Teaching with Your Librarian--Great Character!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meagher, Sandy

2005-01-01

Attracting middle grade readers is a true art. When talking to middle grade teachers, they understand that you have to have a hook to catch these students. In this article, the author suggests several books that are perfect for character studies and for encouraging kids to develop characters of their own.

Implementing School Reform: "Making Middle Grades Work" for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooney, Sondra; Lasater, Beth

2006-01-01

"Making Middle Grades Work" ("MMGW") is a school improvement design developed by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and its member states. "MMGW" is built on research-based instructional practices and policies. The design combines challenging yet attainable goals with accountability that encourages teachers, supports students and results…

Are middle schools harmful? The role of transition timing, classroom quality and school characteristics.

PubMed

Holas, Igor; Huston, Aletha C

2012-03-01

Are middle schools ill-suited for early adolescents, or can school characteristics account for any differences in student functioning? Achievement, school engagement, and perceived competence of children starting middle schools in 5th and 6th grades were compared to those of their same-grade peers in elementary schools in a national, longitudinal sample (NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, n = 855; 52% Female, 82% White). Classroom quality (observed and teacher-reported) and school characteristics (composition and size) were considered as explanations for any relationships between school-level and student functioning. Fifth grade middle school students did not differ from those in elementary school, but students entering middle school in 6th grade, compared to those in elementary school, experienced lower classroom quality, which in turn predicted slightly lower achievement. They also had lower school engagement, explained by larger school size. Classroom quality and school characteristics predicted youth functioning regardless of school type. We suggest reshaping the research and policy debate with renewed focus on classroom quality and school size instead of grade organization.

Promoting middle school students’ mathematical creative thinking ability using scientific approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istiqomah, A.; Perbowo, K. S.; Purwanto, S. E.

2018-01-01

This research aims to identify the strength of scientific approach in order to develop mathematical creative thinking in junior high school. Descriptive qualitative method is used in this research. 34 students in 7th grade are chosen using purposive sampling. For collecting data, this research uses test, observation, and interview. The test consists of 6 items which have been tested for their validity and reliability and used in pre-test and post-test. The pre-test shows that students average score in mathematical creative thinking is 43 (low), while in post-test it is 69 (middle). The N-gain in mathematical creative thinking point is 0.461, which is classified in the middle grade. Furthermore, the N-gain for each indicator, they score 0.438 for fluency; 0.568 for flexibility; and 0.382 for novelty. The N-gain for those indicators falls under middle grade. The research shows that scientific approach develops more flexibility, and, on the other hand, it develops less novelty.

A multilevel latent growth modelling of the longitudinal changes in motivation regulations in physical education.

PubMed

Jaakkola, Timo; Wang, John; Yli-Piipari, Sami; Liukkonen, Jarmo

2015-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine individual- and classroom-level differences in the longitudinal change in motivational regulations during physical education students' transition from elementary (Grade 6) across middle school (Grades 7 to 9). A sample of 757 Finnish adolescents (M = 12.71, SD = 0.23) participated in this study. Participants of the study responded to questionnaires collected six times. A multilevel latent growth modelling approach was used to analyze the data. Results showed that motivational regulations in physical education developed at different rates during middle school. More specifically, students': (a) identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9; (b) amotivation increased during middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7; and (c) introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. The changes in amotivation and introjected regulation were largely due to individual factors, whereas the changes in identified regulation were due to environmental factors. Key pointsStudents' identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9.Students' amotivation increased across middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7.Students' introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9.Other motivational regulations remained stable across time.

A Multilevel Latent Growth Modelling of the Longitudinal Changes in Motivation Regulations in Physical Education

PubMed Central

Jaakkola, Timo; Wang, John; Yli-Piipari, Sami; Liukkonen, Jarmo

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine individual- and classroom-level differences in the longitudinal change in motivational regulations during physical education students’ transition from elementary (Grade 6) across middle school (Grades 7 to 9). A sample of 757 Finnish adolescents (M = 12.71, SD = 0.23) participated in this study. Participants of the study responded to questionnaires collected six times. A multilevel latent growth modelling approach was used to analyze the data. Results showed that motivational regulations in physical education developed at different rates during middle school. More specifically, students’: (a) identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9; (b) amotivation increased during middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7; and (c) introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. The changes in amotivation and introjected regulation were largely due to individual factors, whereas the changes in identified regulation were due to environmental factors. Key points Students’ identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9. Students’ amotivation increased across middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7. Students’ introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. PMID:25729304

A Week for Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comstock, Diane

2008-01-01

Space Week focuses on concepts that enable students to make concrete observations in the early grades (K-2) and move to concepts that help students develop their internet research and writing skills in middle and upper grades (Grades 3-5), and culminates with the development of science investigation design skills (Grade 6). To help launch your…

Schools to Watch: School Transformation Network, a U.S. Deparment of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) Development Grant. Final Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grantee Submission, 2015

2015-01-01

The Schools to Watch: School Transformation Network Project is a whole school reform model designed to improve the educational practices, experiences, and outcomes of low-performing middle-grades schools. Developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the four-year project was funded in 2010 by a U.S. Department of Education…

A Case Study on Specialised Content Knowledge Development with Dynamic Geometry Software: The Analysis of Influential Factors and Technology Beliefs of Three Pre-Service Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zambak, Vecihi S.; Tyminski, Andrew M.

2017-01-01

This study characterises the development of Specialised Content Knowledge (SCK) with dynamic geometry software (DGS) throughout a semester. The research employed a single-case study with the embedded units of three pre-service middle grades mathematics teachers. Qualitative data were collected, and factors affecting these three teachers' SCK…

Agriscience Education for the Middle School. Instructional Units. Grade 6: Introduction to Agriscience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrico County Public Schools, Glen Allen, VA. Virginia Vocational Curriculum and Resource Center.

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to develop in sixth-grade students an awareness of the…

Validation of Scores from a New Measure of Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy to Teach Statistics in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrell-Williams, Leigh M.; Sorto, M. Alejandra; Pierce, Rebecca L.; Lesser, Lawrence M.; Murphy, Teri J.

2014-01-01

The influential "Common Core State Standards for Mathematics" (CCSSM) expect students to start statistics learning during middle grades. Thus teacher education and professional development programs are advised to help preservice and in-service teachers increase their knowledge and confidence to teach statistics. Although existing…

Improving Middle Grades STEM Teacher Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Practices through a School-University Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCollough, Cherie; Jeffery, Tonya; Moore, Kim; Champion, Joe

2016-01-01

This paper outlines a University-School District partnership with the intent to increase the number of middle grades mathematics and science teachers. This externally funded initiative includes onsite, authentically situated professional development for pre- and in-service teachers at three different urban, low-socioeconomic schools with a…

The Northcote Network of Schools and the Middle Years of Schooling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruse, Darryn

Recognizing the necessity of examining the needs of early adolescents and changing the focus of middle grades education in Australia, this report describes the findings from the Northcote Network of Schools, 8 primary and 2 secondary schools collaborating to develop continuity and coherence across grades 5 through 8. The paper outlines activities…

Learning from Action Research about Science Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchener, Carole P.; Jackson, Wendy M.

2012-01-01

In this article, we present a case study of a beginning science teacher's year-long action research project, during which she developed a meaningful grasp of learning from practice. Wendy was a participant in the middle grade science program designed for career changers from science professions who had moved to teaching middle grade science. An…

A Comparison of Geometry Problems in Middle-Grade Mathematics Textbooks from Taiwan, Singapore, Finland, and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Der-Ching; Tseng, Yi-Kuan; Wang, Tzu-Ling

2017-01-01

This study analyzed geometry problems in four middle-grade mathematics textbook series from Taiwan, Singapore, Finland, and the United States, while exploring the expectations for students' learning experiences with these problems. An analytical framework developed for mathematics textbook problem analysis had three dimensions: representation…

Early Predictors of Middle School Fraction Knowledge

PubMed Central

Bailey, Drew H.; Siegler, Robert S.; Geary, David C.

