondary education, is impressed by Tonaquint’s emphasis on reaching each student. “They designed their entire curriculum around the needs of individual students,” he says. “They have lots of innovative programming. My hat’s oﬀ to them.” Topham believes that Tonaquint’s recognition will give impetus to the ongoing eﬀort among the nine middle-grades schools in the district to see that every child succeeds. “We share information a lot,” he says. This cooperative spirit and desire for excellence has drawn many 34 June 2008 Tonaquint principal Bobby Garrett and vice principal Mark Cottle join a group of students in front of their new building. visitors not just to Tonaquint but to other schools throughout the district. Schools to Watch Recognition In March, Tonaquint became the ﬁfth Utah middle-grades school to be recognized as a School to Watch. Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a program to identify middle-grades schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 criteria developed by the National Forum. In general, according to the National Forum, three things are Tonaquint Intermediate School District Superintendent: Max Rose, since 2003 Principal: Bobby Garrett, since 2000 Enrollment: 710 students (380 sixth-graders and 330 seventh-graders) Students per teacher: 27.5 Per-pupil expenditure: $5,338 Web site: www.tis.washk12.org true of high-performing middle-grades schools: They are academically excellent, developmentally responsive and socially equitable. (The 37 criteria can be found online at www.mgforum.org/Improvingschools/STW/STWcriteria.asp#academic.) After initiating the Schools to Watch program, the National Forum spearheaded the creation of individual state programs, and it is these programs that now select the schools to be recognized each year. In order to be considered for Schools to Watch recognition, a school must submit a written application demonstrating how it has met the National Forum’s criteria. State teams then visit those schools that appear to have met the criteria. These teams interview parents, teachers and administrators, observe classrooms, and look at achievement data, quality of lessons, suspension rates, and student work. Several years ago, upon learning that her school would be moving into a new building in 2007, Bobby Garrett, then principal of the school that would become Tonaquint after the move, recognized that this was an opportunity for more than just District Administration http://www.mgforum.org/Improvingschools/STW/STWcriteria.asp#academic http://www.mgforum.org/Improvingschools/STW/STWcriteria.asp#academic http://www.tis.washk12.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2008

District Administration - June 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Inside the Law
Conversations
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Professional Opinion
Crisis Response
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Cutting Costs from the Inside Out
New Literacies: Entering the Future
Online Videoconferencing
Achievement Today
Transporting Special Needs Students
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem/Solution
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - June 2008