565 NW Holly Street, Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 837-7000
Learning locally, competing globally
 

Middle School Experience Project

Skip to NEXT STEPS

 

new TRANSITIONING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL
Advocating for your middle school student, Family Access and Gradebook, and more...

What is the Middle School Experience Project?

In cooperation with the Issaquah PTSA Council, administrators in 2007 organized a planning team to examine students' and families' middle school experiences in the Issaquah School District. The goal was to gather information and use that data to influence decision-making at middle schools in the future. The team designed and advertised a series of surveys, which 696 parents, 258 students, and 101 staff members completed at all four District middle schools. After reviewing the data, the team scheduled two middle-school focus groups headed by a professional facilitator in the fall of 2008.

Surveys and Focus Groups

The Middle School Experience Project Team (MSEPT) presented the surveys to all four middle schools through staff, site council, and PTSA meeting updates. The surveys were available for two weeks on Zoomerang, an online survey site. Survey information and links were sent out via the District's extensive E-News groups, through building and PTSA newsletters and websites, and through staff meetings and direct discussions with students. The data represented an equitable cross section of all four middle schools and all grade levels. The survey data was tabulated and analyzed by the MSEPT, district administrators, and middle school principals. Survey results were made available to staff members, site councils and PTSA leaders.

After reviewing the survey data, the MSEPT and middle school administrators scheduled two middle school focus group meetings as "next steps" in information gathering. They hired outside facilitator Ken Wong to help them develop meeting format, guiding questions and group dynamics, and to facilitate the focus groups.

Focus Group 1 was held on October 30, 2008. Participants from all four middle schools included 2-4 students, parents, staff members, and the MSEP Team. Mr. Wong led the participants through a number of breakout sessions. The groups were asked to "describe what a healthy and supported middle school student would look like" and to "consider what is or is not currently happening to help us achieve the outcome of healthy and supported middle school students." Groups shared feedback at the end of each breakout session. Following the meeting, the MSEPT and Mr. Wong reviewed meeting outcomes and made plans for Focus Group 2.

Focus Group 2 on November 5, 2008 brought back Focus Group 1 participants in a number of different group formations (students only, school by school, mixed groups) to consider a range of questions about resources, relationships, identifying who is missing from the discussions, and what next steps might be. Groups reported out at the end of each breakout session. The MSEPT and the facilitator reviewed the event and made plans to synthesize what was learned.

Mr. Wong compiled all focus group information and the team met to review and discuss what they learned through the surveys, focus groups and discussions.

In total, the Middle School Experience Project Team held several work group meetings, created and administered three surveys, and conducted two focus groups. All middle school administrators, staff, PTSA leadership, and district administrators have reviewed and discussed the data, and Associate Superintendent Ron Thiele provided an update to the School Board midway through the project.

General findings from survey anaylsis and focus group data

  • Middle school students need opportunities to form positive relationships with adults during their middle school experience.
  • Students want more opportunities to form positive relationships with other students within their building and across District middle schools.
  • Most students like and value their teachers.
  • Students believe elective classes and opportunities to be involved in a wide variety of activities are valuable.
  • Staff mostly feel their students come to school well-prepared and value education.
  • Parents value education and have high standards for their children.
  • Strong communication between students, parents, staff, and administration is absolutely necessary.
  • There are still target groups that haven't been heard from such as "struggling" students —students who may function best outside the parameters of a typical middle school structure, whether academically, socially or emotionally.

Outcomes

  • The Middle School Experience Project (MSEP) has sparked an important conversation among students, parents, and staff about student experiences in our middle schools and how we can collectively improve those experiences.
  • The focus groups identified some programs that are working well to serve students. For example:
    • "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Lunches" helps bring students together to form friendships and build social skills. All four middle schools have adopted this successful program.
    • All District middle schools are now exploring "Walk About," the parent volunteer program that allows a positive parent presence on campus before and after school and at lunches.
  • Data gathered from the MSEP is being used as one component of the District's Counseling Review being led by the Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Counseling Services.
  • The District Levy Development Committee will also consider data collected by the MSEP—for example, the desire for artificial field turf on each of our middle school PE/Sports fields and the need for more transportation options.
  • MSEP has also contributed ideas, thoughts, and processes to the District's Optimal High School Experience (OHSE) led by the Executive Director of High Schools and high school principals. OHSE has also held focus groups and developed surveys.
  • Information from students and parents about the value of elective offerings has informed an administrative discussion around a common eighth grade PE waiver/alternative health option for those students in their second or third year of a performing arts elective who also want to take a World Language class.
  • PTSA middle school presidents meet regularly to collaborate and discuss hot topics.
NEXT STEPS
  • The focus groups demonstrated the power of bringing a collection of diverse middle school students together to talk about and problem-solve issues related to their school experience. As a result, plans are being developed to create a formally-structured middle school youth council to facilitate middle school student meetings.
  • The MSEPT will continue to use the data gathered to guide planning and decision-making about middle schools. This is important as the District transitions from the freshman campus into the fifth middle school in the fall of 2010.
  • The District will use the data during a planned middle school athletic review, compare it with Healthy Youth Survey data, and baseline data for future survey and/or focus group work.
  • Middle School principals will continue to use the data as discussion points at site councils.
  • PTSA leadership will collaborate with district administration and middle school principals to develop Parent Ed offerings around middle school issues.
  • The team will analyze avenues and opportunities to reach other voices that have yet to be represented, identify these groups —struggling students, parents of struggling students, high school students, incoming middle school families — and establish opportunities to continue discussions and allow feedback with students, parents, staff and administration.
  • The MSEPT will consider next steps for some of the survey and focus group themes that emerged including teaching styles, Family Access, and Gradebook.

About this website • Report a problem • The Issaquah School District provides equal opportunity in its programs, activities, and employment.