2014-01-01

Recent findings that earlier fraction knowledge predicts later mathematics achievement raise the question of what predicts later fraction knowledge. Analyses of longitudinal data indicated that whole number magnitude knowledge in first grade predicted knowledge of fraction magnitudes in middle school, controlling for whole number arithmetic proficiency, domain general cognitive abilities, parental income and education, race, and gender. Similarly, knowledge of whole number arithmetic in first grade predicted knowledge of fraction arithmetic in middle school, controlling for whole number magnitude knowledge in first grade and the other control variables. In contrast, neither type of early whole number knowledge uniquely predicted middle school reading achievement. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of numerical development and for improving mathematics learning. PMID:24576209

What Counts When it Comes to School Enjoyment and Aspiration in the Middle Grades.

PubMed

Smith, Megan L; Mann, Michael J; Georgieva, Zornitsa; Curtis, Reagan; Schimmel, Christine J

2016-01-01

Young adolescents, and the middle level educators who work with them, face many exciting but demanding challenges during this key period of development. According to stage-environment fit theory, the degree to which middle grades students perceive a good fit between their school environment and their needs impacts their academic and life outcomes. The authors endeavored to build on middle level research by studying the extent to which students' needs are supported by school environment factors and how this "fit" relates to two academic outcome variables: school enjoyment and aspiration. The sample consisted of middle grades students ( N = 1,027) between the ages of 10 and 14. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted. After controlling for age, ethnicity, and gender, four subscales (Social Skills Needs, Mental Health Needs, Academic and Career Needs, and School Support) were entered as potential predictors. Both models were significant and accounted for ~20% of the variance. This study suggests that middle level educators, counselors, and administrators may benefit from considering ways to enhance the match between students' and the middle grades' learning environment, especially by considering non-academic factors as a way to provide indirect, but powerful, support for academic and life success.

Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge for Teaching Algebra for Equity in the Middle Grades: A Preliminary Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Irving A.; Davis, Trina J.; Kulm, Gerald

2011-01-01

This article presents our plans and initial work to explore how mathematics teacher education programs can prepare teachers for diverse middle grades classrooms. It describes the start-up of a five-year National Science Foundation project to design, develop, and test technology-enriched teacher preparation strategies to address equity in algebra…

Becoming a Community of Middle Grades Readers: A Blueprint for Indiana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middle Grades Reading Network, University of Evansville, 2009

2009-01-01

This "Blueprint" describes the actions everyone needs to take if they are to nourish Indiana's young adolescents so that they will be able to develop their reading skills to their full potential. This document spells out the ways that everyone can make books available, provide middle grades students with the time for reading, provide…

Comprehensive and Critical Review of Middle Grades Research and Practice 2000-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Bogum; Malu, Kathleen F.; Schaefer, Mary Beth; Reyes, Cynthia; Brinegar, Kathleen

2015-01-01

This article synthesizes reports of middle grades research and practice from 2000-2013 that appeared in "Middle Grades Research Journal," "Middle School Journal," and "Research in Middle Level Education Online," 3 publications that specifically and exclusively report on middle level research and practice. This…

Environmental Resource Guide: Air Quality. A Series of Classroom Activities for Grades 6-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Elizabeth W., Ed.

Many different types of air quality can be studied in middle school science classes using available supplies. This grade 6-8 activity guide was developed to provide opportunities for children to learn about the issue of air quality. Sixteen hands-on activities integrate the issue into middle school science classes. A chart categorizes the…

The Impact of an Instructional Intervention on the Science and Language Learning of Middle Grade English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Branum-Martin, Lee; Cardenas-Hagan, Elsa; Francis, David

2010-01-01

The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention--Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)--designed to develop the science knowledge and academic language of middle grades English language learners studying science in their second language and their English-proficient classmates. Both English language learners and…

A Different Kind of Kid, a Different Kind of Teacher Education: Middle Grades Teachers Reflect on Their Preparation to Teach Young Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ochanji, Moses K.; Chen, Rong-Ji; Daniels, Erika; Deringer, Marlene L.; McDaniel, Janet; Stowell, Laurie; Cambra-Adamson, Christina

2016-01-01

Good teaching at the middle grades comes out of a deep understanding of the unique cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and moral needs of young adolescents. Specialized preparation therefore is necessary to help teacher candidates understand how to operationalize the intersection of young adolescent development and the effective pedagogy that…

Understanding Male Underachievement in Middle School Science: Challenging the Assumptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holbrooks, Marilyn Jane

The overall purpose of this collaborative action research study was to explore the experiences of eight middle school science teachers. This collaborative action research study concerned itself with male student underachievement in science at the middle school level. The study was conducted at Sherwood Forest Middle School (a pseudonym) with sixth through eighth grade science teachers with more than three years of experience, various teaching backgrounds within academic subjects as well as special education, and different grade levels. The interviews probed the teachers' personal experiences and insights regarding male underachievement in science. This collaborative action research study relied on qualitative data from interviews and other pieces of evidence that might support the teachers' observations, specifically standardized test data and class grades. In addition, four of the seven teachers participated in a focus group, developing strategies for more effective teaching in science for all students. Understanding the experiences of science educators for sixth through eighth grade students can assist local, state, and federal policymakers in educational decision-making processes for the future.

Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better. A Large-Scale Study of Middle Grades Practices and Student Outcomes. Technical Appendix B

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EdSource, 2010

2010-01-01

This appendix focuses on the descriptive statistics of the middle study schools that participated in the "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better. A Large-Scale Study of Middle Grades Practices and Student Outcomes. Initial Research." This appendix contains the following figures: (1) Student…

Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education. Executive Summary and State Board of Education Policy Statement on Middle Grade Education and Middle Grade Schools. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Education Agency, Austin.

This summary highlights implementation strategies from the full report for restructuring middle grade education in Texas. The task force was guided by a central theme--a vision of Texas schools using each other as resources and the campus planning process as a vehicle for implementing research-based concepts and practices in the middle grades.…

Development of the Spatial Ability Test for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Sevda Göktepe; Özdemir, Ahmet Sükrü

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a test to determine spatial ability of middle school students. The participants were 704 middle school students (6th, 7th and 8th grade) who were studying at different schools from Istanbul. Item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis were used to analyse the data.…

Middle School Teacher Misconceptions and Anxieties Concerning Space Science Disciplinary Core Ideas in NGSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kristine

2017-01-01

The Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are grouped into the broad disciplinary areas of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, and Engineering, Technology and Application of Science, and feature learning progressions based on endpoint targets for each grade band. Since the Middle School DCIs build on the expected learning achievements to be reached by the end of Fifth Grade, and High School DCI similarly build on the expected learning achievements expected for the end of Eighth Grade, the Middle School grade band is of particular importance as the bridge between the Elementary and High School curriculum. In states where there is not a special Middle School Certification many of these science classes are taught by teachers prepared to teach at the Elementary level (and who may have limited content background). As a result, some pre-service and in-service teachers have expressed reduced self-confidence in both their own science content knowledge and their ability to apply it in the NGSS-based classroom, while decades of research has demonstrated the pervasiveness of science misconceptions among teachers. Thus the adoption of NGSS has the potential to drive talented teachers out of the profession who feel that they are ill-prepared for this sweeping transition. The key is providing rigorous education in both content and pedagogy for pre-service teachers and quality targeted professional development for in-service teachers. This report focuses on the Middle School Space Sciences grade band DCIs and presents research on specific difficulties, misconceptions and uncertainties with the material demonstrated by pre-service education students over the past four years in a required university science content course, as well as two year-long granted workshop series for current Middle School teachers. This information is relevant to the development of both new content courses aligned with NGSS for pre-service teachers and professional development for in-service teachers.

