Colton Middle School Celebrates Selection as One of California’s Schools to Watch

Colton Middle School will hold a special celebration in honor of being selected as a “California Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage” model middle school. Students, staff, parents and community will celebrate at a special assembly at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, at Colton Middle School, 670 W. Laurel Street in Colton. “The entire Colton Middle School community has worked hard over many years to create an environment that promotes excellence for all students, and this ceremony is an affirmation of that work,” Principal Chris Marin said. “We are thrilled and very proud!” California’s Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program uses a competitive, rigorous review process to identify high performing, high impact middle schools. Those schools then serve as models of real-world success for other schools. Colton Middle School is one of just of 59 model schools identified statewide since 2003. “Colton Middle School is a model of what an outstanding middle school can be. School leaders from across the state will now turn to Colton Middle School for guidance on improving their programs to better serve their students,” Dr. Irvin Howard, president of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, said. The program is provided by the California Middle Grades Alliance, which includes the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS; the lead agency), California Department of Education, and other statewide educational organizations who are partners in the California Middle Grades Alliance. "This is exciting news for all of these hardworking schools that have made impressive gains in student achievement,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said. “I congratulate both those new to the list and those with continuing success. They are committed to providing their students with the kind of strong academic foundation needed to succeed as they move toward high school and continue preparing for college and careers.” In order to become a School to Watch - Taking Center Stage model middle school, applicants must have met or exceeded the Academic Performance Index (API) schoolwide growth target for three of the previous five years (2008–2009 to 2012–2013). School administrators must conduct a self-study evaluation and complete an extensive narrative application. Each site is then reviewed by a team of middle grades experts. In order to retain the designation, each school is re-evaluated every three years. Colton Middle School joins the Ontario-Montclair School District's Serrano Middle School with this distinction in San Bernardino County, as well as Imperial County's Heber Elementary (K-8) School (Heber Elementary School District); Los Angeles County's Alondra Middle School (Paramount Unified School District), Leona Jackson Middle School (Paramount Unified School District), • Carmenita Middle School (ABC Unified School District), Martin B. Tetzlaff Middle School—The Tetzlaff Accelerated Learning Academy, (ABC Unified School District), La Cañada High School—LCHS 7/8 (La Cañada Unified School District); Riverside County's Landmark Middle School (Moreno Valley Unified School District); Sacramento County's Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School (Elk Grove Unified School District); and Stanislaus County's Turlock Junior High School (Turlock Unified School District, Turlock).