Middle School Philosophy

Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle schools serve students in grades 6-8. The educational environment in each school is sturctured to meet the ever-changing needs of the 10-14 year old. Middle schools are designed to provide a smooth transition from elementary school to the more rigorous high school environment. Each middle school provides a setting where parents continue to be active participants in their child’s education. Part of this transition includes students assuming more personal and academic responsibilities.

Key components essential in the planning and implementing of a high achieving middle school include the following:

• Students are assigned to academic teams
• Interdisciplinary teams of teachers meet to review data and plan instruction together
• Time is provided to nurture the adult-student relationships (advisory)
• An environment is created so that all students are successful and are recognized for their achievements
• Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of interests through elective/exploratory classes, clubs, organizations and other teacher-planned activities

Interdisciplinary Teaming

Interdisciplinary teaming in a middle school purposefully divides a larger student and faculty population in small units so that students receive more individual attention and recognition. Depending on the size of the school, there may be more than one team per grade level. Ideally, there are between 90-130 students and four to eight teachers assigned to a team. The team typically includes four academic teachers who are called core teachers and other ‘’elective” teachers who serve the students on the team. The core teachers (literacy, mathematics, social studies and science teachers) meet collaboratively to discuss students’ progress, plan teaching units, conduct parent conferences and consider other issues, which affect their students. The “elective” teachers meet with the core team to support the team’s curriculum and activities. Students receive recognition and support from members of the team. Team assemblies and team meetings provide recognition for excellence in academics, improvement in classroom behavior and perfect attendance. The team discipline policy is established by the faculty members on the team and is consistent within the team, thereby creating fewer guidelines that an adolescent must understand and follow during the course of a day.

Homework expectations, organizational strategies and testing dates are developed by the team to create uniformity for the students. A school counselor and a grade level administrator are also team members. Parents can also benefit from middle school teaming. Parents can collaborate with the four academic teachers in one visit, maximizing time and effort. Parents benefit from hearing about their child’s academic progress in all of the core classes. A school counselor may be present at the time of parent conferences. Teaming allows teachers to know their students well. The team communicates special needs and learning difficulties to plan success strategies on an individual basis. Through the collaboration of these professionals, each child is more successful academically.

Homework Philosophy

The main purpose of homework at the middle school level is to increase student academic achievement. We believe homework assignments that are carefully structured by teachers and are meaningful to students have a significant influence on student achievement and academic success. Homework will be a natural extension of the classroom experience and a major opportunity for students to practice and further develop all levels of thinking skills. The completion of homework enhances student achievement, builds student study habits and helps develop a sense of student responsibility. The satisfactory completion of homework assignments, or lack thereof, is a factor included in the calculation of student grades for each course. Teachers are expected to work cooperatively with their respective team members, department members and elective/exploratory teachers in assigning homework and in the development of evaluation criteria.

Course Offerings

CMS middle schools are organized to educate all students in grades 6-8. Schools offer a variety of learning levels to accommodate the students they serve. Course offerings are similar at every middle school, unless there is a special school choice theme associated with an individual school. Every middle school has additional curricula which are designed to provide students with the opportunity to enter International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement programs/courses at the high school level. Students and teachers form a core team that works as a collaborative unit. Core teams are allowed the flexibility to move students within the team to accommodate academic needs. These core courses are based upon the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Teams accommodate a variety of educational levels based on test performance and other criteria and develop instructional strategies to best meet individual student’s needs. Core subjects are, social studies, science, mathematics and literacy. Within each middle school, beyond the core courses, there are three additional periods of time. This time frame includes a time for lunch, physical education and a wide variety of elective/exploratory courses in areas including fine arts, performing arts, career and technical education, technology and world language.

Time may be used flexibly to provide for intervention needs, grade-level instruction, and accelerated opportunities. As a result, the integration of instruction takes place to provide more relevance to the student. Innovative, developmentally appropriate instructional strategies are incorporated to meet students’ learning styles and needs. Each spring, parents review course selections made by their children for the following school year. They may consult with counselors and/or teachers to ensure accurate placement and course selections. A typical schedule for a middle school student includes advisor/advisee, core classes, electives and lunch.

Grading Scale

Effective with the 2018-2019 school year, all CMS middle and high schools will use a 10-point grading scale:

A: 100-90

B: 89-80

C: 79-70

D: 69-60

F: Below 60

Note: Pluses (+) and minuses (-) will not be used.

