Montwood Middle School students, teachers and staff packed the school’s gymnasium on May 7 to celebrate its designation as a Texas School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).
The school was one of 70 campuses in Texas and one of 600 schools nationwide to achieve state and national recognition for academic excellence, assessment, and accountability.
Additionally, the program also redesignated William D. Slider Middle School and Spc. Rafael Hernando III Middle School as continuing Texas Schools to Watch in 2023.
All three schools were recognized nationally, along with all the other designated STW schools from across the country, at the National Forum of Schools to Watch Conference in Washington, D.C., from June 20 to 24, 2024.
Leticia Menchaca, the state director for the National Forum of Schools to Watch and the associate executive director for TASSP, joined the celebration at Montwood Middle School, which also featured performances by the school’s cheerleaders, orchestra and band. Menchaca presented the school with a banner commemorating its achievement.
“Montwood Middle School is most definitely a Texas School to Watch!” Menchaca said to rousing applause from students. “Why is that a big deal? What that means is that you guys are a model school out of all of the schools in the state of Texas!”
The Schools to Watch selection process was based on a written application that required schools to demonstrate how they met the criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state teams. The teams observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and analyzed achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work.
“We were here to observe what was happening at this school,” Menchaca said, referring to the state team’s site visit in October 2023. “We wanted to make sure that you guys were getting the best of the best here at this campus from your teachers, from your administrators, from your counselors, from all of the staff, custodial, cafeteria; everybody was contributing to making you all the very best. And boy, we were so pleasantly surprised!”
A Texas School to Watch is a school that consistently has moved to meet fully the nationally endorsed criteria for high-performing middle schools. It has made marked progress in meeting all the criteria, including measurable gains in the academic achievement of all students over time, and is committed to continuous improvement. These schools will serve as models and mentors for other schools seeking to improve.
Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals to be re-designated.
Montwood Middle School Principal Dr. Melissa Saenz said the designation demonstrated the substantial academic progress made by students after the pandemic. Saenz attributed the school’s success to the hard work of the students, teachers and staff.
“I hope that students take with them today a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment for all of the work that they do,” Saenz said. “I hope that when they pass by (the banner) in the hallway, they recognize that (they were) a part of that.”
Montwood Middle School Texas Schools to Watch designation event photos