Hampton Middle School redesignated as School to Watch

When Hampton Middle School unveiled its flexible and interactive Learning Pavilion this summer, the initiative underscored the school’s continued efforts to engage students in innovative ways.

In November, the efforts were affirmed by the school once again being named as a School to Watch by the Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Education.

Hampton Middle School was honored at the annual PAMLE conference at Penn State University, held Feb. 26-28. Teachers led three presentations at the state conference to showcase the innovative teaching and learning at the school, which also will be recognized in June at the National Association of Middle Level Education conference in Washington, D.C.

“The Schools to Watch redesignation award confirms the high level of excellence of our entire school community,” Principal Marlynn Lux said. “Our teachers and staff are committed to putting our students’ needs first and learning new and innovative ways to engage students. We are so proud to work with our teachers, counselors, and staff members, all of whom are always looking for ways to grow and encourage our students.”

Hampton Middle School earned the designation three years ago and was up for redesignation this year. As part of the redesignation process, a team of educators visited the school in October to observe all classrooms and to speak with stakeholder groups.

The visiting team looked for evidence for each of the 37 criteria on the Schools to Watch Evaluation Rubric. The criteria are categorized into four domains: Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Processes and Structures.

The team cited evidence from classroom observations and reviewed schoolday processes and school artifacts. Additional evidence came from interviews with students, parents, teachers and staff members. Additionally, all staff members completed an online evaluation of Hampton Middle School using the Schools to Watch rubric.

Sixteen middle school staff members volunteered to serve on the Schools to Watch Application Committee. Using feedback from the initial designation in 2018-19 coupled with district goals, the team highlighted changes and improvements that occurred at the school during the past three years.