A ten-point plan has been developed to “transform” Bermuda’s five middle schools into “high-performing schools resulting in engaged and motivated learners”, Minister of Education Dr Grant Gibbons said earlier today.

Following an audit of the middle school system based on “leading research” by the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), Dr Gibbons said local middle schools were revealed to have “gaps and deficiencies” based on AMLE-identified “success characteristics” in the areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment, and leadership and organisation.

The minister added that there was “moderate evidence” of those “success characteristics” in the area of community and culture, “where there was a sense of support and advocacy for students”.

“So it is quite evidence that there are needed development areas that exist at the middle school level; and, having the factual benchmark audit data provides us with the impetus to target and drive change within our middle schools and transform them into high-performing schools,” said Dr Gibbons.

The ten-point plan will be implemented during the 2014/2015 academic year and will “link directly” to the criteria for middle school success as laid out by the AMLE.

The first four “action points”, said the minister, would address leadership and organisation by developing “a 21st Century vision for middle school education; provide school leadership teams with specific training to lead school improvement; utilise a common bell schedule with standard times and opportunities for student learning, intervention, teaming and advocacy, and implement a structure for the delivery of high quality lessons across all schools and subjects.”

The next action points for curriculum, instruction and assessment are to “eliminate ability-tracking to ensure that all students have access to high quality learning experiences; provide focused professional development on creating active, rigorous and engaged learning experiences to all teachers and leaders; and ensure all students have academic interventions if they fail classes within their fist quarter.”

For community and culture, the action points will “establish a mandatory standard which clearly defines readiness for transition into and out of middle school”, and “establish comprehensive behaviour intervention programmes in every middle school”.

The final action point, said the minister, would “raise the qualifications standard for all middle grade teachers within three years.”

The announcement came as Dr Gibbons told MPs that Bermuda’s middle schools were the top point of concern for parents and teachers.

“It is quite evident that there is much work needed in our middle schools,” the Minister said, noting that the audit had uncovered “an absence of a clear vision” for the schools, significant student failings in key subjects within the first quarter of school, and ageing buildings falling into disrepair.

• The middle school audit results are scheduled to be posted later on today on the Ministry of Education website, www.moed.bm.