Middle School AVID

AVID is a career and college readiness system designed to provide opportunities to increase the number of students who enroll and persist in four-year colleges and universities. Middle School AVID consists of the AVID elective class and school wide instructional initiatives for all students. The students in the AVID elective are students in the middle who have a desire to go to college and pursue post secondary opportunities through hard work and dedication. These students take rigorous courses that are preparing them for college and the AVID elective is an academic support to allow them to be successful. The school wide component creates a college and career going culture in the school for all students that encompasses high expectations and success for all.

The AVID Elective

The core component is the AVID Elective, which supports students as they tackle the most rigorous classes. For one period a day, AVID students learn: organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college or immediate entry into the workforce seem attainable.

Furthermore, AVID students become academically successful leaders and role models for other students.

The AVID Curriculum

Developed and refined by middle and high school teachers for three decades, AVID instructional practices focus on methodologies that will help students prepare for - and participate in - a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum. These methodologies are referred to as WICOR:
W - Writing. Students clarify and communicate their thoughts and understanding of material. 
I - Inquiry. Students ask questions which allow them to clarify, analyze, and synthesize material.
C - Collaboration. Students challenge, help, and learn from one another.
O - Organization. Students learn how to organize, retrieve and maintain their materials and data.
R - Reading. Students analyze, question, critique, clarify, and comprehend material.

WICOR instructional strategies engage students and scaffold instruction.

The AVID Student

• Demonstrate the potential, desire and determination to attend college
• Commit to enroll in academically rigorous courses (appropriate for the student)
• Fulfill the requirements set forth by the school’s AVID contract

The AVID Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers

AVID parents, guardians, and other adult caregivers provide emotional, philosophical, and academic support to their children by showing interest in their schoolwork, providing them with a time and a place to study, and encouraging them to complete schoolwork regularly. AVID families also advise and assist their children in developing into responsible decision-makers. When possible, they attend AVID activities, meetings, and family workshops.

AVID is offered in several CMS schools. Please contact your school for more information about availability and how to enroll in the AVID program.

*For more information about the AVID College Readiness System, please visit the AVID website at http://www.avid.org or contact the Advanced Studies Department at 980-343-2701.

Middle School Terms

A/B Day Block Schedule or Double Block Schedule Middle
schools have the option to implement an A/B day schedule for some classes, which involves organizing the school day into larger units of time. Students will meet half of their classes for 90 minutes each on one day and the remaining half of their classes on the following school day. There are many benefits when implementing these schedules. Some middle schools will double block math and literacy, which will meet every day. In a block schedule, the number of class changes is reduced and teachers are better able to plan extended lessons that engage students as active learners. Homework is better balanced because fewer classes meet on a given day than in a 45-minute schedule. Students also perform at higher levels of achievement when they focus on fewer classes. The A/B Day Schedule is printed on page 67.

Advisor/Advisee Programs (A/A)
The advisor/advisee programs at some schools provide a smaller ratio of students to a staff member to help with learning and to provide a forum for academic advice. A staff member meets with a group of students daily and becomes an advocate for these advisees. The advisor’s role may include making suggestions about course selections or monitoring academic progress. Time may be spent in administrative procedures, such as taking attendance or collecting fees; however, it also includes time for interpersonal skills to be developed. Intramurals are frequently scheduled during A/A time. The advisor may refer students who may benefit from counseling to the school counselor.

Block/Flexible Scheduling
Block/flexible scheduling involves the organization of the school day into large units of time that may be utilized in varied and productive ways by the school staff.

Character Education Character Education
is encouraged in the development and use of character traits which promote a safe and healthy community. The traits being emphasized throughout CMS are caring, cooperation, citizenship, honesty, justice and fairness, perseverance, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness and work ethic. As part of the emphasis on citizenship, the Pledge of Allegiance is recited each morning.

Common Planning Time
Common planning time is a regularly scheduled time during the school day in which a given team of teachers who are responsible for the same group of students are available for joint planning, parent conferencing or lesson preparation.

Core Classes
Literacy, mathematics, science and social studies make up the core classes.
Differentiation Differentiation
is the process of varying teaching strategies, learner outcomes, methods of assessing progress and performance expectations to accommodate and reflect differences in the student’s learning.

Early Adolescence
Early adolescence is defined as the stage of development between the ages of 10-14 when students begin to experience puberty.

Heterogeneous Grouping
A heterogeneous grouping of students does not divide learners solely on the basis of ability or academic achievement. Homogeneous Grouping A homogeneous grouping of students divides learners on the basis of specific levels of ability or achievement.

Interdisciplinary Activities
Instruction that integrates and combines subject matter ordinarily taught separately into a single organizational structure is known as “Interdisciplinary Activities.”

