One way that a middle school is different from a high school or a junior high is through team configurations. All of our two-man, three-man, or four-man teams are made up of two, three, or four academic teachers responsible for the same group of students. Sometimes there is an additional inclusion teacher who provides support for special education students. The benefit of this is that all teachers can discuss individual student needs, since they are all familiar with the same students. Regardless of a team’s configuration, each team is heterogeneously grouped. This means that the teams will have an equal distribution of above grade level, on grade level, and below grade level students. The teams are also balanced based on race and gender so that the teams reflect the school’s overall diversity. Gifted students are served through advanced content (accelerated math in 6th and 7th; Algebra in 8th; Physical Science in 8th) and clustering on teams. Teachers in all courses teach the Georgia Standards of Excellence for the corresponding grade and subject. All of our teams incorporate STEM and interdisciplinary learning into their instruction.
