A.R. Rucker Middle School is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by conscientiously working to develop and grow students in all areas of their lives to ensure that they are best equipped to face the 21st century and be productive citizens. To help us reach this goal, we will continue to focus our improvement efforts around our school’s strategic plan. Systemic approaches are in place for instruction, professional development, discipline, and community involvement and partnerships. We have learned from our past experiences with virtual and hybrid learning and have continued to be creative in providing opportunities for our students to be involved in athletics, afterschool programs/activities, and with the arts to ensure that we are meeting their needs socially, academically, and emotionally.
A. R. Rucker Middle School’s 2023-2024 school theme has been “Ram Tough!” and together the faculty, students, and community have truly been Ram Tough as they have worked to meet goals and challenges they have faced. The faculty and staff have worked to set goals for our students and ensured that systemic approaches were in place to foster academic growth in all classes. Teachers have participated in a variety of
professional development opportunities that have allowed them to deliver and differentiate instruction, use the workshop model as the method for delivering instruction in the core content classes, use data to help drive instruction, and look at a variety of technology-based resources to use in their classrooms to enhance student engagement. The faculty has worked in PLC meetings to really dig into our data and examine a variety of data pieces to help drive whole group and small group instruction. These data digs have allowed or teachers and staff to provide multi-tiered supports that address our students’ academic and socio-emotional needs. The students, the staff, the parents, and the community have united to help ensure that learning is taking place each day for all students. A.R.Rucker Middle School is a one to one technology based school and all
students have a district issued Chromebook that can travel between school and home to ensure that learning is taking place in and out of school. This has created new and innovative paths for how instruction is delivered and for how students complete and turn in assignments, and continues to foster a technology rich basis for instruction. The school’s instructional coach and media specialist have collaborated with teachers and pushed into classes for co-teaching opportunities to help students think critically and really differentiate and customize instruction for all students. The School Improvement Council (SIC) and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meet to discuss where we are instructionally and what we can do to improve the overall atmosphere of the school. The students of A.R. Rucker Middle School are provided with a variety of opportunities to participate in athletics, the fine arts, the Junior Beta Club, student council, academic challenge, and two different afterschool extended day programs. Our students and staff have worked to ensure that as a whole, we are successful in all educational arenas and are growing productive citizens.
The faculty and students of A.R.Rucker Middle School have truly been Ram Tough as we have worked to grow and foster 21 st century learners! We have continued to make gains in our efforts to reach academic excellence. As A.R.Rucker Rams, we Respect, Achieve, Motivate, and Serve in all that we do each and everyday! A.R. Rucker Middle School is diligently working to develop and grow students in all areas of their lives to ensure that they are best equipped to face any new challenge they are met with. To help us reach this goal, we will continue to center our improvement efforts on the four domains of the Schools To Watch Program (Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity, and Organizational Structures and Processes). Systemic approaches are in place for instruction, professional development, discipline, and community involvement and partnerships. We have returned to a normal school year and moved forward from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have learned from our past experiences and have continued to be creative in providing opportunities for our students to be involved in athletics, afterschool programs/activities, and with the arts to ensure that we are meeting their needs socially, academically, and emotionally.