Interdisciplinary Teams
Instructional organizations formed by two to six teachers representing varied disciplines who pool their resources, interests, expertise and knowledge of students to jointly take the responsibility for meeting educational needs of a common group of students are known as Interdisciplinary Teams.

Interscholastic
Interscholastic activities are athletic activities or events that primarily foster competition between different schools and school Districts.

Interscholastic or Intramural
Interscholastic or Intramural athletic activities or events that are held within the school day (and within the school) for the purpose of encouraging all students to participate regardless of athletic ability.

Middle School Athletics (Grades 7-8)
The vision of CMS Athletics is to ensure all student-athletes become responsible citizens and demonstrate a spirit of generosity, sportsmanship and teamwork as effective participants in society

Sports Offerings
Fall Football, Girls’ Softball, Girls’ Volleyball, Golf, Cheerleading Winter Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Basketball, Cheerleading Spring Baseball, Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ Track, Girls’ Track

Responsibilities of Parents and Student Athletes

• Must adhere to all Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and CMS athletic eligibility regulations
• Must complete and sign all required athletic eligibility participation forms
• Must provide proof of medical or accident insurance
• Must pay the participation fee or meet waiver criteria prior to the first contests in each sport season
• Student-athletes must pass a health screening once every 365 days by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant
• Student-athletes and parents must sign the Student-Parent Honor Code
• Must attend a required preseason meeting at the school prior to the sport season (fall, winter and /or spring)
• Student-athletes and parents must sign the concussion form
• Must not accept prizes, merchandise, money or any item that can be exchanged for money as a result of athletic participation
• May not as an individual or as a team, practice during the school day or on a Saturday or Sunday
• May only attend summer camps to which the athlete or his/her parents pay the fees

Athletic Eligibility Requirements
Only students in grades 7-12 may participate in interscholastic athletic competition (State Board of Education Regulation). No student may be eligible to participate at the middle school level for a period lasting longer than four (4) consecutive semesters beginning with the student’s entry into the seventh grade. The principal shall have evidence of the date of each player’s entry into the seventh grade and monitor the four (4) consecutive semesters. In order to qualify for public school participation, a student must meet the following requirements, but is not limited to the following requirements:

7th Grade

• A student who is promoted from the sixth grade to the seventh grade automatically meets the requirements for the first semester
• Must have earned a 2.0 GPA from previous semester (beginning second semester)
• Must have passed a minimum load of work during the previous semester (beginning second semester)*
• Must be currently enrolled in at least one-half of the minimum academic course load
• Must be in attendance at school the day of competition for at least one half of the instructional day in order to participate
• May participate only at the school where he/she is enrolled
• Shall not participate if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31 of said school year

8th Grade

• Must meet local promotion standards
• Must have earned a *2.0 GPA from previous semester
• Must have passed a **minimum load of work during the previous semester
• Must be currently enrolled in at least one-half of the minimum academic course load
• Must be in attendance at school the day of competition for at least one half of the instructional day in order to participate
• May participate only at the school where he/she is enrolled
• Shall not participate if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31 of said school year

*Middle school: For athletic eligibility purposes, a minimum load is defined as passing a minimum of three out of four courses on a 4 x 4 format (or six out of eight courses in the A/B format) of block scheduling during the traditional school day.

Exceptional Children (Grades 7-8)
The 2.0 eligibility rule will be waived if (1) I.E.P. goals are being met; (2) satisfactory progress is being made in mainstreamed classes; and (3) has the principal’s recommendation.

CMS has two methods of anonymous communication to report suspected violations:
playfair@cms.k12.nc.us
(980) 343-1098

Additional Information
Athletic information included in this Parent-Student Handbook is provided as a resource. Specific questions or clarifications of athletic information and/or eligibility should be addressed to the school’s athletic director. For additional information, visit the CMS Department of Athletics website at www.cmsathleticzone.com or call (980) 343-6980.

Student Locker Assignment
For schools who offer locker assignments, students and parents are required to read the following information and sign the student locker assignment form in the Student Forms booklet.

