The fictitious Blue Ridge Middle School is located in the mountains of Virginia. There are 646 students in the school; 211 6th graders, 224 7th graders, and 211 8th graders. There is little ethnic diversity within the school. Most of the students come from rural homes. To put diversity into perspective, there are only two ESL students in the entire school.

The school has 2 administrators, 32 academic teachers and 13 special education teachers. There are also ample support staff; 1 librarian, 2 counselors, 3 clerical staff, 1 shared resource officer, 4 custodians, 1 shared school nurse and 1 social worker. The diversity of the staff members closely resembles the student population. All staff members are Caucasian; there are 13 males and 62 females.

There are numerous methods used to measure student progress. Each nine weeks students are given benchmark tests in preparation for the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests given at the end of the year by the state of Virginia. Some students also qualify for alternative assessments, such as the Virginia Grade Level Assessment (VGLA), an alternative assessment comparable to the SOL. Students with significant cognitive disabilities participate through the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP).

Blue Ridge Middle School's building is 14 years old. It was renovated in 2001/2002. Upon entering the school it looks clean and organized. As of right now there are no new plans to renovate. The building is the perfect size for the student body. It also accommodates students, staff, and parents with disabilities through handicap parking, ramps, and elevators. Blue Ridge Middle School is unique in that it is situated near the elementary school and is physically connected to the high school. This creates a safe and organized atmosphere for the students. Technology is the way of the future; this is seen at Blue Ridge Middle School. All classrooms have telephones, active boards, elmos, and a DVD/TV combination mounted to the wall. The teachers can also take students to one of the two computer labs or check out a laptop cart. Each grade level has two carts.

Some other areas of the school are the gym, cafeteria, and special instruction areas. The school also has both an auxiliary and a main gym. The gym has good equipment and a climbing wall for the students. The cafeteria is spacious and overlooks the mountains. Some extra instructional spaces in the school include a life skills kitchen, a sensory room, a technologies and robotics classroom, a library, science labs in the classrooms, a band room, and an art room.

The school day is from 7:50 AM to 3:00 PM. Students are organized into two teams of approximately 100 students per grade level with four core teachers on each team. The exception would be the 6th grade, they will have 5 core teachers per team to account for a mandatory, double block (or two periods of) English. The students have 30 minutes for lunch and 1 period for physical education/health. Each of the seven periods is 50 minutes. Students can chose from regular or advanced courses in each of their four core areas. All grades also have an optional remedial Math or English class. This elective becomes a remediation class if the students failed the SOL assessment the previous year or are performing below grade level. Algebra and Geometry are offered to 7th and 8th graders.

The students also have a wide range of electives to choose from. All students are able to take choir and band each year. In 6th grade the students have the option of taking an exploratory rotation which consists of art, technology, and world cultures. In 7th and 8th grade additional electives include: foreign language (Spanish, French, Latin), art, theater arts, study hall, keyboarding, journalism, and photography. There are also exploration classes in each of the core subjects which serve as remediation and enrichment periods.

Each teacher is given an individual planning period along with another planning period for department or team grade level planning. Four core teachers make up a team as well as two special education teachers and a instructional assistant. The exception is in the 6th grade, there are 5 core teachers to accommodate for double block English. They also have a 30 minute duty free lunch.

The Special Education programs at Blue Ridge Middle School are specific to each student. A full continuum of services is offered, ranging from co-taught classes to more individualized pull-out classes. Blue Ridge Middle School also offers Directed Study as an elective class which allows students in Special Education to receive additional homework help, social skills instruction, and study skills support.

There are a few constraints which affect how the schedule works. Some of these constraints are:

This schedule was created while looking at a well funded school scenario. If there were severe budget restraints certain programs could be eliminated or class sizes could increase as long as they still meet Virginia's Standards of Quality requirements. Our current teacher to student ratio is less than 25 to 1.

Creighton, Theodore (2007). Schools and data: The Guide for using data to improve decision making, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Creighton, Theodore (2007). Leading from below the surface: A non-traditional approach to school leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

National Middle School Association (2010). This We Believe:Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. Westerville, OH: NMSA.