FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 N.R. . #228, 3/23/05

Date: March 23, 2005
Contact: Irene Cromer
703-791-8720

MARSTELLER MIDDLE SCHOOL EARNS STATE RECOGNITION

Marsteller Middle School in Bristow has been selected as a “Virginia School to Watch,” a distinction awarded to high-performing middle schools by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Marsteller has a student enrollment of 1207 and employs 78 teachers.
A school assembly honoring Marsteller’s achievement is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6 at 1:45 p.m.

To meet the criteria for the honor, a school must have achieved full accreditation status based on Standards of Learning assessment results; must have achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all subgroups based upon the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB); and contain grades 7 and 8.

A visitation team consistently rated Marsteller Middle School high in the areas of Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity, and Organizational Structures and Processes.

Marsteller Middle School is among fifteen exemplary middle-grades schools in the country, and the only one in Virginia, named as "Schools to Watch." According to the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform as reported by AScribe Newswire, Marsteller was selected for “its academic excellence, its responsiveness to the needs and interests of young
adolescents, and its commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels.” The school also demonstrated strong leadership, efforts to improve curriculum and instruction, and showed a “commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement.”

The Virginia Schools to Watch program is sponsored by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in collaboration with the Virginia Middle School Association, Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, and Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals.

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