High Anxiety: Addressing Family Issues in the Transition of Students with Disabilities from Middle Grades to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brigham, Nancy; Aguilar, Cynthia M.

2011-01-01

This article documents the development of a protocol that addresses the anxieties and tensions felt by the families of students with disabilities when they face the daunting transition from middle grades to high school. The tool grew out of a study of schools that form meaningful partnerships with diverse families of students with disabilities,…

Common Core State Standards in the Middle Grades: What's New in the Geometry Domain and How Can Teachers Support Student Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teuscher, Dawn; Tran, Dung; Reys, Barbara J.

2015-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) is a primary focus of attention for many stakeholders' (e.g., teachers, district mathematics leaders, and curriculum developers) intent on improving mathematics education. This article reports on specific content shifts related to the geometry domain in the middle grades (6-8)…

Improving the Transition of Students Moving into Sixth-Grade through a Middle School Orientation and Peer Helper Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pettit, Nancy

An orientation and peer helper program was developed at a public middle school in a rural community to reduce the problems associated with sixth-grade students transferring into the school during the school year. Transfer students and their parents or guardians were provided with a video and brochure that explained the school's services, programs,…

Navigating Middle Grades: Role of School Context in Students' Social Adaptation and Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Ha Yeon; Schwartz, Kate; Cappella, Elise; Seidman, Edward

2014-01-01

Informed by the current literature, this study examines social contexts across middle grade schools with different grade span configurations. In doing so, the authors aim to build understanding of where and how to target interventions in the middle grades to enhance maintenance of social-emotional adjustment and experiences from middle childhood…

Project CIVIS: Curriculum Development and Assessment of Underserved and Underachieving Middle School Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoddard, Jeremy D.; Tieso, Carol L.; Robbins, Janice I.

2015-01-01

This article presents findings from a large-scale curriculum development, quasi-experimental study. Participating teachers implemented four U.S. history units in their diverse middle-grade classes; these units were developed to engage underachieving students in challenging history and democratic citizenship curriculum and instruction featuring…

Middle School Mathematics: 2006-07 to 2008-09. Impact Evaluation. E&R Report No. 10.11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paeplow, Colleen

2010-01-01

In 2006-07, seven Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) middle schools piloted Algebraic Thinking as an alternate approach to teaching middle school mathematics. Algebraic Thinking was developed to help students in grade 6 reach higher mathematics courses by combining the regular and advanced middle school mathematics courses into one…

Plants that Bite Back. Carolina Beach State Park: An Environmental Education Learning Experience Designed for the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahab, Phoebe

This learning packet, one in a series of eight, was developed by the Carolina Beach State Park in North Carolina for the middle grades to teach about carnivorous plants. Loose-leaf pages are presented in 10 sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Park System, the Carolina Beach State Park, the park's activity packet,…

Middle Level Leadership Handbook. National Leadership Camp Curriculum--Student Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Jacquie; And Others

Activities and exercises to enhance student leadership are included in this curriculum guide for middle-level student leaders and their advisors. Because students in intermediate grades are not "little high school students," this separate leadership curriculum guide for middle-level student leaders was developed. Although the achieved skills are…

Am I a Mathematics Teacher Who Teaches Middle Grades or a Middle Grades Teacher Who Teaches Mathematics? Untangling the Multiple Identities of Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasten, Sarah E.; Austin, Christopher; Jackson, Christa

2014-01-01

This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated the identities of preservice middle grades teachers preparing to teach mathematics as one of their chosen content areas. Data were collected using open response reflective prompts questionnaires with 68 preservice middle grades teachers at 3 south-central universities. Findings indicate…

Middle Grades Teachers' Use of Motivational Practices to Support Their Visions and Identities as Middle Grades Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Amanda; Miller, Samuel D.

2015-01-01

This qualitative case study explored 4 middle grades teachers' naïve theories of motivation, and the links between these theories and their thoughts and actions related to motivation. Their naïve theories of motivation stemmed from their overall visions for teaching, and their strong identities as middle grades educators. These naïve theories also…

Looking Forward to High School and College: Middle Grade Indicators of Readiness in Chicago Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allensworth, Elaine M.; Gwynne, Julia A.; Moore, Paul; de la Torre, Marisa

2014-01-01

There is a very large population of students who struggle with the transition from the middle grades to high school, raising concerns that high school failures are partially a function of poor middle grade preparation. As a result, middle grade practitioners are grappling with questions about what skills students need to succeed in high school,…

Preparing New Teachers for Contemporary Middle Grades Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Susan

2013-01-01

This article describes the middle grades teacher preparation program at Augusta State University in Georgia. It describes the negotiation between the middle school concept and the standardized testing culture of the local schools as the faculty redesigned the undergraduate middle grades program to adequately address both. Ways in which new…

Exploring Teachers' Beliefs and Their Influence on Grading Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Kimberly

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of middle school teachers that shaped their beliefs as they relate to grading practices. The study offers insight for school leaders when addressing grading practices with teachers and may inform decisions regarding professional development for teachers. Conceptual…

Middle School Educators' Perceptions of Online Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theodocion, Kelley E.

2012-01-01

Numerous researchers have investigated distance education in postsecondary settings, but there is a paucity of research regarding the design and delivery of online professional development for K-12 educators. The goal of this mixed methods sequential exploratory study was to examine attitudes of middle grades educators toward an online…

Middle School Boys' Perspectives on Social Relationships with Peers with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalymon, Kristen; Gettinger, Maribeth; Hanley-Maxwell, Cheryl

2010-01-01

Factors that contribute to the development of positive peer relationships between middle-school students with and without disabilities are investigated. Eight typically developing, seventh-grade boys participate in semi-structured interviews to discern their perspectives of the personal benefits or challenges associated with having social…

China Mosaic: Multidisciplinary Units for the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernson, Mary Hammond, Ed.

These lessons were developed by participants in a 1986 Fulbright Group Project Abroad sponsored by the East Asia Resource Center at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. The lessons were developed cooperatively and are aimed at the middle school student. Lessons include: (1) "The Qin Dynasty" (Marte…

Quantitative Reporting Practices in Middle-Grades Research Journals: Lessons to Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Robert M.; Capraro, Mary Margaret

2009-01-01

This study examines two journals specific to the middles grades where original quantitative empirical articles are published, Research in Middle Level Education and Middle Grades Research Journal to determine what quantitative statistics are used, how they are used, and what study designs are used. Important for those who write for the…

Middle School Students' Motivation for Learning Technology in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Hyuksoo

2016-01-01

This study aims to develop a feasible instrument for determining middle school students' motivation to learn technology in South Korea. The authors translated Glynn's motivational instrument and modified it to measure Korean middle school students' motivation to learn technology. The instrument was applied to 441 students of grade 8 and 9 from six…

The Effects of Various Middle-Grade Configurations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sailor, Perry

This paper summarizes research relevant to the Austin Independent School District's proposal to move sixth graders from an elementary school (K-6 or K,4-6) to a middle school (6-8) grade grouping. A summary of the evolution of middle-grade education is presented. Three areas affected by grade organization are discussed: academic achievement,…

Racial Identity Development in Middle School: A Case for School Counselor Individual and Systemic Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akos, Patrick; Ellis, Cyrus Marcellus

2008-01-01

In middle school, counselors should promote optimal development as students navigate the formative stage of puberty. A search for identity is an important developmental task in early adolescence, but school counselors often neglect racial identity development. Through an actual case of an 8th-grade student, both individual and systemic strategies…

Enriching K-12 Science and Mathematics Education Using LEGOs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Keeshan; Igel, Irina; Poveda, Ronald; Kapila, Vikram; Iskander, Magued

2012-01-01

This paper presents a series of illustrative LEGO Mindstorms-based science and math activities, developed under an NSF GK-12 Fellows project, for elementary, middle, and high school grades. The activities, developed by engineering and science graduate Fellows in partnership with K-12 teachers, are grade appropriate, address pertinent learning…

Academic and emotional functioning in early adolescence: longitudinal relations, patterns, and prediction by experience in middle school.

