Seven Lakes Junior High Earns National Distinction as a School to Watch

For the third time, Seven Lakes Junior High (SLJH) has been designated as a Texas School to Watch (STW) by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP).  SLJH joins approximately 50 other campuses across Texas with this distinction and honor.  The school will be recognized at the National Forum Schools to Watch Conference in Washington D.C. on June 23-25. SLJH was selected for its academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures and processes.  In addition, the school is known to have a strong leadership team, which includes teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction as well as a shared commitment toward assessment and accountability for continuous improvement. “Receiving the National Schools to Watch designation for the third time is an honor for our junior high Spartan family.  Our dedicated staff, students and parents have come together in a collaborative effort to ensure that this school is at a high-performing level,” said Seven Lakes Junior High Principal Kristin Harper.  “Every day we strive to set the example for our learners on the importance of DREAMING BIG and DOING BIG.  We are proud to know that other campuses and school districts across the country are looking at us as an example,” added Harper. The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met certain established criteria.  Schools were then visited by state teams, which observed classrooms, students' work and interviewed administrators and teachers among other observation mechanisms.  Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of the third year, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals to be redesignated. [caption id="attachment_371840" align="aligncenter" width="354"] (Assistant Principal James Thompson, Assistant Principal Allison Travis, Principal Kristin Harper, Assistant Principal Justin Williamson and Assistant Principal Colby Bohac)[/caption]