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Success for All Middle School
is a comprehensive model for accelerating the achievement
of students in the middle grades. It is based on the
widely used and extensively evaluated Success for All
elementary model, but designed to meet the developmental
needs of young adolescents.
 The
backbone of the SFA Middle School is the reading curriculum,
designed for young adolescents at all achievement levels.
Reading instruction focuses both on the mechanics of
reading and on the strategies by which readers make
sense of the written word. Frequent assessments help
teachers determine the progress, strengths, and needs
of their students, and adjust their instruction accordingly.
Integrated curriculum components are
also available for language arts, social studies, science,
and conflict resolution. Units of study incorporate
a variety of activities to meet the need of different
learning styles, and offer opportunities for students
to apply and reinforce their reading, writing, and speaking
skills in the content areas.
SFAF’s experience and research
substantiate the idea that improved literacy skills
can empower young adolescents, not only by making them
critical thinkers better able to negotiate the many
choices that confront them at this pivotal stage in
their development, but also by giving them access to
the most challenging curricula in the content areas.
To fill any gaps and build on strengths, Success for
All Middle School provides every student with instruction
in reading at his or her instructional level. Students
are assessed regularly and moved to a higher level as
soon as they are ready. This approach motivates students
to achieve by making them aware of their gains, and
what they still need to learn to succeed.
Sixty-two schools in urban, rural,
and small city locations used the program in the 2003/2004
school year. Data from schools implementing Success
for All Middle School show promising effects on state
assessments. A third-party evaluator, the National Opinion
Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago,
is collecting student-level data from state assessments
to evaluate the program. The subjects of NORC’s
research are students in grades 6-8 in six pairs of
middle schools located in five districts. Each pair
consists of a Success for All middle school and a matched
control site. Based on school level data, SFA middle
schools gained 26.7 percentage points on their state
reading tests, while matched controls gained 3.9 points.
Gains in the schools’ respective states averaged
5.7 percentage points. (See the Research
page for more information on results of SFA middle
school.)
 The
Reading Edge, the middle school reading component, is
designed to help students build a strong phonetic skill
base and develop fluency, comprehension strategies,
study skills, vocabulary, and a love of reading. The
reading curriculum is based on recent research which
shows that the best ways to help below-grade level readers
are phonics-based teaching methods, activities that
promote reading fluency, and explicit instruction in
comprehension strategies used by effective readers.
It makes use of materials that are appropriate to the
interests, needs, and developmental characteristics
of middle school students, and it employs the power
of cooperative learning, putting the intense peer pressure
of adolescence to positive use.
*See The Reading
Edge page for more information.
In the SFA Middle School, science and humanities classes
provide students a chance to make practical use of their
reading, writing, and analytical skills. Each grade
level begins with one or more foundation units that
familiarize teachers and students with cooperative learning
techniques and focus on concrete skills that students
apply throughout the year. The remaining units engage
students with a problem to solve or a task to complete
related to a particular theme or topic.
All units are designed to ground students
in solid content knowledge while helping them connect
their learning to the world. Units also offer a much-needed
opportunity for students to practice their reading and
writing skills in a different, real-world context. Because
the science and humanities curricula use the same approach
to reading and writing as other SFA components, students
have the opportunity to apply their skills across the
day, leading to a more powerful educational experience.
The humanities curriculum combines
two content areas – language arts and social studies
– to offer students opportunities to practice
reading and writing skills in real-world contexts. Each
humanities unit engages students with a problem, topic-related
investigation, or simulation that helps them connect
content to authentic experience (in alignment with the
standards from the National Council for the Social Studies,
the National Council of Teachers of English, and the
International Reading Association). The Humanities program
can be used in separate social studies and language
arts or English class periods, or in one integrated
block. In social studies units, students investigate
important themes and topics, connecting what they learn
about the past with their own lives, and present their
findings in various forms including writing. In language
arts units, students explore different genres of literature,
write original pieces following the conventions of writing,
and learn and practice basic grammar skills. In both
types of units, students make use of a wide variety
of resources including classroom textbooks, primary
sources, literature, and experts in the field. Units
are provided in a sequence that builds upon mastered
skills and prior content knowledge. However, units may
be taught at any grade level according to state standards
and individual school goals.
