As we move into the final stretch of the year, we want to take a moment to celebrate some early wins and share what’s coming next regarding the middle school programming shifts.

At DSST, we believe that empowering future STEM leaders starts in middle school, not just through hands-on design experiences, but by ensuring every student builds a strong foundation in reading, writing, and math. We believe every student deserves the opportunity to see themselves as a problem-solver, a creator, and a future graduate. That’s why we’re making strategic shifts to our middle school program: to ensure these opportunities happen more consistently and equitably across our network.

These shifts are part of our broader work under Big 5 Goal #5, and they’re rooted in a deep belief in what our students are capable of — and what they deserve.

We are building toward a future where every DSST middle school operates with an aligned schedule and program. That means:

• Equitable support for all students through a clear intervention approach
• A sustainable, effective environment for you, our incredible teachers and staff
• STEM-centered learning that sparks curiosity and creativity
• An aligned structure that enables high-quality collaboration across campuses

Thank you for staying open and committed as we navigate this transition together.

🔬 STEM Lab: Hands-on learning that sparks curiosity

Empowering STEM leaders of the future begins at DSST in middle school. STEM Lab is a new, hands-on course designed to build student confidence and STEM identity through real-world, project-based learning.

Aligned to DSST’s high school STEM pathways and shaped by input from our industry partners, the course allows students to apply science, math, and literacy in context, while developing the transferable skills they’ll need to thrive in college, careers, and beyond.

We’re nearly fully hired for next year, with just one role in final interviews, and we’ve recruited 10 talented teachers to serve on summer design teams that will continue strengthening the curriculum.

📚 Intervention: Support where and when students need it

We’re developing a comprehensive assessment strategy to help identify students who may need intervention or enrichment, beginning with New Student Academy and expanding from there.

Our master schedules have been carefully designed with this in mind, creating time during the day for intervention and enrichment while also supporting teacher collaboration.

We’ve officially selected Really Great Reading as our Tier 2 literacy intervention curriculum, and we’ll be rolling out training and development opportunities later this month. Tier 2 math and literacy intervention teachers will also have access to PD in May and June.

🌍 Social Studies & Science: Centering MLL learners

We’ve adopted new social studies and science curricula that better support our multilingual learners while raising the bar for all students. These materials are aligned to grade-level standards, support academic language development, and reflect the identities and lived experiences of our students.

This is an important step toward more inclusive, affirming, and rigorous learning across our middle schools.

💡 Investing in the future of middle school

We want you to know: this shift isn’t just a program change,  it’s a significant investment in our students, our staff, and our schools. Transparently, we’re investing $1.8 million in FY26 to ensure a successful launch and long-term impact of this work. That investment includes:

• Maintaining current staff while adding new positions to support the updated model
• Additional Home Office roles, including STEM and Math Curriculum Specialists focused specifically on middle school
• New, aligned curriculum in social studies, ELA, science, and both literacy and math intervention
• Resources for STEM course creation and materials
• Consulting support for the implementation of ELA and ELD curriculum

This level of investment reflects our belief in the importance of middle school and our commitment to getting it right for both students and staff.

🛠 Resources & what’s next

We know information about these shifts has lived in pockets, and we’re working to make it easier to engage. You can now find the following (and more) on this Helix page:

• Tools to understand and navigate the new master schedule
• Opportunities to share feedback and ask questions
• Past staff communications on MS program updates

Additionally, you can find key updates regarding curriculum adoption here.  

Thank you for your patience and your belief in what’s possible for our students. This is transformational work, and it’s only possible because of the care and talent each of you brings to our schools every day.