What is Synergy Middle School?

• Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

  • Synergy Middle School serves 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students in a Mastery-Based, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) environment with flexible pacing that focuses on integrating all four core subjects (Math, ELA, History, and Science), as well as electives standards (such as Health, Art, PE, Engineering, Culture, and Career Explorations) into one project at a time, so that all of our student’s work is tied toward one goal.  Students work individually and in small groups to answer questions that may not have clear or definitive answers.  Their answers to these questions come in the form of “products” they create and publicly present.

Why PBL?

• Students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and standards at the heart of a project.  Projects -- which typically last 3-6 weeks -- also build vital workplace skills and lifelong habits of learning.  Projects can allow students to address community and global issues, explore careers, interact with adult mentors, use multiple forms of technology, and present their work to audiences beyond the classroom. 

Intended Outcomes of Synergy Middle School

• College-preparedness skills: Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Digital Citizenship
• Increased motivation and engagement
• Increased student assessment scores
• Increased student attendance
• Increased civic responsibility
• Seamless integration of technology
• Authentic/real-world applications

Does Synergy incorporate content and standards into projects?

The learning of specific subject-matter concepts and standards is at the heart of PBL. Projects begin with curriculum standards and use aligned assessments to determine what students have learned. Projects are then designed around an Essential Question that knits together intended outcomes and project activities.

What is a Mentor?

• A Mentor is an advisor to your student for 6th-8th grades who works to form a deep relationship with students and their families that expands beyond academics.  We work very hard to understand our students as learners, but also as people with lives both inside and outside the classroom.  We strive to learn what motivates each student, what interests them as an individual, and to help them see all aspects of themselves so they may grow into more reflective, self-understanding people. 

What is an Exhibition Night?

• Students showcase their final products a few times a year at an Exhibition Night. We feel it is important for students to have a public audience to have a platform to share their ideas. We believe this increases student ownership, a deeper connection to learning, and an authentic presentation experience.

What is Mastery Based Learning?

• To us, Mastery-Based learning means that students learn differently and often apart from others -- some students will master a concept within an expected timeline, and some will hit the mark far in advance, while some will reach it much later.  Our drive is to help students meet every goal we set before them, and to offer multiple avenues of enrichment and support to those who fall outside our expected timeline at either end.

How do grades work in your classroom?

• Because of the Mastery-Based environment, we expect all students to meet all goals of understanding.  Therefore our students operate on a Pass/Fail system, which we monitor through Schoology (for now).
• Grades are not solidified or given out until a semester progress report is sent out by the school.  In our environment, those grades -- even the semester grades -- are still flexible and can be retroactively changed once a student has achieved mastery.

What does your schedule look like?

• When we roll out projects, students often attend class in large groups, moving along with the rest of their classmates.  As students begin to progress at different paces, we amend our class schedule to accommodate students at their point of need.  
• Therefore, students do not have a set schedule every day.  Every single student’s schedule changes each day to accommodate his/her needs.
• The students will not move from class to class on the bell schedule. They will work independently and collaboratively and have learning time scheduled based on their individual need. Our students engage in classroom teaching and demonstrations, Socratic seminars (discussions), peer mentoring and collaboration, hands-on activities, and self-directed learning where they access content on our online platform.

What kind of student is this for?

• All students are welcome in Synergy. We are happy to share our past experiences, put you into contact with current or past parents or students, or individually address how we can accommodate your individual student's needs.