The science curriculum prepares students
for success in high school science and piques their
interest in science-related careers through hands-on
activities, simulations, cooperative learning, observation,
and research. Constructivist learning approaches are
coupled with practice in expository-text reading and
writing strategies and other relevant literacy skills
from the Reading Edge to give students the tools they
need to experience real science inquiry. Science units
incorporate authentic opportunities for students to
write. They report results in formal and informal ways,
make recommendations based on evidence, and present
solutions to community problems. Working in teams and
relating science learning to significant issues in the
world today allows students to experience the debate
and argumentation that is the hallmark of scientific
research. The science curriculum is aligned with the
National Education Standards, and may be used alone
or in concert with a science textbook.
The Getting Along Together social
problem-solving curriculum (described in fuller detail
on the Getting Along Together page) is designed for
use in the first two weeks of school, either during
the reading block if students have not yet been assigned
to reading groups or at some other point in the day
if reading groups have already been set. The Getting
Along Together curriculum introduces students to the
basics of cooperative learning, teamwork, and problem
solving, increasing in complexity as students get older
and more sophisticated. The goal is to give students
a flexible and peaceful model for resolving in-school
problems and conflicts, and in the longer term, for
students to internalize this problem-solving process
and make it their own.
The SFA Middle School materials include:
- Teacher’s manuals with detailed,
flexible daily lesson plans
- All student materials
- Reading strategy cards
- Comprehension strategy team study
tools
- Student assessment tools to monitor
student progress in vocabulary, word structure, fluency,
comprehension, and comprehension strategies.
- Materials kit, consumable kit,
book set, and videotapes included for Humanities and
Science units
The professional development provided by SFAF staff
is designed to support district and school leaders and
teachers as they make substantial changes in their approach
to classroom instruction. Your SFAF coach will build
a partnership with your school and district through
training sessions, on-site coaching, scheduled telephone
meetings, quarterly progress reports, and informal telephone
support.
Initial training is provided to prepare teachers for
a smooth implementation. The training focuses on:
- Instructional strategies embedded
in the lessons.
- Elements of the lessons that provide
engaging images, routines, and practice needed to
ensure success for each student.
- Tools to assess student progress
and adapt lessons to meet students’ needs.
- Cooperative-learning strategies
that provide the practice and repetition students
need at the middle school level.
- Social problem-solving skills
taught to build a powerful and positive classroom
(and school) climate.
- Support for administrators and
district personnel as they prepare to manage the program,
monitor student progress, and support a high quality
implementation of the SFA Middle School.
Goal-focused achievement planning sets the stage for
success. You and your SFAF coach develop specific goals
and monitor student progress.
- Every quarter, the teachers, school
leaders, and your SFAF coach review student progress.
- Goals and interventions for the
following quarter are planned based on the data.
- Your coach prepares quarterly
reports on student progress for teachers, schools,
and the district office.
As the year progresses, you will have a variety of ways
to work with your SFAF coach to review your progress
and refine goals. The schools involved in the SFA Middle
School will receive:
- Quarterly visits by your
SFAF coach, who will observe classes, meet with the
teachers and administrators, review data on student
progress, and set new goals.
- Follow-up telephone meetings
with the teachers. These meetings support implementation
of the program by providing teachers with further
training, troubleshooting, goal-setting assistance,
and help with assessment issues.
- Unlimited, informal telephone
support for all staff members.
Do you want to learn more about the SFA Middle School?
Please call and talk to one of our staff members at
1-800-548-4998, ext.2372, or fill out the information
request form online.
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