NY Middle School Principal Dr. Marc Ferris Presents at Senate Education Hearing
With the signing into law of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a new emphasis is placed on middle-level education and middle schools have finally been identified in federal regulation as a separate configuration from elementary and high school buildings. With this new emphasis, a Senate Hearing was convened to discuss the processes middle level programs implement to transition students from both the elementary to middle-level, and from middle-level to high school.
Dr. Marc Ferris, was chosen to speak at the Senate Hearing on June 22nd, representing the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Dr. Ferris is the Principal of the North Shore Middle School, a state and nationally recognized Essential Elements: School-to-Watch. In his presentation, Dr. Ferris spoke of the various strategies utilized at North Shore to introduce elementary students to the middle school including visitations by middle school sixth grade students to the elementary building, orientations for the elementary students to the middle school, parent meetings held at both schools, numerous opportunities for elementary and middle school teachers to meet and discuss students’ academic needs, multiple visitations by guidance staff members and special education teachers from each building to meet, and the opportunity for families to participate in a “wisdom walk” through the middle school.
He explained that similar opportunities exist for students transitioning from the middle school to the high school. Special needs students spend part of a day shadowing students at the high school, there is orientation for all incoming freshman, high school students visit middle school classrooms, and in addition to guidance counselors, there is a permanent member of the high school staff on the middle school child study team, whose responsibility it is to coordinate activities between both buildings to ensure that students with disabilities maintain a continuum of services as they transition into the high school program.
At the conclusion of the panel presentation, Dr. Ferris answered several questions from Senate staffers on how the needs of homeless children are met, and how the school provides for the needs of children in poverty. At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Ferris met individually with members of special interest groups and a representative of the NSA.
It is likely that new guidance will be forthcoming in the near future from the federal level on transitioning and Title funding may be available to implement transitional services.
Earlier this school year, North Shore Middle School was named the only school in NY State to be named a 2016 Essential Elements School to Watch (EE:STW) and one of 14 schools in the nation to receive this prestigious designation. In June 2016, the middle school community celebrated as Dr. David Payton and Mr. Brian Sherman, two representatives from EE:STW, presented Dr. Ferris with the 2016 Essential Elements School to Watch Award. A banner with this designation is currently on display on the front of the school building.
Congratulations to Dr. March Ferris, Assistant Principal Rachel Green and the entire North Shore Middle School community for this prestigious honor.
Information for this article was provide by Brian Sherman and Dr. Marc Ferris
With the signing into law of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a new emphasis is placed on middle-level education and middle schools have finally been identified in federal regulation as a separate configuration from elementary and high school buildings. With this new emphasis, a Senate Hearing was convened to discuss the processes middle level programs implement to transition students from both the elementary to middle-level, and from middle-level to high school.
Dr. Marc Ferris, was chosen to speak at the Senate Hearing on June 22nd, representing the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Dr. Ferris is the Principal of the North Shore Middle School, a state and nationally recognized Essential Elements: School-to-Watch. In his presentation, Dr. Ferris spoke of the various strategies utilized at North Shore to introduce elementary students to the middle school including visitations by middle school sixth grade students to the elementary building, orientations for the elementary students to the middle school, parent meetings held at both schools, numerous opportunities for elementary and middle school teachers to meet and discuss students’ academic needs, multiple visitations by guidance staff members and special education teachers from each building to meet, and the opportunity for families to participate in a “wisdom walk” through the middle school.
He explained that similar opportunities exist for students transitioning from the middle school to the high school. Special needs students spend part of a day shadowing students at the high school, there is orientation for all incoming freshman, high school students visit middle school classrooms, and in addition to guidance counselors, there is a permanent member of the high school staff on the middle school child study team, whose responsibility it is to coordinate activities between both buildings to ensure that students with disabilities maintain a continuum of services as they transition into the high school program.
At the conclusion of the panel presentation, Dr. Ferris answered several questions from Senate staffers on how the needs of homeless children are met, and how the school provides for the needs of children in poverty. At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Ferris met individually with members of special interest groups and a representative of the NSA.
It is likely that new guidance will be forthcoming in the near future from the federal level on transitioning and Title funding may be available to implement transitional services.
Earlier this school year, North Shore Middle School was named the only school in NY State to be named a 2016 Essential Elements School to Watch (EE:STW) and one of 14 schools in the nation to receive this prestigious designation. In June 2016, the middle school community celebrated as Dr. David Payton and Mr. Brian Sherman, two representatives from EE:STW, presented Dr. Ferris with the 2016 Essential Elements School to Watch Award. A banner with this designation is currently on display on the front of the school building.
Congratulations to Dr. March Ferris, Assistant Principal Rachel Green and the entire North Shore Middle School community for this prestigious honor.
Information for this article was provide by Brian Sherman and Dr. Marc Ferris
