- Pine-Richland Middle School
- Schools to Watch 2021-2022
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Pine-Richland Middle School Re-Designated as ‘Don Eichhorn Schools: School to Watch’
Pine-Richland Middle School is one of 14 exemplary Middle Grades Schools in Pennsylvania that has been re-designated as PA Don Eichhorn Schools: “School to Watch” (PA STW) as part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.
“I would like to thank the students, staff and the entire Pine-Richland School District community for their commitment to education as PRMS has been re-designated as a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: “Schools to Watch,” said Dr. David Kristofic, PRMS principal.
PRMS is one of only two schools to be re-designated a fifth time in the past 15 years.
“Earning this recognition for the fifth time is an honor for our entire school community,” said Mr. Jacob Minsinger, PRMS assistant principal. “Thank you for your support!”
In partnership with the Pennsylvania Association for Middle-Level Education (PAMLE), Duquesne University, Edinboro University, Kutztown University, and the Horace Mann Service Corporation. The Pennsylvania “Schools to Watch” leadership team has announced that the following schools have met the strict STW criteria and have been re-designated: We had four schools delay their application last year because of the pandemic who were recognized this year.
Re-designated for the 1st time. These schools were first recognized three years ago.
- Upper Dauphin Area Middle School, Lykens PA
- West Allegheny Middle School, Imperial PA
- Andrew Mellon Middle School, Pittsburgh PA
- Hampton Middle School, Allison Park PA
Re-designated for the 2nd time. These schools were originally recognized six years ago.
- Bentworth Middle School, Bentlyville PA
- Pleasant Hills Middle School, Pittsburgh PA
- South Fayette Township Middle School, McDonald PA
- Wilson Southern Middle School, Reading PA
- Wilson West Middle School, Sinking Spring, PA
Re-designated for the 3rd time. These schools were originally recognized nine years ago.
- Beaty-Warren Middle School, Warren PA
- Elizabeth Forward Middle School, Elizabeth PA
- South Side Middle School, Hookstown PA
Re-designated for the 5th time. These schools were originally recognized fifteen years ago. These are two of the schools that were first recognized as STW schools in PA.
- DuBois Area Middle School, DuBois PA
- Pine-Richland Middle School, Gibsonia PA
These 14 schools are part of a group of 36 Pennsylvania middle-grades schools previously recognized and still active in the STW process. The schools will be recognized at the Pennsylvania Association for Middle-Level Educations State Conference on February 27, 2022, at the Ramada Conference Center in State College. Each of these schools will have a local celebration in either May or June of 2022 in their school. They will also be recognized nationally with all the other recognized STW schools across the country in Washington DC at the National Forum’s National Schools to Watch Conference on June 23-25, 2022.
PA STW State leaders selected each school for its Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Structures and Processes. 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. Bruce Vosburgh, PA State STW director, stated, “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 challenging, high-quality education. In addition, each of these schools has successfully been able to provide a quality education to their students either through a hybrid, total virtual, or in-person model over the past few years. 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.”
The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state team members, 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-year period, and at the end of three years, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Unlike the Blue Ribbon recognition program, “Schools to Watch” requires schools to not just identify strengths, but to also focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus the three-year re-designation. The re-designation process is based on the school's continued growth since its last STW recognition.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grade schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 researched-based criteria developed by the National Forum. The Forum developed a website https://www.middlegradesforum.org/ that features online tours of schools, as well as detailed information about the selection criteria used in the recognition program. There are now 17 states across the country, which have trained Schools to Watch State Teams, with more than 700 schools recognized across the country.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform began as an alliance of 65 educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations dedicated to improving education in the middle grades.
Information about the STW program can be found on the website of the National Forum. https://www.middlegradesforum.org/schools-to-watch