Middle Schools - An Age-Appropriate Academic Setting

Federal Way Public Schools first considered making the transition to middle schools instead of junior highs in the late 1990’s, while researching “best practices” – the structures, the curriculum and instructional techniques found to make a real difference in student learning.

Overall, when compared to junior highs, middle schools provide more developmentally appropriate instruction and a better academic transition between elementary school and high school. With state and district standards now tougher than ever before, bringing 9th graders into the high school environment and giving them access to high school subject specialists was especially timely. In the previous junior high configuration, 9th grade students often didn’t understand that their grades were affecting their high school graduation prospects. In high school, they are fully aware of the significance of their 9th grade year, and they are getting targeted instruction in the subjects they must master to graduate.

With the current middle school configuration, we are also doing a better job of preparing students for the state's WASL tests than we could in junior highs. Because they start middle school at sixth grade, students have nearly two years of adjustment and preparation before taking the 7th grade WASL tests. Likewise, putting 9th grade students into the high school setting will give them nearly two years to prepare with high school teachers, before taking the important 10th grade WASL.

In 2002, 48 percent of the district’s seventh graders met the state reading standard.  One and one-half years after the transition, in spring of 2005, 75 percent did so. In the same time frame, 7th grade math scores went from 33 to 53 percent meeting standard.

The district’s tenth-grade students are also making significant progress under the new high school configuration. In 2002, 62 percent of the tenth-graders met the state’s reading standards; in 2005, 79 percent did. Math scores rose from 35 to 51 percent in the same time period.

Don’t forget that many instructional changes took place as a result of the middle and high school transition plan, too. Re-structuring the schools, while not the only factor in student achievement, has played a significant role.

More advantages of middle school

Federal Way has a relatively high number of mobile families and this configuration allows us to provide the best continuity for students who come into or leave the district during their education, since most other districts also use a middle school format.

In a middle school configuration, we are able to offer 6th grade students more co-curricular activities like sports, music and arts. Sixth graders can begin participating in organized sports a full year earlier than they could in a junior high configuration.

Why the transition coincided with new school construction

When Todd Beamer High School -- Federal Way’s newest high school -- was finished in the fall of 2003, it created a ripple effect in classroom space through the entire district.

The completion of the school was an important piece of the long-range plan adopted by the district to better serve an increasing number of academically and socially diverse students, and to improve overall academic performance to meet tough new state standards.

That plan was based on the work of a committee of staff people and community volunteers that met weekly from early in 1998 through 1999 to sort out factors that included growth trends, building capacity, budget, community needs, and academic needs.  The committee recommended, and the district’s board of directors and administration concurred, that the transition to a middle school system from a junior high system was desirable for a variety of academic and psychological reasons.

However, moving 9th grade students from junior highs to high schools meant nearly 2,000 more students would join the ranks at the three comprehensive high schools.  So the transition was timed to coincide with the completion of Todd Beamer High School and classroom additions at Federal Way, Thomas Jefferson and Decatur High Schools. This new construction helped assure that there was sufficient classroom space for 9th graders as they joined the high school ranks.

While middle schools lost their 9th graders, they gained nearly as many sixth grade students.  The completion of Sequoyah Middle School in 2005 finally gave the district sufficient space for its burgeoning middle school student population.

Community input is welcome

District officials listened to community input prior to the transition to determine the specifics of how each school took shape as a middle school. Following the school board's vote on the plan in October, 2001, school-community teams discussed specific middle school features including curriculum, co-curricular activities (sports, music, and arts), safety, relationships between teachers, students and parents, and more.

Currently, middle schools in the district are using small learning communities, teaching teams and a number of other instructional methods advocated by the committee. Parent and community input remains a high priority in our schools. Please contact your child’s principal to share comments and concerns.