We will offer 6th grade for the 08-09 school year and will be adding a new grade each year after.

Developmental Needs of Middle School Students

Sixth through eighth graders at Landmark Academy are considered middle school students. Sixth grade is the start of a significant educational transition, as it marks the beginning of middle school. With this transition come many changes in both the structure of the school day and the expectations the school has for the students. The school operates on a scheduling plan in order to keep students together in core groups with a smaller group of teachers. This type of scheduling also increases the effectiveness of the teachers as they prepare for fewer subjects and teach in their areas of greatest expertise.

Cognitively, middle school students begin to explore many new areas and concepts for which they were not previously ready. This includes exploring democratic virtues and procedures such as the function of rules and their necessity (as opposed to the teacher being in control of everything in the classroom). There is a shift away from the knowledge base and rewards for repeating memorized information to the use of higher level skills such as comprehension, inferring, analyzing, and drawing conclusions. Middle school is also marked by a greater emphasis on the appreciation of art and music for the sake of beauty rather than merely as academic areas.

Preparing Your Child for Middle School

The ways you can prepare your child for middle school are not just limited to academics. While academics are critical, this time is also significant for your child both individually and interpersonally. Students who enter middle school with a strong sense of who they are as individuals, will generally be much more successful than those who are unsure of their values and standards. By imparting the values of your family and discussing why those values are so important to your family and your child, you are able to give your child a strong sense of security and identity that is needed during the middle school years. Students who have strong values and standards in place are free to concentrate on their academic pursuits, rather than struggling with these issues as they are confronted with pressures and values that may not be in line with those taught in the home.

If your children are not academically prepared for middle school, it is imperative that you secure tutoring for them. Middle school academics have a significant amount of content, homework and require higher-level thinking skills. If your student is still struggling to read at grade level or has poor basic comprehension skills, they will experience a great deal of frustration throughout the school year. If they are not prepared for the academic challenges ahead, it is vitally important to get extra help before beginning sixth grade.

Assessments

At the middle school level, assessments for grading purposes are done primarily through quizzes, unit exams, projects and papers. Your child will have ample opportunities to use the academic planner system learned in fifth grade in order to keep track of the different assessments. All middle school students participate in the Measures of Academic Progress test (NWEA). This test is given three times each year and provides objective norm-referenced data that informs classroom instruction. All middle school students complete any state mandated testing required by law.