Boyce, Fort Couch Middle Schools Earn State Honor

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools have been named Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools to Watch 2020. State leaders selected each school for its academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structure.

This marks the fifth time that the two Upper St. Clair schools have earned this honor – an accomplishment reached by only two other schools in Pennsylvania. The Schools to Watch designation is among the highest honors that a middle school can achieve in Pennsylvania, according to superintendent John Rozzo.

“To have two schools that have reached that pinnacle for the fifth time is simply outstanding and a resounding testament to our students, faculty, staff and families who share a deep commitment to high quality public education,” he said in a district release.

Schools to Watch is an initiative of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Boyce and Fort Couch are among 12 schools to earn this designation or re-designation for 2020. Only 42 middle schools have earned Pennsylvania Schools to Watch designation since the program’s inception in 1999.

Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Unlike the Blue Ribbon recognition program, Schools to Watch requires schools to not just identify strengths, but to also focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus the three year re-designation. The re-designation process is based on the schools’ continued growth since their last STW recognition.

“We congratulate these schools for being places that do great things for all of their students. Each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement,” Bruce Vosburgh, Pennsylvania Schools to Watch director, said.

“These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools are places that focus on academic growth and achievement. They are also places that recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all of their students and ensure that every child has access to a challenging, high-quality education.”

Boyce and Fort Couch first earned Schools to Watch honors in 2008. The schools were re-designated as Schools To Watch in 2011, 2014, 2017 and now for 2020.