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STAR time has been a super successful addition to North’s schedule that started in 2023. STAR time is designed to target student’s literacy and math skill development with three levels of support based upon students needs. Students who are identified as needing a boost in either their literacy skills or math skills are working in small groups with either an ELA or a Math teacher. These students work on skills four days a week and pause on Wednesdays for our school counseling curriculum, Character Strong. We saw great results from this group of students last school year, with our growth rates doubling from fall to the spring.
Students who are identified as needing a more intense intervention in reading or math may be placed in a STAR time to help close those gaps more quickly. As these interventions require increased fidelity and monitoring, students receive their interventions five days a week. All students who have not been identified as needing an extra boost or an intensive intervention have STAR time with a Social Studies, Science or Elective teacher. These students work on math extension activities on Mondays & Thursdays and ELA extension activities on Tuesdays & Fridays. On Wednesdays these students participate in our school counseling curriculum, Character Strong. Our students who received this support last school year outgrew all other students groups at North.
Additional activities that are scheduled during STAR time include music lessons and small groups facilitated by student services staff working to ensure we are growing students’ habits that support their learning. Families of students identified for participation in these groups will be contacted by our student services staff.
Moving our school counseling curriculum, music lessons and small group work with student services staff to STAR time is a fantastic upgrade from our previous practices which had these activities scheduled during students core classes. If you have any questions about how your student is scheduled for STAR please feel free to reach out to North’s administration or your student’s counselor.
Character Strong
North Middle School adopted the Character Strong curriculum in 2021 as our school counseling curriculum. Character Strong is a research based curriculum that aims to transform school culture and climate by teaching the whole child and promoting positive interactions and relationship skills. Lessons teach social emotional learning and character, side by side.
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