RePublic Schools Celebrates Highest Rated Open Enrollment Middle Schools in Jackson, Mississippi!
Jackson, MS—RePublic Schools is proud to announce that our middle schools are Jackson’s highest-rated open-enrollment middle schools. Reimagine Prep Middle School earned a “C” letter grade, and Smilow Prep Middle School earned a “B” letter grade, securing the spot as the city’s top open-enrollment middle school option. Open enrollment means that we are non-selective in our enrollment practices and serve children on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of their academic performance level. Our scores represent significant improvements in our SY23-24 school accountability data, reflecting the hard work of our scholars and educators.
In addition to substantial improvements in our middle school scores, our elementary school, Smilow Collegiate, earned a “C” letter grade. It is the 6th highest of 28 open-enrollment elementary schools in Jackson.
These results showcase our commitment to providing a positive learning environment that prioritizes scholar academic achievement. We are proud of our state test results showing that we have substantially increased our rates of scholar proficiency in 5th and 8th-grade science. We also owe our improved letter grades to increased scholar growth on the reading and math assessments at ALL RePublic Schools in Jackson for grades 3-8. Though we still have much work to do to ensure that 100% of scholars achieve grade-level proficiency, these results matter because they show that the changes we have made to meet the needs of our scholars are working.
“The improvements we’ve seen this year are a testament to the intentionality we committed to. We were very intentional about matching scholars with the exact supports they needed to learn and grow, and we were intentional about ensuring that the adults in our buildings were radically accountable for student outcomes they were responsible for producing,” said Angela Bass, MS Regional Executive Director. “We are committed to continuing this journey of excellence as we strive to meet the diverse needs of our scholars.”
“This past year, we invested our scholars in their own academic growth by having goal-setting meetings with them. We also began regular data meetings with our teachers to closely examine scholar work and reflect on practices that were working well and those that needed to change. Our leaders conducted weekly classroom walk-throughs to coach and support teachers on differentiating for the individual needs of their scholars, and we incentivized our staff and scholars to do the hard work by providing regular rewards,” said Quita Breland, principal of B-rated Smilow Prep Middle School. “It has been hard, but we know that our children can achieve great things when we put in the work.”
Testimonials from teachers and students emphasizing the impact of personalized instruction and data-driven learning environments further underscore the success of our improvements.
“Last year, our 7th grade teachers really supported us in everything we did! They showed us our growth and let us know how we were performing according to the goals that we set. They gave us challenging work that was above our level so that we could meet high expectations. They supported us and helped us grow as people as well as scholars. We wanted to make our teachers proud because they worked so hard to give us individual support,” said Ryleigh Griffin, current 8th grader at Reimagine Prep.
Looking ahead, RePublic Schools remain dedicated to improving academic outcomes. We plan to enhance programs and continue collaboration within the community.
Krysten Glass, a 4th-grade literacy teacher at Smilow Collegiate Elementary School, shared: “Improving our accountability rating is a testament to the relentless dedication of our teachers and the unwavering perseverance of our students and families. Despite every challenge, our collective hard work and commitment shined through, proving that with determination and teamwork, obstacles are merely stepping stones to success. We are very proud of our scholars and excited to see them continue to grow this year. We will continue building partnerships with families and community members to ensure that our scholars have all they need to thrive at school.”
For more information about our SY24 Mississippi schools’ accountability data and our initiatives moving forward, please email abass@republiccharterschools.org.
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About RePublic Schools:
Serving more than 3,000 scholars in seven schools across two cities – Jackson, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee – RePublic Schools is the only school network dedicated to reimagining public education across the South. This means that we maintain high standards and constantly seek to improve to ensure that our scholars, the majority of whom come from underserved communities, receive the education they deserve and are on the path to success. RePublic Schools is committed to preparing scholars to navigate and change the world by anchoring our schools in love, achievement, and antiracism.
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