Allendale-Fairfax Middle School (AFMS) is a sixth through eighth grade school located in Fairfax, South Carolina. The school is the only middle school in the county and has served anywhere from 255 to 216 students over the past 3 years. The school’s population comes from the cities of Allendale, Fairfax, Ulmer, and Sycamore.
The demographic make-up of the students at Allendale-Fairfax Middle School is 92% Black, 5% Caucasian, 2% Hispanic, and 1% other.
The subgroups of AFMS and percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch are consistent with that of the district. 100% of the students who attend AFMS are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Students identified with disabilities are 8% and English Language Learners comprises 1%.
AFMS has 14 total academic instructors; 5 related arts or exploratory instructors including a Read180 lab manager; 1 school counselor; 1 media specialist shared with the high school; 2 special education instructors; 4 teacher assistants; 1 In-School Suspension (ISS) instructor shared with the high school; 1 school nurse shared with the high school; 1 bookkeeper/receptionist; 2 administrators; 1 Literacy Coach and 1 Numeracy Coach shared with the high school; 2 custodians; and 6 cafeteria staff members. Most of the staff have a high school diploma or bachelor's degree as well as Reading Endorsements.
The academic teachers are structured in teams in all three grade levels with each team teaching English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Each team has 5 members including a related arts teacher on a nine week or semester rotation. Two teachers teach using a pull-out model in English Language Arts and math and a push-in model for science and English Language Arts across grades 6-8.
AFMS offers a daily Multi-Tiered-Systems of Support Intervention period, multiple Related Arts classes, which include band, Project Lead the Way, Computer Science, Digital Literacy, Health, and Physical Education. Students rotate every nine weeks, with the exception of band, which is a full year course. Students also have the opportunity to take courses through Virtual SC to receive credit toward high school graduation.
The AFMS staff has actively engaged in the district level non-negotiable goals of increased student achievement and more effective teaching and learning. The school has also effectively implemented Researched Based Instructional Strategies, Technology Integration, the Allendale Six, Performance-Based Learning Objectives including annotations, the use of Academic Vocabulary, iReady Diagnostic Assessment, Online Instruction, Teacher Tool-Box, and effective use of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
The vision of Allendale-Fairfax Middle School is to be an excellent rated learning community for students, faculty, and staff that ensures equity and high-quality educational experiences for success in middle school and beyond.
In this statement, the school strives daily to provide an educational setting where students and staff can learn and use their learning to improve their lives. As a school community, we are committed to ensuring safety, implementing systems for continuous improvement, shared decision making, and providing professional development opportunities that inspire each student to achieve at their highest level academically, socially, and emotionally. This is the mission of AFMS.
All students focus primarily on academic areas, while exploring other areas of interests. This is accomplished through Classroom Guidance, girls and boys mentor groups and various course offerings on either a nine-week rotation or year-long basis which include: Band, Project Lead the Way, AVID, Computer Science, Digital Literacy, Health, and Physical Education. Students are also exposed to hands-on STEM learning experiences through various district and school partnerships (DIG, Be Pro Be Proud, & Celebrate Freedom Foundation). Additionally, our MTSS intervention period is designed to offer both acceleration and remediation of content material where appropriate as well as social emotional learning. Teachers work to specifically address the different learning styles of students as they teach daily.
Finally, extra-curricular programs, clubs (Junior Beta) and athletics are offered as an ancillary component of the regular school day. The Homework Center sponsored by the Original Six Foundation is available Monday-Thursday each week for two hours. After school tutoring started March 2023 and is available Tuesday – Thursday from 3:30 p.m.– 5:30 p.m. Athletics such as football, softball, basketball, and track and field are offered to allow students to feel empowered in areas other than academics. Mentor programs such as Girl Empowerment Movement (GEM) and the SAVES Program designed for boys and girls exists to assist students who are struggling academically and socially.
Over the last three years AFMS has maintained a “Good” rating as calculated by the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Accountability. However, the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted our students’ Spring 2021 participation rate and performance on the SC Ready and SC Pass state assessments. Fall 2022 iReady diagnostic results showed 74% of the student body reading 2 or more grade levels below, while 72% were performing 2 or more grade levels below in math. (Talk about the impact of the pandemic). As a team, we have developed and implemented action plans to support teachers in scaffolding instruction. In addition, we are in year 3 of full implementation of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), along with year 1 implementation of Performance-Based Learning Objectives, with annotations and Academic Vocabulary immersion.
All indications show that our school will experience an increase in our School Report Card academic scores as well as parent and student satisfaction ratings. Teachers continue to work diligently to educate the students in our school while many are continuing their own education by pursuing other degrees and endorsements that would enhance the learning experiences for our students.
Dr. Willie Robinson
Principal, Allendale-Fairfax Middle School