Reimagine Middle School – Progress and Next Steps

The Reimagine Middle School (RMS) planning team is grateful to all the students, staff and families in our learning community who have helped to build, develop and strengthen the district’s RMS initiative.

A Brief Look Back

During the 2022-2023 school year, the RMS Steering Committee identified two key areas of student need: well-being during the middle school years and academic learning. Student well-being encompassed physical, social-emotional, community, and belonging aspects which are foundational to learning. Academic learning was determined to be defined by student voice and included choice and responsibility in relevant, challenging, interactive, engaging and empowering environments.

The committee collectively designed the RMS vision for a developmentally responsive, student-centered education rooted in relationships, tailored academic interventions, and social-emotional support. They recommended two core models to realize the vision: Homeroom/Advisory, a space for fostering student connection and belonging; and Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an approach to learning through hands-on, relevant activities that enhance motivation.

Designing the Vision

The following school year, the two design teams – one for Homeroom/Advisory and the other for PBL – began to further define the models. The Advisory design team envisioned an inclusive culture of connection and empowerment and proposed shifting to Advisory-Based Middle School models. This change, which frames Advisory not as a class but as a community, would require significant cultural and systemic adaptations, including resource reallocation and stakeholder collaboration.

Meanwhile, the PBL design team outlined key characteristics for their model, such as real-world challenges, student voice, and partnerships with industry and subject matter experts. They emphasized the potential of PBL to foster active, personalized learning and identified professional development and curriculum adjustments as critical needs.

Current Progress and A Look Ahead

The RMS planning team continues to make progress and set ambitious goals for the 2024-2025 school year. These include preparing staff to implement Advisory-Based Middle Schools and expanding PBL opportunities to increase student engagement. Implementation efforts are already underway, with schools piloting PBL units and exploring the CharacterStrong social-emotional learning curriculum. The objective is for every BSD middle school to offer at least one PBL unit per grade for the 2025-2026 school year.

The Planning Team is finalizing outlines for specific content areas for advisory curriculum and the sequence in which those topics will be taught. They are building capacity through professional learning and negotiating agreements to support the transition to Advisory-Based models. These efforts reflect a collective commitment to creating a more engaging, supportive and student-centered middle school experience.

The team extends their gratitude to our learning community for their contribution and interest in laying a solid foundation for the transformation of Bellevue School District middle school education.