PubMed

Roeser, R W; Eccles, J S; Sameroff, A J

1998-01-01

Adopting a motivational perspective on adolescent development, these two companion studies examined the longitudinal relations between early adolescents' school motivation (competence beliefs and values), achievement, emotional functioning (depressive symptoms and anger), and middle school perceptions using both variable- and person-centered analytic techniques. Data were collected from 1041 adolescents and their parents at the beginning of seventh and the end of eight grade in middle school. Controlling for demographic factors, regression analyses in Study 1 showed reciprocal relations between school motivation and positive emotional functioning over time. Furthermore, adolescents' perceptions of the middle school learning environment (support for competence and autonomy, quality of relationships with teachers) predicted their eighth grade motivation, achievement, and emotional functioning after accounting for demographic and prior adjustment measures. Cluster analyses in Study 2 revealed several different patterns of school functioning and emotional functioning during seventh grade that were stable over 2 years and that were predictably related to adolescents' reports of their middle school environment. Discussion focuses on the developmental significance of schooling for multiple adjustment outcomes during adolescence.

Improving the Success of Middle Grade Students. Middle School Matters Program No. 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belfanz, Robert; Rodriguez, Gina; Brasiel, Sarah J.

2013-01-01

A student's experience in the middle grades is a selection of classes they go through in a day. If they experience inconsistent expectations across those classes, they and the school will struggle to achieve high outcomes. Middle grade students need to have common behavioral and academic expectations, recognitions, and consequences throughout the…

LGBTQ Youth in American Schools: Moving to the Middle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horowitz, Alan; Itzkowitz, Miriam

2011-01-01

Given the research about the decrease in age of coming out and the established need for support during young adolescents' sexual development, it is clear that programming targeted to middle grades LGBTQ youth is both essential and widely lacking. Interventions such as staff development and training, in-class curriculum, support groups,…

Development and Validation of Science Homework Scale for Middle-School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tas, Yasemin; Sungur, Semra; Oztekin, Ceren

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop and validate Science Homework Scale (SHS) which assesses middle-school (grades 6-8) students' perceptions of teachers' homework practices and homework self-regulation in science. Students' perceptions of teachers' homework practices included homework quality and feedback on homework while students' homework…

Blended-Format Professional Development and the Emergence of Communities of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Thomas E.; Cady, JoAnn

2013-01-01

In this paper, we draw on Wenger's (1998) conception of communities of practice to observe the emergence of a community of practice among middle grades mathematics teachers who participated in a two-year blended-format (online synchronous, online asynchronous, and face to face) professional development program designed to increase middle-grades…

A Content Analysis of Four Peer-Reviewed Middle Grades Publications: Are We Really Paying Attention to Every Young Adolescent?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinegar, Kathleen

2015-01-01

The field of middle grades education clearly articulates a vision for education focused on supporting the needs and interests of every young adolescent (National Middle School Association, 2010; Jackson & Davis, 2000). This study sought to identify the ways in which recent middle grades research intersects with this vision by utilizing…

Building Middle School Teacher Capacity to Implement Reading Comprehension Strategies for Improved Student Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sircey, Samantha Taylor

2017-01-01

In the middle school setting, reading is a requirement if students are to access the curriculum and demonstrate content proficiency. By grade three, students are expected to read on grade level, but by middle grades (7-8), some students still struggle with reading for comprehension. In addition, some middle school teachers struggle to implement…

How Writing Instruction, Interventions, and Assessment Can Improve Student Outcomes. Middle School Matters Program No. 5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santangelo, Tanya; Graham, Steve

2015-01-01

The ability to write effectively and use writing as a tool for learning is essential for students' success in the middle grades--and beyond. This practice guide highlights several research-based practices that can be used school-wide to help middle grades students become better writers. This paper presents four questions middle grades educators…

Middle Grades: Quality Teaching Equals Higher Student Achievement. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene; Hertl, Jordan; Mollette, Melinda; Patterson, Lenora

2014-01-01

The middles grades are critical to public school systems and our nation's economy. It's the make-or-break point in students' futures. Studies repeatedly show when students are not engaged and lose interest in the middle grades, they are likely to fall behind in ninth grade and later drop out of school. When this happens, the workforce suffers, and…

Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study: Findings after the Second Year of Implementation. NCEE 2011-4024

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garet, Michael S.; Wayne, Andrew J.; Stancavage, Fran; Taylor, James; Eaton, Marian; Walters, Kirk; Song, Mengli; Brown, Seth; Hurlburt, Steven; Zhu, Pei; Sepanik, Susan; Doolittle, Fred

2011-01-01

This is the second and final report of the Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study, which examines the impact of providing a professional development (PD) program in rational number topics to seventh-grade mathematics teachers. An interim report (Garet et al. 2010) described the findings after one year of PD. The current…

The Middle Grades Principal: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Dana L.

2016-01-01

Advocates for middle grades education suggest that principals are critical to the implementation of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and organizational structures that meet young adolescent needs. Yet, there is little evidence associating principal practices outlined by middle grades proponents to outcomes or how principals learn the knowledge…

Middle Grades Research: Not Yet Mature, but No Longer a Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Douglas J.; Epstein, Joyce L.

1993-01-01

Summarizes research on middle level schools and students that contributes to ongoing debates concerning grade span, school size, grouping of students, departmentalization, curriculum, instruction, advisory groups, interdisciplinary teaming, school-transition activities, extra-help programs, and student evaluation practices in the middle grades.…

Middle Grade Indicators of Readiness in Chicago Public Schools: Looking Forward to High School and College. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allensworth, Elaine M.; Gwynne, Julia A.; Moore, Paul; de la Torre, Marisa

2014-01-01

This report is designed to provide a detailed picture of the relationship between students' performance in the middle grades (grades five through eight) and their subsequent performance in high school and college among students in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The key findings of this report have been summarized in briefs for middle grade and…

Introduction to Communication, Grades 6-8 [with CD-ROM]. The Math Process Standards, Grades 6-8 Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Susan; Croskey, Suzanne G.

2008-01-01

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) Process Standards support teaching that helps students develop independent, effective mathematical thinking. The books in the Heinemann Math Process Standards Series give every middle grades math teacher the opportunity to explore each standard in depth. The series offers friendly,…

Introduction to Problem Solving, Grades 6-8 [with CD-ROM]. The Math Process Standards, Grades 6-8 Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schackow, Joy Bronston; O'Connell, Susan

2008-01-01

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) Process Standards support teaching that helps students develop independent, effective mathematical thinking. The books in the Heinemann Math Process Standards Series give every middle grades math teacher the opportunity to explore each standard in depth. The series offers friendly,…

The Value of Action Research in Middle Grades Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caskey, Micki M.

2006-01-01

Action research is one of the relevant methodologies for addressing research questions and issues in middle grades education. Accounting for nearly 20% of published middle grades research studies (Hough, 2003), action research has emerged as an important and appropriate research method. In addition to reviewing the historical context, this article…

Teaching Presidential Elections. A Social Studies/Service Learning Teaching Unit for the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greco, Lisa M.

