At Black Mountain Middle School, the staff works hard to foster and sustain an environment in which all students feel safe, supported and have high expectations. In alignment with our district's vision of "College and Career Readiness for All", our teachers expose all students to quality instruction and experiences designed to prepare students for success beyond the middle school. Assisting our teachers in this work is our Monday ACT time; this professional time is set aside for our teachers each Monday to work on curriculum, instruction and assessment.

It is recognized on our campus that memorizing facts and information are not the most important skills for our students to master. While there is a time and place for these skills, we understand the need for our students to think more deeply, read with a powerful lens, and write with purpose. One of the ways that we achieve this is through our belief of AVID and its focus on critical reading, writing and thinking. As we continue the transition into the new California State Standards, we have chosen to utilize AVID and its best practices as our vehicle.