Middle School

Grades 6th to 8th are considered middle school education, and the Issaquah School District has six middle schools. All the middle schools are closed campus; students cannot leave the campus during the school day without parent/caretaker’s permission.

COURSE SELECTION

In the spring, students are asked to choose the classes for the following year. Information is available on the District’s website, and caregivers will help select the courses in Skyward.

Students are required to take a full year of Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science at each grade level. Advanced options are available to students in Language Arts, Math, and Science; placement in these courses is done using an informed self-select model. Information can be found on the District website. There are some additional required classes like Health and PE (Physical Education) and elective courses such as Chorus, Band, Orchestra, Spanish, etc.

DAILY SCHEDULE

Students go to different classrooms for each subject, and they have different teachers. Classes are between 50 to 55 minutes long and are called “a period.” There are 6 to 7 periods daily. They have a 30-minute lunch and no recess.

CANVAS

Please check page 8 .

GRADES

Teachers use the letter grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F. A to D are passing grades. F means failing. Middle school students get three report cards each school year. Caregivers can see grades using Family Access and can contact teachers if they have questions. There is not a ranking system in the U.S.

HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT

All middle school 7th and 8th-grade students who complete high school courses are eligible for those grades and credits placed on their high school transcript.

All high school level courses will be added to a student's high school transcript. Middle school students (7th or 8th grade) taking a high school level course can request to have their grade removed from their high school transcript when they are in high school. Grades added to the high school transcript will count toward the high school GPA (grade point average).

TESTS

There are class, District, and State tests. For class tests, teachers write the tests based on the curriculum. Students have these tests several times during the trimester. For State tests, see page 15.

PROMOTION TO HIGH SCHOOL

8th Grade students will be promoted to the next grade level – High School. Each middle school has a promotion ceremony to celebrate the completion of 8th grade. Please check your school office or PTSA for detailed information.