This curriculum unit on social studies and service learning was developed during the 1996 Presidential elections. In this unit middle school students not only learn about citizenship and democracy, they also practice civic action through voter registration and community surveying. The unit helps students develop critical thinking skills as they…

Smokey Road Middle School: Striving to Reach and Motivate Each Child

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2011

2011-01-01

This article features Smokey Road Middle School, a Title I school serving 850 middle level students in grades 6-8. The school is located on the outskirts of Newnan, Georgia, a historic city of approximately 27,000 residents. The growth and development of the Coweta County School District is largely attributed to its close proximity to Atlanta. In…

Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study: Findings after the Second Year of Implementation. Executive Summary. NCEE 2011-4025

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garet, Michael S.; Wayne, Andrew J.; Stancavage, Fran; Taylor, James; Eaton, Marian; Walters, Kirk; Song, Mengli; Brown, Seth; Hurlburt, Steven; Zhu, Pei; Sepanik, Susan; Doolittle, Fred

2011-01-01

This is the second and final report of the Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study, which examines the impact of providing a professional development (PD) program in rational number topics to seventh-grade mathematics teachers. An interim report (Garet et al. 2010) described the findings after one year of PD. The current…

The link between middle school mathematics course placement and achievement.

PubMed

Domina, Thurston

2014-01-01

The proportion of eighth graders in United States public schools enrolled in algebra or a more advanced mathematics course doubled between 1990 and 2011. This article uses Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort data to consider the selection process into advanced middle school mathematics courses and estimate the effects of advanced courses on students' mathematics achievement (n = 6,425; mean age at eighth grade = 13.7). Eighth-grade algebra and geometry course placements are academically selective, but considerable between-school variation exists in students' odds of taking these advanced courses. While analyses indicate that advanced middle school mathematics courses boost student achievement, these effects are most pronounced in content areas closely related to class content and may be contingent on student academic readiness. © 2014 The Author. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

A Special Report on Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollifield, John H.

1988-01-01

The first Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools (CREM) report describes the structures and practices currently used at all school levels for staffing, grouping, and scheduling. The report assesses the effects of departmentalization, tracking, ability grouping, and grade spans on student learning and development. (MLH)

Middle school science grades: Can they be used to forecast performance on standardized tests?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Gary L.

2007-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if classroom science grades could be used to forecast standardized testing readiness for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Participants for this study consisted of 647 eighth grade students assigned to a public middle school in Florida. Using annual classroom science grades and the corresponding year's FCAT Science scale scores for each student, scatter plot graphs and Pearson product-moment correlations were used to determine their relationships. Correlation strengths were determined for several segmented student populations. First, the grade and FCAT score relationship for the entire middle school population was calculated and, then, the relationship between grades and FCAT scores for students grouped by their individual assigned science teacher was determined. Next, a second look at students grouped as above was conducted, this time focusing only on students with unacceptable FCAT scores (levels 1 and 2). The correlation between grades and FCAT scores for the entire middle school was moderate and ranged from high to weak for students assigned to individual science teachers. The relationship of grades and FCAT scores for middle school students that scored at levels 1 and 2 was weakly correlated and ranged from moderate to weak for students as they were assigned to their science teachers. Generally, classroom grades were found to be inefficient predictors for standardized testing readiness for students assigned to this middle school.

A Case Study of Middle Grades Leadership in a Conversion Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Dana L.; Dowell, Margaret-Mary Sulentic

2015-01-01

This 3-year case study examined middle grades principal leadership in a takeover charter school. The researcher analyzed principal and teacher interviews, field notes, and documents in relationship to a middle grades model of principal leadership. Results suggest the principals' limited experience, organizational factors unique to takeover charter…

The Eight Best Novels for Middle-Grade Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musthafa, Bachrudin

Intended to serve an instrumental purpose for middle-grade teachers, this paper presents brief annotations of eight novels of interest to middle grade students and more elaborate comments and teaching activities for two well-known novels. The eight novels are "How to Eat Fried Worms" (Thomas Rockwell); "Number the Stars" (Lois Lowry); "Cousins"…

The Power of Picturebooks: Resources that Support Language and Learning in Middle Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roser, Nancy; Martinez, Miriam; Fowler-Amato, Michelle

2011-01-01

This piece explores the instructional possibilities of picturebooks in middle grade classrooms, illustrating the central tenets of how to effectively introduce these resources to middle grade students. Through today's multiplicity of illustrated texts, students can discover the finest uses of language, as well as encounter images that inform,…

Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Amy E.; Elleman, Amy

2017-01-01

Purpose: We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers. Method: A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group…

The Need for a Core, Interdisciplinary, Life-Sciences Curriculum in the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, H. Craig

1993-01-01

Campaigns to improve adolescent health must involve schools, focusing on middle grades. Currently, school organization is poor, with too little good curricular material for such students. The article describes Stanford University's interdisciplinary, core, middle grades curriculum in human biology that combats alienation from science by making it…

Survey of Middle Grades Reading Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Jack W.

2009-01-01

There is abundant evidence that schools with strong reading programs have successful students. But building strong reading skills is a complex task, particularly by the time students reach the middle grades. A survey was conducted that involved all Indiana middle grades schools in May 2009. Two types of data analysis were utilized in preparing the…

Middle Grades Mathematics Engagement: How Action Research Informs What Counts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivory, Pateakia Lachelle

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine how action research informs instructional changes that need to take place in the middle grades mathematics classroom. There is a need for an increase in engagement in middle grades mathematics by educators being critically reflective of their instructional practices. The research question addressed in this…

Just Chillin' on the Quad: Middle Grades Students in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Mary Beth; Rivera, Lourdes M.

2014-01-01

The middle grades years has a profound and lasting impact on student achievement, including opportunities for college and career access and readiness. It is important that students at this age understand college and college life. Such understanding can help middle grades students focus on career goals and postsecondary planning, and this awareness…

Service Learning in the Middle Grades: Learning by Doing and Caring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farber, Katy; Bishop, Penny

2018-01-01

Although service learning has been documented as a promising pedagogy for middle grades learners, it remains the exception rather than the rule in many middle schools. This qualitative study examined fifth grade students' experience of a service-learning class. Using the tenets of service learning and experiential learning theory as the…

Developmental Trajectories of Boys’ Driven Exercise and Fasting During the Middle School Years

PubMed Central

Davis, Heather A.; Guller, Leila; Smith, Gregory T.

2016-01-01

Boys appear to engage in eating disorder behavior, particularly nonpurging compensatory behaviors such as driven exercise and fasting, at higher rates than previously thought. Little is known about the development of these behaviors in adolescent boys. In a sample of 631 non-binge eating and non-purging boys studied once in 5th grade and 6 times over the 3 years of middle school (grades 6 through 8), we found that (a) for some youth, driven exercise and fasting were present from grade 6; (b) different boys progressed along different trajectories of engagement in driven exercise and fasting, with some boys engaging in no driven exercise or fasting (65.8% and 83.5%, respectively), some boys engaging in driven exercise and fasting throughout middle school (25.2% and 16.5%, respectively), and other boys discontinuing engagement in driven exercise (9%); (c) 5th grade depression, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies predicted subsequent trajectory group membership; and (d) boys engaging in driven exercise and fasting in 8th grade remained distressed. Boys’ engagement in driven exercise and fasting behavior merits the attention of researchers and clinicians. PMID:26707543

Developmental Trajectories of Boys' Driven Exercise and Fasting During the Middle School Years.

PubMed

Davis, Heather A; Guller, Leila; Smith, Gregory T

2016-10-01

Boys appear to engage in eating disorder behavior, particularly nonpurging compensatory behaviors such as driven exercise and fasting, at higher rates than previously thought. Little is known about the development of these behaviors in adolescent boys. In a sample of 631 non-binge eating and non-purging boys studied once in 5th grade and 6 times over the 3 years of middle school (grades 6 through 8), we found that (a) for some youth, driven exercise and fasting were present from grade 6; (b) different boys progressed along different trajectories of engagement in driven exercise and fasting, with some boys engaging in no driven exercise or fasting (65.8 % and 83.5 %, respectively), some boys engaging in driven exercise and fasting throughout middle school (25.2 % and 16.5 %, respectively), and other boys discontinuing engagement in driven exercise (9 %); (c) 5th grade depression, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies predicted subsequent trajectory group membership; and (d) boys engaging in driven exercise and fasting in 8th grade remained distressed. Boys' engagement in driven exercise and fasting behavior merits the attention of researchers and clinicians.

