Mendham School Earns Unprecedented National Recognition

MENDHAM, NJ - For an unmatched fourth time, Mountain View Middle School has been redesignated as a New Jersey School to Watch, making the school the longest-standing New Jersey School to Watch and the only school to earn four redesignations.

“In any field, but in particular in the field of education, you would be hard-pressed to find recognition that addresses strong academics while sharing a keen focus on developmentally appropriate teaching and learning practices," Superintendent Mitzi Morillo said.

Launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades reform in 1999, Schools to Watch is a national recognition bestowed upon outstanding middle schools.
According to officials, the Forum believes that four things are true of high-performing middle-grades schools:

• Academic Excellence: The school challenges all students to use their minds well.
• Developmental Responsiveness: The school is sensitive and supportive of the unique development needs of early adolescents.
• Social Equity: The school provides every student with high-quality teachers, opportunities, and support.
• Organizational Structures and Processes: A high-performing school establishes norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain its trajectory toward excellence. The school has a sense of purpose that drives every facet of practice and decision-making.

Mountain View’s Schools to Watch designation dates back to 2008. The application process involves both a written narrative and site visit, conducted by the Schools to Watch state coordinators, current/retired administrators, and faculty representing other designated schools. Schools must reapply every three years. In addition to demonstrating how the school meets the four criteria of high-performing middle schools, redesignated schools have the additional challenge of addressing recommendations for growth from prior site visits and developing an action plan for continued future growth.

Most significant for Mountain View School as the longest standing NJ Schools to Watch is that it has earned the recognition four times after the initial designation in 2008.

“Maintaining this level of exceptional service to adolescents also speaks very highly of the commitment of the excellent faculty at Mountain View," Co-Director of the New Jersey chapter of Schools to Watch Gail Hilliard-Nelson said. "Many of them have been there through several site visits, and they have maintained their pursuit of best practices, meeting the academic and developmental needs of the students they serve."

Mountain View will host a school-wide event to celebrate the school’s fourth redesignation as a New Jersey School to Watch in early June.