CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Vol. 42, No. 78
December 2, 2008
Pleasant Lea Middle School Earns Reading and Science Honors
Making Middle Grades Work program announces top scores
Pleasant Lea Middle School, Lee’s Summit School District, has earned national recognition by scoring in the “Top 20” among American schools participating in the Making Middle Grades Work program, state education officials announced today.
Students at Pleasant Lea Middle School exceeded performance levels in two categories, placing eighth in science and ninth in reading, according to measures used by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the national sponsor of the Making Middle Grades Work program.
The SREB conducts the standardized Middle Grades Assessment every other January to measure reading, science and mathematics achievement at the eighth-grade level as part of the MMGW program, which includes 350 schools in 19 states.
Schools participating in the program are committed to improving student performance in the middle grades to assure students are prepared to take advantage of all that high school can offer and be successful in career opportunities after high school.
“Pleasant Lea Middle School is so proud and honored to see this accomplishment. The Middle Grades Assessment is one measure that shows how we’re doing, and earning a spot in the top 20 gives us some evidence that we’re moving in the right direction in raising the level of learning for each student at PLMS,” said Rebeckah Mayer, Pleasant Lea’s school-improvement coordinator.
MMGW is the nation’s first large-scale effort to engage state, district and school leaders in partnerships to raise student achievement in the middle grades. The program is based on the conviction that most students can master academic studies at or above grade-level standards if schools create an environment that motivates them to make the effort to succeed.
“The primary focus of the assessment is continuous improvement. The data we receive from the assessments provide valuable information that will help us raise achievement in the middle grades,” said Pleasant Lea Principal Janette Cooley.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has provided financial support for three MMGW pilot sites in Missouri, all in the greater Kansas City area. In addition to Pleasant Lea, the other two sites are Ervin Middle School and Smith-Hale Middle School, in the Hickman Mills district. Each school also is partnering with a high school that is implementing the SREB’s High Schools That Work program.
In addition to Missouri, the MMGW network states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
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For more information about MMGW in Missouri, contact Marsha Ruettgers (573-751-4192).