Student Responsibility in School and Home Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carol; Bassett-Anderson, Mary Kay; Gerretsen, Deborah; Robilotta, Georgine

This action research project evaluated an intervention to improve primary, intermediate, and special education student responsibility in a middle class community located near a metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois. Participating were students in first grade, fourth grade, and communication development classes. Lack of student responsibility…

Relational-Cultural Theory for Middle School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Catherine; Smith-Adcock, Sondra; Trepal, Heather C.

2011-01-01

Young adolescents (ages 11-14), typically in the middle school grades, face life tasks involving connections and belonging with their peer group along with the development of their individual identity (Henderson & Thompson, 2010). Learning to negotiate through these developmental tasks, they face myriad relational challenges. This article explores…

Implementing a Motivational Program Using Musical Skit Development as a Technique To Improve Performance Skills of Middle School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roi, Christine S.

A pilot program was developed and implemented to improve the music performance of middle school choral students. A target group of 27 low performing students in grade seven and eight participated in the program. The program utilized four strategies for improving performance skills. Lectures were given by inspirational leaders. Small groups were…

The Effects of Integrated Literacy Interventions on Middle School Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glass, Jamie; Carney, Eve; Fisher, Alexandria

2017-01-01

While districts and schools continue to place more emphasis on personalized instruction and tiers of literacy interventions, more students are continuing to reach middle school without the ability to read on grade level. Much of the emphasis on the attainment of literacy skills occurs in the elementary grades. As a result, middle grades' literacy…

Looking Forward: Increased Attention to LGBTQ Students and Families in Middle Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickens, Corrine M.; Wedwick, Linda

2011-01-01

Looking backwards, discussions around sexual orientation and sexual identity have been noticeably absent at the middle grades. As a result, middle grade teachers may find it difficult to know how to effectively select age-appropriate materials that include LGBTQ issues and content. To move the field forward, the authors specifically highlight four…

Effects of Making Sense of SCIENCE[TM] Professional Development on the Achievement of Middle School Students, Including English Language Learners. Final Report. NCEE 2012-4002

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Joan I.

2012-01-01

This study evaluated an approach to professional development for middle school science teachers by closely examining one grade 8 course that embodies that approach. Using a cluster-randomized experimental design, the study tested the effectiveness of the Making Sense of SCIENCE[TM] professional development course on force and motion (Daehler,…

Mathematics Education in the Middle Grades: Teaching To Meet the Needs of Middle Grades Learners and To Maintain High Expectations. Proceedings of a National Convocation and Action Conferences (Washington, DC, September 25-27, 1998).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC. Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education.

In September 1998, the Math Science Education National Board held a convocation on middle grades mathematics that was co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Middle School Association (NMSA), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The convocation was structured to present the teaching…

12 Math Rules That Expire in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karp, Karen S.; Bush, Sarah B.; Dougherty, Barbara J.

2015-01-01

Many rules taught in mathematics classrooms "expire" when students develop knowledge that is more sophisticated, such as using new number systems. For example, in elementary grades, students are sometimes taught that "addition makes bigger" or "subtraction makes smaller" when learning to compute with whole numbers,…

School Climate in Middle Schools: A Cultural Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Stephanie H.; Duran, Lauren

2010-01-01

In 2007-08 and 2008-09, 2,500 randomly-selected middle school students completed an annual survey on school climate and character development. In examining differences based upon grade, gender, race/ethnicity, school, and length of program participation, significant differences were found for all but length of program participation. Responses of…

Middle School, One-to-One

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Eric G.

2009-01-01

Westside Middle School, located in Omaha, Nebraska, serves 950 seventh- and eighth-grade students. Over the last few years, the school's teachers and administrators have evaluated its technology status and needs. As part of this process, the staff members engaged in many activities, including developing a building-level technology plan, organizing…

Preventing Student Disengagement and Keeping Students on the Graduation Path in Urban Middle-Grades Schools: Early Identification and Effective Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balfanz, Robert; Herzog, Liza; Iver, Douglas J. Mac

2007-01-01

This article considers the practical, conceptual, and empirical foundations of an early identification and intervention system for middle-grades schools to combat student disengagement and increase graduation rates in our nation's cities. Many students in urban schools become disengaged at the start of the middle grades, which greatly reduces the…

Middle School Math Acceleration and Equitable Access to Eighth-Grade Algebra: Evidence from the Wake County Public School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Shaun M.; Goodman, Joshua S.; Hill, Darryl V.; Litke, Erica G.; Page, Lindsay C.

2015-01-01

Taking algebra by eighth grade is considered an important milestone on the pathway to college readiness. We highlight a collaboration to investigate one district's effort to increase middle school algebra course-taking. In 2010, the Wake County Public Schools began assigning middle school students to accelerated math and eighth-grade algebra based…

Making Their Voices Count: Using Students' Perspectives to Inform Literacy Instruction for Striving Middle Grade Readers with Academic Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groff, Carolyn

2014-01-01

The consequences of lack of reading and poor reading skills are problematic for all students, regardless of background; however, for middle grade striving readers with academic difficulties these problems can lead to lower self-efficacy and motivation to engage in literacy tasks. Using the perspectives of urban, middle grade special education…

Activities for Studying Ponds (Limnology), Grade Level 5-6. Environmental Education Series, Bulletin No. 247-D.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

This bulletin is one in a series of environmental education activity guides for grades K-12, developed and field-tested by teachers in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. Primarily for use in the middle grades four through six, the guides are not intended to constitute complete units in themselves. They are, rather, a compilation of…

A Freshman Academy's Influence on Student Connectivity, Attendance, and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresti, Nancy O.

2017-01-01

The transition from 8th to 9th grade, from middle school to high school, is considered one of the most challenging experiences in an adolescent's life. Ninth-grade transition programs, often referred to as freshman academies, have been developed and implemented over the last decade to address the needs of 9th grade students. The purpose of this…

Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS). "Technical Descriptions of Risk Model Development": Middle and High School Age Groupings (Grades 7-12)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2013

2013-01-01

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) created the grades 1-12 Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) in response to district interest in the Early Warning Indicator Index (EWII) that the Department previously created for rising grade 9 students. Districts shared that the EWII data were helpful, but also…

Integrating Black Studies into the Kindergarten and Primary Grades, V. 1. Integrating Black Studies into the Middle Grades; Grades 4, 5, and 6. V. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1973

The aim of this program for the primary grades is to: 1) acquaint pupils with the many contributions by blacks to the city, state, nation, and world; 2) improve the self-image of black children and the understanding of white children so that a mutual respect can develop and grow; 3) acquaint all children with the heritage of Africa and its…

Trait Selection Preference of Preadolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Marie Somers

This study examined the preferences of middle grade students in selecting traits for their own future infants. Sixth- and seventh-grade populations of two elementary schools (l73 males and 90 females) participated. A simulated activity entitled "Parenting l995" was developed to provide the future setting and the instrument through which to explore…

Metacognition and Control of Study Choice in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metcalfe, Janet; Finn, Bridgid

2013-01-01

Middle childhood may be crucial for the development of metacognitive monitoring and study control processes. The first three experiments, using different materials, showed that Grade 3 and Grade 5 children exhibited excellent metacognitive resolution when asked to make delayed judgments of learning (JOLs, using an analogue scale) or binary…

Home Economics II. Basic Core. Tenth Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Ann

Seven home economics curriculum areas for grade 10 are presented in this guide, with each area consisting of one or more instructional units as follows: (1) Career Exploration (obtaining a job, progress on the job, business etiquette); (2) Child Development (guiding the preschool child, middle childhood); (3) Clothing and Textiles (labeling,…

A Teacher's Spelling Manual for Seventh Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datres, Kristine, Comp.; Heggenstaller, Barbara, Comp.

