The ACSA Middle Grades Education Council has established and executed distinguished goals. Its commitment to designing and upgrading “Taking Center Stage” is well documented. But there are many other milestones to be counted.
The council was instrumental in the development of the Middle Grades Alliance, which ensures positive working ties to such influential organizations as the California Department of Education, the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and the California League of Middle Schools, among others. The Middle Grades Alliance meets several times a year in Sacramento.
ACSA’s council is California’s representative to the National Association of Secondary School Principals, including nominating administrators for national awards. In 2007-08, ACSA’s nominee, Jim Dierke, was selected as National Middle Level Principal of the Year. The council also maintains a relationship with the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
The council’s continuing relationship with the California League of Middle Schools has ensured representation in the selection and validation of Schools to Watch and presentation of an ACSA administrator session at the CLMS Annual Conference. Presentations are also developed for the ACSA Leadership Summit.
The ACSA Middle Grades Education Council testifies at legislative meetings regarding credentialing in the middle grades and works closely with the CDE regarding middle grades testing issues. In recent years, the council has worked on such issues as highly qualified teacher regulations for middle grades and science standards implementation and regulations for the California Standards writing test.
The council also maintains a member on the ACSA Legislative Policy Committee.
In an effort to bring No Child Left Behind issues specific to middle grades to the fore, the council produced a position paper. The paper, available at www.acsa.org, outlines needs unique to middle school students and provides recommendations for ACSA advocacy, including reinterpretation of highly qualified teachers for middle grades and the implementation of a statewide middle school credential.
Communication channels for dissemination of middle grades information are also maintained through the council-initiated Middle Grades Resource Bureau, via region newsletters, and at region recruitment events. The council has plans to initiate an ACSA Middle Grades Network.
The council continues to actively seek and recruit new middle school administrators to join and become members of ACSA, particularly administrators from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Other future projects of the ACSA Middle Grades council include:
• Creating a credentialing handbook for middle grades administrators.
• Planning a middle grades leadership strand at ACSA’s Leadership Summit in November.
• Proposing a workshop for the 2009 Superintendents’ Symposium regarding strategies superintendents can use to support TCSII in their school districts.
• Working with CDE to plan ongoing professional development activities.
• Incorporating TCSII professional development activities into council meetings.
Current members of the ACSA Middle Grades Education Council include: Chair Creig Nicks, principal, Moorpark USD; Emily Houck, superintendent/principal, Antelope ESD; Marjorie Crawford, principal, Rocklin USD; Robert Nacario, director of educational services; Sandy Kuzma, principal, Cotati-Rohnert Park USD; Thomas Graven, assistant principal, San Francisco USD; Jerome Gourdine, principal, Oakland USD; Joanne Balestreri, principal, Manteca USD; Frances Dampier, principal, Sunnyvale ESD; Tammie Calzadillas, principal, Merced City SD; Don Knapp, principal, Hollister ESD; David Tonini, principal, Visalia USD; Jim Dilday, administrator of Program Improvement, San Bernardino USD; Adrian Palazuelos, principal, Hueneme ESD; Sylvia Begtrup, principal, Norwalk-La Mirada USD; Sue Kaiser, principal, Hacienda La Puente USD; James Downing, principal, Los Angeles USD; Dan Diehl, principal, Newport Mesa SD; Sergio Pesqueira, principal, Calexico USD; Alain Guevara, director of secondary curriculum, Lake Elsinore USD.
Also providing a voice on the council are Peter Murphy, executive director, California League of Middle Schools; Bob Price, president, CLMS; Joyce Hinkson, California Department of Education; and Rozlynn Worrall, CDE. The ACSA Board liaison is Penny Fraumeni and staff liaison is Mary Gomes.