• Middle School Athletics (Grades 7-8)
  The vision of CMS Athletics is to ensure all student-athletes become responsible citizens and demonstrate a spirit of generosity, sportsmanship and teamwork as effective participants in society

  Sports Offerings
  Fall Football, Girls’ Softball, Girls’ Volleyball, Golf, Cheerleading Winter Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Basketball, Cheerleading Spring Baseball, Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ Track, Girls’ Track

  Responsibilities of Parents and Student Athletes
  
  

  • Must adhere to all Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and CMS athletic eligibility regulations
  • Must complete and sign all required athletic eligibility participation forms
  • Must provide proof of medical or accident insurance
  • Must pay the participation fee or meet waiver criteria prior to the first contests in each sport season
  • Student-athletes must pass a health screening once every 365 days by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant
  • Student-athletes and parents must sign the Student-Parent Honor Code
  • Must attend a required preseason meeting at the school prior to the sport season (fall, winter and /or spring)
  • Student-athletes and parents must sign the concussion form
  • Must not accept prizes, merchandise, money or any item that can be exchanged for money as a result of athletic participation
  • May not as an individual or as a team, practice during the school day or on a Saturday or Sunday
  • May only attend summer camps to which the athlete or his/her parents pay the fees

  Athletic Eligibility Requirements
  Only students in grades 7-12 may participate in interscholastic athletic competition (State Board of Education Regulation). No student may be eligible to participate at the middle school level for a period lasting longer than four (4) consecutive semesters beginning with the student’s entry into the seventh grade. The principal shall have evidence of the date of each player’s entry into the seventh grade and monitor the four (4) consecutive semesters. In order to qualify for public school participation, a student must meet the following requirements, but is not limited to the following requirements:

  7th Grade

  • A student who is promoted from the sixth grade to the seventh grade automatically meets the requirements for the first semester
  • Must have earned a 2.0 GPA from previous semester (beginning second semester)
  • Must have passed a minimum load of work during the previous semester (beginning second semester)*
  • Must be currently enrolled in at least one-half of the minimum academic course load
  • Must be in attendance at school the day of competition for at least one half of the instructional day in order to participate
  • May participate only at the school where he/she is enrolled
  • Shall not participate if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31 of said school year

  8th Grade

  • Must meet local promotion standards
  • Must have earned a *2.0 GPA from previous semester
  • Must have passed a **minimum load of work during the previous semester
  • Must be currently enrolled in at least one-half of the minimum academic course load
  • Must be in attendance at school the day of competition for at least one half of the instructional day in order to participate
  • May participate only at the school where he/she is enrolled
  • Shall not participate if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31 of said school year

  *Middle school: For athletic eligibility purposes, a minimum load is defined as passing a minimum of three out of four courses on a 4 x 4 format (or six out of eight courses in the A/B format) of block scheduling during the traditional school day.

  Exceptional Children (Grades 7-8)
  The 2.0 eligibility rule will be waived if (1) I.E.P. goals are being met; (2) satisfactory progress is being made in mainstreamed classes; and (3) has the principal’s recommendation.

  CMS has two methods of anonymous communication to report suspected violations:
  playfair@cms.k12.nc.us
  (980) 343-1098

  Additional Information
  Athletic information included in this Parent-Student Handbook is provided as a resource. Specific questions or clarifications of athletic information and/or eligibility should be addressed to the school’s athletic director. For additional information, visit the CMS Department of Athletics website at www.cmsathleticzone.com or call (980) 343-6980.

  Student Locker Assignment
  For schools who offer locker assignments, students and parents are required to read the following information and sign the student locker assignment form in the Student Forms booklet.

  The student is responsible for all property placed in the locker. The locker shall be used only for storage of such property as is reasonably necessary for the student’s school activities such as school books, school projects, gym clothes, etc.
• No guns, explosives, or any other weapons are permitted to be stored in the locker nor to be brought onto the school grounds. No alcoholic beverage or any other drug not prescribed by a physician nor any other contraband is permitted to be stored in the locker and is not permitted on the school grounds. It is a violation of Rule 29 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Code of Student Conduct to possess any guns, rifles, knives, metal knuckles, razors/cutters, mace, pepper gas, explosives, martial arts weapons or any blunt or sharp-pointed instrument that may be capable of inflicting bodily injury (to include using or threatening to use to inflict injury).
• In consideration for the school’s assignment of a school locker to the student, the student and parent/guardian grant permission to school authorities to open and search the assigned locker and its contents at any time and to remove unauthorized articles described above or any other items which may endanger the health, welfare or safety of students or school personnel.
• The student will leave with the principal of the school the combination of the assigned locker or a key which will open the locker before the assignment of the locker becomes effective. If the student changes the lock, it must be with the permission of the principal at which time the student will list the new combination of the locker with the principal or leave a new key with the principal. In the event the student fails to leave the correct combination or key with the principal, then this default shall constitute permission for the principal or his/her authorized agent to break the lock, open the locker and remove its contents for safekeeping. Any violation of the rules regarding locker assignment will result in the termination of this locker privilege