The spelling program described in this manual was designed with the idea that spelling study initiated in the elementary grades should continue through the middle school years. The manual first describes the program's objectives: to help students learn basic spelling rules, develop an interest in word lore and vocabulary improvement, and develop…

The Short-Term and Maintenance Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Writing for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hacker, Douglas J.; Dole, Janice A.; Ferguson, Monica; Adamson, Sharon; Roundy, Linda; Scarpulla, Laura

2015-01-01

Our purpose for this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the short-term and maintenance effects of the self-regulated strategy development writing instructional model by Graham and Harris with 7th-grade students in an urban, ethnically diverse Title I middle school. We compared the writing skills of our intervention students with those of…

Neuroscience in Middle Schools: A Professional Development and Resource Program that Models Inquiry-Based Strategies and Engages Teachers in Classroom Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacNabb, Carrie; Schmitt, Lee; Michlin, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Thomas, Larry; Chittendon, David; Ebner, Timothy J.; Dubinsky, Janet M.

2006-01-01

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite…

Active Learning in the Middle Grades Classroom: Overcoming the Barriers to Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Susan

2015-01-01

The Association for Middle Level Education advocates for instruction that incorporates active learning and multiple learning approaches in middle grades classrooms. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine middle level teachers who are able to implement active learning and multiple learning approaches within the standardized testing and…

Academic and emotional functioning in middle school: the role of implicit theories.

PubMed

Romero, Carissa; Master, Allison; Paunesku, Dave; Dweck, Carol S; Gross, James J

2014-04-01

Adolescents face many academic and emotional challenges in middle school, but notable differences are evident in how well they adapt. What predicts adolescents' academic and emotional outcomes during this period? One important factor might be adolescents' implicit theories about whether intelligence and emotions can change. The current study examines how these theories affect academic and emotional outcomes. One hundred fifteen students completed surveys throughout middle school, and their grades and course selections were obtained from school records. Students who believed that intelligence could be developed earned higher grades and were more likely to move to advanced math courses over time. Students who believed that emotions could be controlled reported fewer depressive symptoms and, if they began middle school with lower well-being, were more likely to feel better over time. These findings illustrate the power of adolescents' implicit theories, suggesting exciting new pathways for intervention.

Review of "Incomplete: How Middle Class Schools Aren't Making the Grade". Think Tank Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Bruce D.

2011-01-01

"Incomplete: How Middle Class Schools Aren't Making the Grade" is a new report from Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank. The report aims to convince parents, taxpayers and policymakers that they should be as concerned about middle-class schools not making the grade as they are about the failures of the nation's large, poor, urban…

5 Key Findings for Middle Grades from "Looking Forward to High School and College"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allensworth, Elaine M.; Gwynne, Julia A.; Moore, Paul; de La Torre, Marisa

2014-01-01

Preparation for college and careers begins when students are young, yet, it can be difficult for middle grade educators to know how best to prepare these students for future success. Middle grade practitioners need to know what to pay attention to and who needs additional support. Without knowing how to identify students who are on-track for high…

Developing Spatial Sense and Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Kerri; Stein, Catherine

2008-01-01

This article describes how spatial instruction with preservice teachers can be implemented in a middle-grades mathematics methods class. A "Reflect and Discuss" section is included for professional development study. (Contains 4 figures.)

Renewing the Middle School: The Early Success of Middle School Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Paul S.

2009-01-01

Renewing the Middle School is a special three-part series in which the author, an eminent scholar in the field of middle grades education, offers his view on the status of middle grades education and its prospects for the future. In this part of the series, he responds strongly to some of the criticism that has been aimed at American public…

Mayhem in the Middle: How Middle Schools Have Failed America--And How to Make Them Work. Compact Guides to Education Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yecke, Cheri Pierson

2005-01-01

The author defines "middle schoolism" as "an approach to educating children in the middle grades (usually grades 5-8), popularized in the latter half of the 20th century, that contributed to a precipitous decline in academic achievement among American early adolescents." She argues that many middle schools are on the right…

Predictors of developing mathematics anxiety among middle-school students: A 2-year prospective study.

PubMed

Madjar, Nir; Zalsman, Gil; Weizman, Abraham; Lev-Ran, Shaul; Shoval, Gal

2016-12-04

While there is an abundance of research pertaining to the development of anxiety disorders, there is still a dearth of knowledge regarding the development of anxiety in the general population. The objective of this study was to longitudinally explore the development of mathematics anxiety among normative middle-school students, and to identify the moderating role of gender, school transition and scholastic achievements on these trajectories. Subjects included 413 sixth grade students (53.3% females, mean age 11.27 ± 0.38 years). Participants were evaluated for their level of anxiety in the context of mathematics, using the Value of Education scale, in four time-points with a 6-month gap between each time-point. Data regarding subjects' grades and school transition were also collected. A growth curve analysis using hierarchical linear modelling revealed that girls, students who transitioned between schools and high achievers (each independently) reported a significant increase in mathematics related anxiety towards the end of sixth grade, which later decreased during seventh grade. The findings of this prospective study on factors affecting the development of mathematics anxiety among normative adolescents may be important in planning focused primary prevention school-based strategies. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

Multivariate Assessment of Middle School Students' Interest in STEM Career: a Profile from Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koyunlu Ünlü, Zeynep; Dökme, İlbilge

2018-05-01

According to a report by the Turkish Industry and Business Association, Turkey will need approximately 1 million individuals to be employed in Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) fields by 2023, and 31% of this requirement will not be met. For continuous economic development, there is a need to integrate STEM into education in Turkey, which brings the need for research in this area. This study, based on a survey model, aimed to determine the level of interest of a sample of Turkish middle school students in STEM careers on the basis of gender, where they lived, grade levels, their end-of-semester grades, and their parents' educational status and levels of income. The research data was collected using the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS) and Personal Information Form, which were applied to 851 middle school students (fifth and eighth graders). The collected data was analyzed with SPSS using Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests. It was found that middle school students' interest in STEM careers differed according to sex, where they lived, and grade levels but it did not differ in relation to their parents' educational status and the levels of income of the family. It is believed that the results obtained in this study reflecting the profile in Turkey will guide educational policy makers, curriculum developers, teachers, pre-service teachers, and researchers about STEM education.

The Individualized Television Reading Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Bernard

This paper describes the development of a reading program based on popular television broadcasts. The project was carried out in one inner-city middle school--seventh and eighth grades--(Rhodes Middle School, Philadelphia). The aims of the project were to use television as a means for children to read and for drawing administrators and teachers…

Professional Learning with Action Research in Innovative Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Netcoh, Steven; Olofson, Mark W.; Downes, John M.; Bishop, Penny A.

2017-01-01

This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1)…

An Experimental Examination of Quick Writing in the Middle School Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedek-Wood, Elizabeth; Mason, Linda H.; Wood, Philip H.; Hoffman, Katie E.; McGuire, Ashley

2014-01-01

A staggered A-B design study was used to evaluate the effects of Self- Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction for quick writing in middle school science across four classrooms. A sixth-grade science teacher delivered all students' writing assessment and SRSD instruction for informative quick writing. Results indicated that performance…

"Turning Points" Revisited: How Effective Middle-Grades Schools Address Developmental Needs of Young Adolescent Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Terry

1993-01-01

Reviews the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development Task Force Report (1989) "Turning Points" and looks at some successful middle school programs. Some issues discussed are diversity; self-deveelopment and self-definition; student participation; school and community; social interaction; school climate; and curriculum and instruction.…

Bridging the Discontinuity in Adolescent Literacy? Mixed Evidence from a Middle Grades Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Shaun M.

