- Second Cup CafeINFORMATION
Sto Rox Middle School Profile
Sto-Rox Middle School serves 286 students in grades 6-8, residing in the boroughs of McKees Rocks and Stowe Township. The middle school is located at 298 Ewing Road and opened its doors in 2002. Prior to this, the middle school shared space with the high school at 1505 Valley Street in McKees Rocks.
The middle school is a state of the art architectural design of schools of the 21st century. All classes are located on one floor with grade level corridors to accommodate all students. The building is in code with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is totally barrier free and accommodates a wide range of students including those with special needs. The student population is 55% African American, 44.5 % Caucasian and .5% Asian and Hispanic.
Sto Rox Middle School receives Title I funding. These funds support the salaries of several teachers including a reading specialist to provide enrichment activities for young readers whose skills test at basic or below basic level on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). The district is financially strapped and 85% of its students receive free and reduced lunch, including students from four public housing complexes. Sto-Rox School district serves a special education population that hovers around 25% of its total enrollment.
The middle school employs 28 full time highly qualified teachers, 1 guidance counselor and 4 paraprofessionals. Alternative Education is offered through Transformational Learning. Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant monies have been used to purchase promethean smart boards e.g. electronic chalkboards that have increased student engagement in the classroom and facilitated a move towards learning that is more inquiry based and student centered. The curriculum and instruction is driven by a regular review of 4Sight scores, the benchmark test designed to prepare students for high stakes testing each spring as well as identify strengths and weaknesses of all of those taking the exam. The school is now in Corrective Action II, indicating that it has not met the required PSSA benchmarks. Students are daily exposed to a rigorous and relevant curriculum with emphasis on reading, writing, math, social studies, science and foreign language while incorporating electives in the area of technology, physical education, health, performing and visual arts, family consumer science and library science. Particular emphasis is placed on reading and writing across the curriculum, comprehension of nonfiction and pre algebraic concepts.
Students participate in monthly “Fun Fridays”. These are special activity days designed to reinforce the efforts of those students who attend school regularly, participate in class, complete homework, comply with the rules and are a positive influence in the building. Students excluded from participating are typically in need of additional academic and behavioral support and use this time to catch up on missing work and receive individualized instruction.
Activities are available to all students including Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), student government, Peer Helpers, intramural sports, the art club and special preparation for academic endeavors. e.g. National Spelling Bee.
PSSA Announcement
January 4, 2012
Dear Parents:
Students in grades 6-8 will take the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) reading and math sections March 12-23. This test was developed by Pennsylvania teachers, administrators and college specialists and is considered to be a valid evaluation and strongly aligned with the Commonwealth’s standards. Teachers administering the PSSA have received instruction re: testing policies in preparation for this event. The reading test consists primarily of analysis and interpretation of fiction and nonfiction passages. Math items assess students’ knowledge and application of numbers and operations, measurement, algebra, geometry and data analysis. All test items are either multiple choice or open-ended format.
Because we are testing three grade levels, we will have a different schedule during the two week time period. Testing conditions including a positive classroom climate, small groupings, and close teacher supervision have been found to have a positive impact on test scores. For that reason we will be testing students by grade level and those not being tested on designated days will have a 3 hour delay. The grade level being tested will report to class at the regular time and should be in their assigned test areas no later than 7:25 a.m. All other students will have a three hour delay and report to school at 10:30 a.m. The entire test takes about six to seven hours to complete and since it is not a timed test, students should have more than adequate opportunity to finish all items. It is extremely important that students are present, arrive on time and are well rested and fed during the testing period. Testing ends at approximately 10:30 am. Students will report to their normal classes at that time and follow the regular schedule. Parents are asked to refrain from scheduling outside appointments during the mornings of March 12-23. Please note that March 19 and 26 are out of school days.
Students are prepared well in advance for the PSSA, both in terms of classroom instruction as well as understanding the importance of the test. Our daily instruction is closely aligned with the state standards. There are four performance scoring levels of the PSSA: advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Students scoring at Proficient or Advanced have met or exceeded state standards and are functioning and progressing at a satisfactory rate. Students scoring at Basic or Below Basic have deficiencies in the skill areas mandated by the Pennsylvania State standards. These will be addressed through test review and instruction in the months to come and the following year.
I am very pleased and proud of the work done by our teachers, counselor and students in preparation for the PSSA test. I look forward to seamless testing sessions in March.
Sincerely yours,
Melanie Kerber, Ed.D.
To view the Middle School PSSA calendar, click here.
Second Cup Café
Tuesday, January 31
9:30 Am
Sto-Rox Middle School Library
“Helping Your Child Prepare for the
PSSA: Helpful Tips for Parents”
All Parents Invited
Please come and learn more about why this testing cycle is so important to the growth of the middle school and district
Refreshments Served
Congratulations to Anthony Poole...
Congratulations to Anthony Poole who worked as an extra on the new Tom Cruise movie, "One Shot”, where he played a stand in for Tristan Elma. Anthony had a great day meeting actors as well as the director Christopher McQuarrie. Anthony is looking forward to seeing his name in the credits. This is the third film Anthony has worked on. He has also worked on the movie “Dark Knight Rises” and “Steeltown”.
Middle School Title I Information
Education Rox!!
