SAS Program

The Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS) at John Burroughs Middle School currently serves 632 gifted and high ability students. We promote a fundamental educational process that emphasizes the highest academic performance standards. The SAS program in 1998 was designed to provide a specialized program for gifted and high ability students in a diverse setting who were not being served by current magnet schools. The goal of the John Burroughs Middle School SAS program is to ensure that all students receive a rigorous curriculum with an emphasis on our school vision of a college-going culture.

Differentiated Objectives: The SAS program serves students who require an academically demanding and challenging curriculum in the four core content areas: mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. We provide our students with differentiated instruction in which the core curriculum is expanded while including the complexity, novelty, depth, acceleration and expectations for their individual needs.

Expectations Of Student Performance: Students who are successful in the John Burroughs Middle School SAS program have met one of the following five criteria: 1. Currently on a gifted magnet waiting list 2. Have been identified as gifted as determined by a school psychologist 3. Scored 445 or higher in ELA and 450 or higher in Math on the current CST test. 4. Have a score of 85% or higher on a norm reference test 5. Recommended by their previous school, based on four criteria for high ability students. Selection for the SAS program is made at the school site. Students are expected to maintain a "C" average or better in their academic classes where they are required to complete assignments in a manner that corresponds to their individual abilities and to follow the academic and behavioral expectations of the school.

Diversity and Enrichment: All SAS classes are designed to reflect the diverse population of the school and community. The students benefit from collaboration and participating in classes with students from various populations who have similar academic abilities. They learn to appreciate both their similarities and differences. The inclusion of cultural awareness and culturally relevant responsive education in units of study promotes student recognition that people of all races make great contributions to society.

Contact Information:
Names: Debbie Lee, SAS Administrator or Florentina Echevarria, SAS
Coordinator telephone: (323) 549-5000
email: [email protected]