Marshall is a Distinguished School
Thurgood Marshall Middle School (MMS) in Scripps Ranch received the California Distinguished School designation from the California Department of Education this spring.
The school received this prestigious designation under the solid leadership of Principal Dr. Josh Way, who has taken the school to new heights.
“Being in such a small group of county middle schools to receive this designation during this tumultuous time in education is quite the honor,” Way said. “It proves that, despite the challenges of remote learning, a modified schedule and all of the risks and fears inherent in learning during a global pandemic, our Marshall students stand out above the rest. This is testament to exceptional commitment to learning by our entire school community.”
He described the standards required to achieve this designation, and explained how MMS reached this level in order to be awarded this high honor.
“The California Department of Education identifies and awards eligible schools based on performance and progress on state indicators specified on the California School Dashboard, the state’s accountability and continuous improvement system. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates, and conditions and climate,” Way explained. “At MMS, we met the criteria by having met the highest standard of achievement in ELA and Math for all students (Blue level on the California Dashboard) and second highest level (Green) for Suspensions and Chronic Absenteeism. 2018-19 saw significant reductions in student behavior as a result of our school’s efforts on becoming a ‘No Place for Hate.’”