High-performing schools with middle grades are academically excellent. They challenge all students to use their minds well. All students are expected to meet high academic standards. Teachers supply students with exemplars of high quality work that meets the performance standard.
Students revise their work based on feedback until they meet or exceed the performance standard.
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are aligned with high standards. They provide a coherent vision for what students should know and be able to do. The curriculum emphasizes deep understanding of important concepts, development of essential skills, and the ability to apply what one has learned to real-world problems. By making connections across the disciplines, the curriculum helps reinforce important concepts. Instructional strategies include a variety of challenging and engaging activities that are clearly related to the concepts and skills being taught.