San Marcos Unified outlines middle school redesign with small learning communities, restorative accountability and expanded supports

San Marcos Unified School District officials on Thursday described a multi-year effort to redesign the middle school experience that district leaders say aims to improve student connectedness, attendance and outcomes.

The district’s director of curriculum and instruction, Nikki Geronner, told the Board of Education that the middle-school redesign centers four learning “pillars”: community and connection, personalized and flexible learning, shared power with students and skills-driven, relevant instruction. “When we ask our middle school site admin and our teacher leaders to engage in this work, each and every student is at the forefront of their thinking,” Geronner said.

The presentation highlighted three San Marcos middle schools that piloted components of the redesign and shared early practices and data. San Marcos Middle School principal Nikki Scott described structural changes at her campus, including small learning communities (SLCs) that group five teachers around approximately 156 sixth-grade students to strengthen relationships, and a den-style home base each morning to build belonging.

Counselor Marissa Sanchez presented attendance work tied to the redesign. The school set a goal to reduce chronic absenteeism from about 18% to 13% and reported progress toward that target. The district shifted routine outreach to weekly “wellness visits” in which staff make in-person home visits to learn the reasons behind absences, follow up with families and leave information and “goodie bags” when they cannot meet a family. Sanchez said the in-person approach and Monday SEL lessons have helped increase student connections and attendance.

San Marcos Middle also described a new restorative discipline model called the Restorative Accountability Project (RAP). Lead campus supervisor Ramon Torres explained that students who commit significant infractions participate in structured accountability workshops — two after-school sessions of about 90 minutes — where they prepare a 6–10 slide presentation that explains the infraction, who was affected, real-world consequences and a plan to repair harm. Families, staff and any victims are invited to the final presentation. “You see the impact in their faces,” Torres said of the presentations, which the school says are followed by a reintroduction of the student to the school community.

District and school staff emphasized that the approach is meant to replace punitive responses that have not reduced repeat infractions. Scott said the redesign requires “perseverance and leadership” and that the changes are intended to center the whole child — academic, behavioral and social-emotional supports — rather than rely solely on sanctions.

Staff also detailed social-emotional interventions and group work. The school runs roughly 10 evidence-based groups during the year, some in Spanish; one program, “Rising Together,” was designed to increase belonging and was delivered in Spanish to serve students with linguistic or cultural barriers. Practicing social workers from Cal State San Marcos join the school’s staff to run those groups.

Board members asked about safeguards for students who are victims in incidents addressed through restorative practice; staff said counselors and social workers provide reentry support and safety planning for any affected students. Board members also asked about scaling: staff said the SLC pilot will expand to serve the full sixth grade next year, after testing with a five-teacher cohort.

Administration emphasized the long timeline and iterative nature of the redesign. The district said the middle-school work is research-informed, drawing on adolescent development and universal design for learning, and that principals will continue to run improvement cycles to adjust practices and measure effects.

The presentation did not include a board vote; staff asked for the board’s continued support as the redesign moves from pilot to broader implementation.