Mounds View board reviews final middle-school design, phases rollout across three buildings

The Mounds View Public School District on April 22 presented a final report and recommended rollout plan from a multi‑year review of its middle-school program, including a near-final "portrait of a middle-school learner" and a set of implementation steps for the three district middle schools.

The work is intended to strengthen supports as students transition from elementary school and prepare for high school by aligning courses around adolescent development, teaching essential skills, expanding exploratory opportunities and testing schedule changes to increase access to electives.

Angie Peschel, the district's executive director of curriculum and instruction, said the district convened a design team that met in December, January and March to draft the portrait and identify essential skills and traits. The team solicited feedback from students, parents (through the curriculum advisory committee), staff and community business partners before producing the draft in the board packet.

Jen Lodine, executive director of student support and engagement, summarized the four recommendations: convene a sustained design team to create a shared vision and learner profile; align middle-school courses to student-centered approaches that support adolescent development; expand opportunities for future-ready skills across the middle grades; and explore alternate schedules and structures to increase access to exploratory courses.

Molly Hollahan, principal of Chippewa Middle School, presented the near-final learner portrait and described the four essential skills and multiple traits under each. "We really want middle school students when they leave us to be curious thinkers, resilient learners, solution seekers, and empathetic community members," Hollahan said. The team plans to refine the student-facing language with students so descriptions feel authentic and age-appropriate.

Highview Middle School will pilot full implementation for sixth grade next year with a dedicated daily block; the district will support curriculum design over the summer with teacher-led teams from all three buildings. Edgewood and Chippewa are scheduled to implement the model in the 2026–27 school year. Rich Tway, principal of Edgewood, and other leaders said Chippewa will begin by forming interdisciplinary teams and planning interdisciplinary learning opportunities that intentionally teach the essential skills.

Board members praised the collaboration and asked staff to report back with implementation updates. The board was told the district is on track to meet the operating goal by the end of the school year but that the work will continue at the building level during curriculum-design and pilot phases.