Robbinsdale Middle School
Advanced Placement (AP)
Pre-Advanced Placement Courses (Pre-AP) courses are offered to
students in grades 6-9 at Plymouth Middle School and Armstrong High School. Pre-AP is:1. based on the premises that all students can perform at rigorous academic levels
2. a program that can prepare students for higher intellectual engagement
3. an opportunity to help all students acquire the knowledge, concepts and skills needed to succeed in Advanced Placement courses in high school.
The Advanced Placement (AP) Program is offered to students in grades 10-12 at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School. AP provides:
1. opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting
2. high school students an opportunity to earn college credit without leaving the high school setting
AP courses are taught by specially-trained high school teachers. While Robbinsdale Cooper High School does not offer specific AP classes, students at CHS have the opportunity to take AP exams each spring as well. For more specific information about Advanced Placement,visit our AP page.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college-prep and support program that prepares students in grades 7-12, especially those students who are the first in their family to attend college or who are historically underrepresented at four-year institutions, for college eligibility and success. AVID:1. targets students who have academic potential and places them in advanced courses, providing extra support
and assistance through an AVID elective class 2. curriculum is driven by analytical writing, inquiry, collaboration and reading
3. focuses on study skills, test taking skills, note taking, research, organization, critical thinking, goal setting, choosing a college, and preparing for college entrance and placement exams.
Students selected for the AVID program show a desire to go to college, demonstrate a willingness to work hard, and are eager to learn the skills and strategies needed to succeed. eager to learn the skills and strategies needed to succeed.
Arts Programming for All Students
Robbinsdale Area Schools is nationally known for its excellence in arts programming. Our long tradition
ofarts education beginning in elementary school reaps rewards both in and out of the classroom. From district-wide orchestra that begins in fourth grade to a myriad program of visual and performing arts at the high school level, Robbinsdale Area Schools is committed to a strong arts programming. The district produces some of the best visual and performing artists anywhere. Click here to learn more about our strong arts education.Focus - Elementary Gifted Education Program
Focus is an every other week pull-out program for identified gifted students in grades 3-5 at every district elementary school. Focus:1. places an emphasis on developing problem solving, creativity, leadership, and organizational work skills.
2. consists of groups of 6-16 students that meet with a qualified program instructor once every other week for approximately one hour to work on enrichment activities designed to complement district curriculum
3. encourages creative, critical and independent thinking
International Baccalaureate - K-12 Fully Authorized Continuum
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) at Lakeview Elementary is a trans-disciplinary program of international education which focuses on the total
growth of the developing child. IBPYP:1. uses inquiry to provide a hands-on approach to learning
2. helps students appreciate different cultures and gain an understanding of their place in the world
3. is a challenging academic program which serves all students a K-5 at Lakeview Elementary School
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) in Robbinsdale Area Schools was the first to be authorized in the state of Minnesota. IBMYP isdesigned for students in 6th through 10th grades at Robbinsdale Middle School and Robbinsdale Cooper High School. IBMYP:
1. helps to meet unique needs of students from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds while addressing traits common to all young people
2. students rise to expectations beyond academics focusing on organization skills and problem solving
3. contains a strong emphasis on community service
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) is a challenging two-year program of international education for juniors and seniors at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. IBDP:
1. leads to a qualification that is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities
2. prepares students for college and encourages them to ask challenging questions, learn how to learn, develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture and develop the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures
For more information about our K-12 International Baccalaureate continuum, visit our IB page.
Spanish Immersion
At Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School (RSIS), all instruction in kindergarten and first grade is given in Spanish. By the middle of first grade, students are expected to respond only in Spanish. In second through fifth grade, instruction and learning in all core content areas except for English language arts continue to be in Spanish. Goals in an immersion school include:1. student proficiency in a second language
2. student
acquisition of content area skills in both English and Spanish3. student development of the awareness and appreciation of other cultures.
Click here to view a short video of a day in the life at RSIS.
The immersion experience continues at Plymouth Middle School for students in grades 6-8. Immersion students can enroll in up to three different classes that provide them with the opportunity to improve written and oral communication in Spanish, improve world language reading comprehension, and build confidence in using Spanish while covering the same standards in each content area that are taught to non-immersion students.
School of Engineering and Arts
The School of Engineering and Arts at Olson Elementary is designed for students who enjoy investigating the world around them, using creativity to solve problems and find solutions to challenges. Teachers use inquiry-based instruction to deliver excellent standards-based curriculum for a well-rounded education, grounded in discovery and hands-on learning. A focus on engineering and the arts, including media arts, allows students to understand the design process as it presents itself in all core subject areas, and to learn new ways to communicate their findings. The combination of an excellent STEM education combined with a rich arts education (STEAM) will help students develop into innovative leaders essential to a global society.Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) -
Building Branches to the Future
Our district has a keen focus on STEM and has for years. Both Robbinsdale Armstrong and Robbinsdale Cooper high schools have Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the national Pre-Engineering program for high school students to help prepare them for successful careers. Both Robbinsdale Middle School and Plymouth Middle School have Gateway to Technology, the middle level leg of the PLTW pathway, with courses designed specifically for middle level, hands-on learners. Robbinsdale Middle School will be home to the STEM magnet program beginning in fall 2013 with the incoming sixth grade class, and will grow a grade every year. This magnet program will focus on STEM across the content area.
Elementary schools are implementing STEM teaching and learning as well, and each is unique in their approach to STEM:
- Neill, Noble, Northport, Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion and Zachary Lane all have their grades 3, 4 and 5 teachers trained in the University of Minnesota Region 11 Nature of Science and Engineering program. Noble is in year three of the implementation, the other schools are in year two.
- Northport and Meadow Lake elementary schools have STEM teachers who collaborate with staff to integrate technology, engineering and math into their science lessons. Partnerships with community members such as the City of Plymouth bring learning to life.
- Zachary Lane is working grade level by grade level to write new science curriculum, and are collaboring with the City of Plymouth and Three Rivers Parks.
- Noble is enhancing their robotics and other engineering curriculum, bringing in real life learning, even on the playground. All teachers at this school participated in STEM professional learning through the Jeffers Foundation, and will be creating rain gardens in spring 2013.
See why our motto is
Discover. Educate. Inspire. Contribute.
You'll be glad you did!
Discover. Educate. Inspire. Contribute.
You'll be glad you did!
