By Shannon Lukens.
SoRoCo Middle School has been recognized as a 2024 Colorado Trailblazer School to Watch. It is one of only three middle schools in the state being honored by the Colorado Association of Middle Level Education. The school in South Routt County is also one of 100+ in the country being recognized at the National Schools to Watch Conference June 21, in Washington D.C.
Press release from SoRoCo School District and CAMLE/Colorado Association of Middle Level Education; Feb. 13, 2024.
Colorado Association of Middle Level Education
EXCEPTIONAL MIDDLE-GRADES ‘SCHOOLS TO WATCH’ ANNOUNCED
Denver, CO – SOROCO Middle School has been recognized as a 2024 Colorado Trailblazer Schools to Watch! The Colorado Association of Middle Level Education is proud to honor SOROCO with this distinguished designation. SOROCO Middle School is one of 100+ schools that will be recognized nationwide at the National Schools to Watch Conference on June 21st, 2024 in Washington, DC.
“SOROCO Middle School ignites student learning through intentional academic opportunities for all students, relentless relationship building, and innovative elective opportunities to meet interests of all students in the school,” explained Katie Gustafson, CAMLE Board Member and Director of the Colorado Schools to Watch program. “SOROCO’s faculty and administrative team continuously strive to innovate and elevate learning, to reach and teach every child!”
Selection is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met the criteria developed by the Forum. State teams organized by the Colorado Schools to Watch (https://camle.wildapricot.org/Schools-to-Watch) program conduct site visits in order to affirm that they have indeed met the rigorous requirements of the award. These teams observe classrooms, interview administrators, teachers, and parents, review achievement data, suspension rates, instructional quality, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years must repeat the process in order to be re-designated.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grades schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 criteria developed by the Forum. The Forum developed a website (www.middlegradesforum.org) that features online tours of schools, as well as detailed information about the selection criteria used in the recognition program. Nineteen states are currently involved in the program and the addition of these schools raises the total number of Schools to Watch to over 425 nationwide. This year three schools were designated as Colorado Schools to Watch: Lesher Middle School, Milliken Middle School, and SOROCO Middle School.
The National Forum sponsors the Schools to Watch state program in 18 states with the support of members, the National Association for Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Association of Middle Level Education, Learning Forward, and the State Schools to Watch programs.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations dedicated to improving education in the middle grades. (www.middlegradesforum.org)
Contact: Katie Gustafson 720-234-5954 kgustafson@flagstaffacademy.org
.