Sandy Springs Middle School

We follow the award winning Fulton County Curriculum. This body of study meets both the State of Georgia standards and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Accrediting Division standards.

Some of the more noteworthy aspects of Sandy Springs Middle School’s
curriculum are:

Continuous Achievement
We teach children according to their ability, not according to their chronological age. If a student is performing one or two grade levels above his/her age group, that student is taught one or two levels above his/her age group. If a student needs more time with a particular subject area, he/she works with other students on a similar level until he/she is proficient and ready to move on to the next level.

Continuous achievement is an approach to school organization and teacher management that allows Sandy Springs Middle School to teach our students at their instructional levels in Math, Language Arts, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. For good socialization skills, students are taught in broader groups in classes such as PE, art, or technology.

How Does It Work?
Students new to Sandy Springs Middle School are evaluated to determine their appropriate placement along with input from parents. Once a level is established, students are then placed in learning groups with other students on that learning level. Once placement is made, teachers individualize instruction to that group of students.

Learning Levels:
Students may receive instruction at four generalized levels:

Below Grade Level
On Grade Level
Above Grade Level
TAG Level

Each level provides learning objectives that correspond to the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum, National Standards, and the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Teachers use classroom tests, homework scores, and project grades in math and language arts to evaluate whether a child is ready to move to the next level of learning.

Daily Schedule:
Students at Sandy Springs Middle School enjoy a seven-period day which includes:

Five academic classes

Two connections classes

The five academic classes include:
Language Arts, Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science.

Students participate in two different connections classes each nine weeks.
These classes include:

Computer Literacy
Family and Consumer Science
Diversified Technology
Visual Arts
Health
General Music
Physical Education
Spanish
French

Students participating in our year long Performing Arts Programs will have Band, Chorus, or Orchestra, and one “Connections” class each nine weeks.

Talented and Gifted Programs:
Sandy Springs also has an excellent Talented and Gifted Program (TAG) to accommodate our many TAG students in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Our families may choose TAG placement in one or more academic subjects.

Specifically, the TAG classes offer a more rigorous and challenging pace in instruction. The homework load is greatly increased, averaging over two hours nightly, with emphasis on critical thinking skills and advanced level skills integration.

Qualification for the TAG program is based on information gathered in four categories:

Mental Ability
Achievement
Creativity
Motivation

SSCMS requires minimum qualifications, parental permission, and the recommendation of the fifth grade TAG teacher when placing students in TAG classes.

Accelerated Placement Programs:
Many students begin earning high school credits at SSCMS through our Accelerated Placement options in Foreign Language and Math.

Foreign Language:
In sixth grade, students may qualify for placement in the Above Level Reading Course. For students to enter the Above Level Language Arts/Reading Program, they must:

Have a 90—100 average in Language Arts,
Be at the 85th percentile on a standardized test,
Have a written teacher recommendation from their fifth grade teacher.

Sixth graders who successfully complete the Above Level Reading Course may enroll in a Foreign Language Course in seventh grade and eighth grade. These courses count as one high school credit in foreign language.

ESOL:
English to Speakers of Other Languages is a well-established, research-based program that addresses the needs of those students with limited English language proficiency. The purpose of the program is to ensure that students in our school, no matter their background, can read, write, and speak English. We are proud to have students from all over the world in our school; over 26 countries are represented in our student body. To help each one learn the language of his/her new home is quite a task, but it is a task we are grateful earlier generations of teachers undertook for our ancestors.

Featuring smaller classes, our growing program uses the Calla method and follows the award winning Highpoint ESOL curriculum.

Special Education Programs:
Each individual has a learning style that is all his/her own. Some students have greater challenges in the academic world; however, Sandy Springs Charter Middle School has the expertise and staff to work with students who might not be fully challenged or appreciated in other schools.

Guidance and Counseling programs are a regular part of the curriculum and help students develop skills in organization, studying, problem solving, and peer relations. A full time staff of learning specialists works with students, teachers, and parents to help provide the proper diagnosis and remediation of any learning issues that fall outside the normal developmental ranges. These specialists include:

Instructional Support Teacher who advises classroom teachers when working with children with specific learning challenges such as ADD and works directly with students when needed.

Student Support Team Parent Liaison who organizes parent-teacher conference with professional specialists such as school psychologists, social workers, and assistant principals, in order to come together and determine solutions for existing student academic and emotional concerns.