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EDITOR'S NOTE: Tennessee schools are ranked near the bottom of the nation in academic performance on national assessments. The United States has also experienced a slip in its international student assessment rankings. State officials have implemented new graduation requirements, curriculum standards and assessments in an attempt to get education back on track. This is part of an ongoing series focusing on schools as they adjust to the changes.

Alcoa Middle School's teachers and administrators are weathering the storms of change with tools both old and new.

During a recent visit, students watched a live video feed of Principal Jim Kirk and two eighth-graders delivering the morning announcements. The trio also discussed life skills and highlighted the week's word during the school's aptly named "Morning Show."

Students worked on the day's starter activity while watching the show. After announcements, students went to their first-period class.

Sixth-graders watched a BrainPOP animated, curriculum-based lesson about algebraic equations in Jackie Amburgey's math class. BrainPOP's videos feature the adventures of Tim, a smart high schooler, and Moby, an orange robot who communicates in beeping sounds similar to R2-D2 in the Star Wars movies.

Students enjoy the videos, and the pair's antics regularly elicit hearty laughter.

"I love BrainPOP videos. I think it's pretty cool how Tim always knows what Moby is saying," said Rusty Wallace.

Students took a quiz after the video. They worked problems on dry erase boards and used wireless clickers to submit their answers. The response system allows for instant feedback, and student results are downloaded into spreadsheets.

Sixth-graders played a review game to prepare for the next day's test in Adrian Adderhold's science class.

Students reviewed parts of speech and watched a BrainPOP video about point of view in Gloria Miller's class. They later were given a plastic bag full of flash cards and had to match up literary terms with their definitions. The first students to finish the exercise won a prize.

Sixth-graders took a clicker quiz on early civilizations in Robin Spears' social studies class.

Students worked on their daily oral language assignment and a worksheet on subject and predicate in Keith Stephens' class. They later made a flip book that allowed students to diagram sentences and express their artistic sides.

Sixth-graders then had 25 minutes of academic enrichment where they could work on homework and talk with teachers about any problems they might be having. They later went outside for recess where students could be seen playing football, performing cartwheels, talking with friends, reading books and many more activities.

Sixth-graders then went to their activity classes. The school offers general music, chorus, band, art, physical education and technology classes.

Support of administrators

Teachers and administrators have put in a lot of time, effort and money to smooth the transition from the old state standards to the new state standards.

New standards have completely revamped the math curriculum, Amburgey said. Administrators have purchased classroom sets of new math books, and supplemental materials are available to children on a checkout basis, she said.

Amburgey said she also tries to make handouts of material that students don't have in their textbooks.

New science standards put more emphasis on technology and inquiry-based skills, Adderhold said. This year's experiments have thus featured more emphasis on the scientific method and having students analyze data, she said. "They're really pushing us to do higher-order thinking and inquiry."

Miller, the sixth-grade team leader, attended two years worth of workshops about the curriculum changes. "There's an enormous amount of things we have to teach. It's overwhelming some times for the students. It's amazing what they have to learn at a young age.

"I've found students are more successful if I teach in small snippets, and they also like the interactive whiteboard and quizzes. I think the school system has done well to stay abreast of the changes," she said. "We're given lots of leverage to do what we want to do in the classroom, because we have the support of our administration."

Students are learning a lot of material, but they know it will help them in the future. "I think I've learned more than I did in elementary school. It feels like they're pushing us, and it will really help us out in seventh grade," said Jared McDonald.

"I don't think I could have any better teachers. I have a few difficult classes, but they help walk me through the content. It's challenging, but I know you have to learn it," said Natieya Revels. "I like sixth grade at Alcoa. I'd rather be here than anywhere else."

History of excellence

The Education Consumers Foundation (ECF) has bestowed numerous recognitions upon Alcoa Middle School for academic gains its students have made, according to the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS).

TVAAS measures achievement gain in a way that permits schools to be compared regardless of the makeup of their student body. Instead of ranking schools by how their students simply score on a standardized test, the accountability system provides information to teachers, parents and the public on how schools are doing in helping each child make academic gains each year.

Schools whose students make the greatest annual gains in achievement earn the highest value-added scores. A school's score is based on the three-year value-added gains in reading/language arts and math.

Alcoa Middle School was named East Tennessee's No. 1 value-added middle school during the foundation's 2009 Value-Added Achievement Awards. The school has been recognized three out of the last four years. Both in 2006 and 2007, Alcoa Middle School was ranked No. 2 in the state among all elementary and middle schools.

Uncertain future

Educators support the curriculum changes, and they are working to make sure students have the support to be successful.

"It's going to take us some time to get caught up. We're seeing gaps between the prerequisites and current standards. For example, our sixth-grade teachers are teaching things we used to do in high school," Kirk said.

"We just need to persevere through this academic dip. We're real adamant about hitting these standards and being successful," said Keri Prigmore, the school's adequate yearly progress (AYP) coordinator.

"I think our teachers are doing a great job, and we work together as a family. I hope how the kids see us interact is how they'll act in turn with each other," Kirk said.