Beaver Area MS is being recognized as a 2024 Don Eichhorn School to Watch (STW) through the National Forum! Congratulations to the faculty, staff, students, and families of BAMS for all of their hard-work, dedication, and support of each other every day. This is a recognition truly deserved by our school community.
Along with 10 other exemplary middle grades schools in Pennsylvania, BAMS joins a very select cadre of 38 active STW schools in Pennsylvania, and over 700 recognized STW schools across the nation.
PA STW State leaders selected schools for their Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity, and Organizational Structures and Processes. In addition, each STW demonstrated strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement. In a press release, Bruce Vosburgh, PA STW Director, stated, “We congratulate these schools for being places that do great things for all of their students. These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools are places that focus on academic growth and achievement. They are also places that recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensure that every child has access to a challenging, high-quality education. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieve excellence, and any middle-level school in any state can truly learn from their examples.”
The STW selection process is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by a state team, who observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years they need to re-apply to continue to be recognized as a STW school.
In addition to BAMS receiving acknowledgement for this distinction at the PA Association for Middle Level Education (PAMLE) conference in February and the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) National Conference in Washington, DC this June, our school community will also hold a celebration in May with several STW representatives.