2015-01-01

Strong literacy skills are crucial to ensuring an individual's future educational and economic success. Existing evidence suggests the transition from elementary to middle school is a decisive period for literacy development. In this paper I investigate the impact of extended learning time in literacy instruction on subsequent cognitive outcomes.…

Response to an Expository Writing Strategy across Middle School RtI Tiers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Lisa; Poll, Gerard; Fiene, Judy

2017-01-01

Seventh grade students, varying in their literacy skills, from a suburban middle school in the United States were taught an expository writing strategy using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development approach. Using an AB design, the students participated in an eight-session expository writing intervention that taught the writing process. The…

The Peak in the Middle: Developing Mathematically Gifted Students in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saul, Mark; Assouline, Susan; Sheffield, Linda

2010-01-01

Good teaching is responsive to individual differences, tailoring instruction to meet the needs of individual learners. In gifted education, students need a curriculum that is differentiated (by level, complexity, breadth, and depth), developmentally appropriate, and conducted at a more rapid rate. This collection of essays from experts in the…

Reaching and Remediating "Grey-Area" Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jorgenson, Olaf; Smolkovich, Greg E.

2004-01-01

This article presents a framework for school administrators developed by Mesa Unified School district used in identifying and assisting the subtly struggling adolescents. Mesa's "safety net" approach targets middle grades students in the midst of their formative, pre-high school experience. Here, it is stated that the first step to identify a…

Growth Mindset of Gifted Seventh Grade Students in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esparza, Julie; Shumow, Lee; Schmidt, Jennifer A.

2014-01-01

Through secondary analysis of data collected in middle school science classrooms, this study (a) compared gifted and regular students' beliefs about the malleability of intelligence in science; (b) investigated whether teaching gifted and talented middle-school students about malleability of the brain and study skills helped them to develop a…

How Big Is a 16-Penny Nail? A Measurement Lesson for Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel, Bill; Schmidt, Diane L.

2004-01-01

Many common objects can provide numerous opportunities for students to develop mathematical concepts and skills. The lesson described in this article provided an excellent opportunity for middle school students to discover how real-life situations do not always present obvious "right" answers. As students explored a question related to the…

Students Use Graphic Organizers to Improve Mathematical Problem-Solving Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zollman, Alan

2009-01-01

Improving students' problem-solving abilities is a major, if not the major, goal of middle grades mathematics. To address this goal, the author, who is a university mathematics educator, and nine inner-city middle school teachers developed a math/science action research project. This article describes their unique approach to mathematical problem…

Middle East. Grade Six, Unit Two, 6.2. Comprehensive Social Studies Curriculum for the Inner City.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trell, Pat

This sixth grade unit is one of a sequential learning series of the Focus on Inner City Social Studies project developed in accordance with the needs and problems of an urban society. A description of the project is provided in SO 008 271. As part of the sixth grade curriculum focusing on world power, this six week unit examines the nations…

Connecting with the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annenberg Media, 2005

2005-01-01

"Connecting with the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers" is a video workshop for middle school teachers of the arts and other subjects. The workshop includes eight hour-long video programs and a companion workshop guide and Web site. The workshop shows middle school teachers why and how to integrate the arts (dance, music, theatre, and…

The Effect of Approved Changes to the Subgroup Minimum-N on the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Economically Disadvantaged Students in Kentucky's Accountability System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodge, Lynn Johnson

2010-01-01

This study examined whether or not an approved change to Kentucky's subgroup size increased the exclusion of the disabilities subgroup from middle grade AYP calculations, the influence poverty and disability have on these subgroups' inclusion in middle grade level AYP calculations, and the accuracy of middle grade AYP status determinations based…

Integrated and Applied Curriculum: Six School-to-Work Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo Guidice, Tom, Comp.

This publication consists of six units for middle and high school grades that incorporate school-to-work (STW). The six units were developed by six practicing teachers. The first unit, "Wellness: An Integrated Unit with STW Emphasis for Seventh Grade" (Sara Hellenbrand), provides STW objectives and a list of activities. The second unit,…

Developing Competent Readers and Writers in the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Combs, Martha

This textbook is about engaging students from fourth through eighth grade in literacy experiences. It is intended to help teachers of adolescents expand their knowledge of this age group and explore ways of engaging these students in meaningful literacy learning. Part One (chapters 1-4) provides selected theoretical foundations for developmental…

Using a Personal Learning Framework to Transform Middle Grades Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagle, James; Taylor, Don

2017-01-01

In 2013 the Vermont legislature enacted Act 77 mandating that students in Grades 7-12 develop personalized learning plans (PLPs) to guide them toward high school graduation using proficiency-based requirements. In the present qualitative self-study, we document the impact of implementation of a personal learning framework integrating PLPs into a…

Elementary and Middle Grade Students' Constructions of Typicality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leavy, Aisling M.; Middleton, James A.

2011-01-01

This study addresses the measures chosen by students when selecting or constructing indices to properties of distributions of data. A series of individual teaching experiments were conducted to provide insight into the development of five 4th to 8th grade students' conceptualizations of distribution over the course of 8 weeks of instruction.…

Montana Institute for Effective Teaching of American Indian Children (Missoula, Montana, 1992).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montana State Dept. of Public Instruction, Helena.

This guide presents 11 American Indian study units developed by Montana teachers. Nine units are intended for intermediate or middle-school grades; two are suitable for prekindergarten through primary grades. The units contain information about various American Indian tribes, but focus on tribes of Montana. Many lessons include writing and…

Technological Studies at Thomas Edison Middle School. Grades 6-7-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Patrick N.

This technology studies curriculum for grades 6-8 is a plan for each middle school student to experience technology education for approximately 60 days (1 trimester of a 180-day school year) in each grade. Section A provides definitions; structure or content for grade-level programs with science and technology unifiers (unifying curricular…

An Investigation of Big Five Personality Traits and Career Decidedness among Early and Middle Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lounsbury, John W.; Hutchens, Teresa; Loveland, James M.

2005-01-01

Big Five personality traits were analyzed in relation to career decidedness among adolescents in middle and high school. Participants were 248 7th-grade, 321 10th-grade, and 282 12th-grade students. As hypothesized, Conscientiousness was positively and significantly correlated with career decidedness in all three grades. Openness and Agreeableness…

Sampling and Survey Operations for the PISA for Development Out-of-School Assessment Field Trial. PISA for Development Brief 15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

Across many of the middle- and low-income countries that have participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) or are potential new participants, significant proportions of 15-year-olds are not enrolled in school or are in school but in grades below PISA's target sample (Grade 7 and above) and thus not eligible to sit for…

Gaining Ground in the Middle School Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better. A Large-Scale Study of Middle Grades Practices and Student Outcomes. The Informed Educator Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Research Service, 2011

2011-01-01

This "Informed Educator" draws content from several reports as well as a PowerPoint presentation that describe findings from a study conducted by EdSource and its research partners from Stanford University and the American Institutes for Research. The project--Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better--focused on…

Parent Educational Involvement in Middle School: Longitudinal Influences on Student Outcomes.

PubMed

Garbacz, S Andrew; Zerr, Argero A; Dishion, Thomas J; Seeley, John R; Stormshak, Elizabeth A

2018-05-01

The present study examined influences of 6 th grade student-reported parent educational involvement on early adolescent peer group affiliations at 7 th and 8 th grade. In addition, student gender and ethnicity were explored as possible moderators. Drawn from a large effectiveness trial, participants in this study were 5,802 early adolescents across twenty middle schools in the Northwest region of the United States. Findings suggested that specifically parent's educational involvement in 6 th grade predicted increases in positive peer affiliation, when controlling for a general score of parent monitoring practices. The relation between parent educational involvement and peer affiliation varied by student ethnicity but not by gender. Findings suggest the social benefits of parent's engagement with the school context on early adolescent development.

Parent Educational Involvement in Middle School: Longitudinal Influences on Student Outcomes

PubMed Central

Garbacz, S. Andrew; Zerr, Argero A.; Dishion, Thomas J.; Seeley, John R.; Stormshak, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

The present study examined influences of 6th grade student-reported parent educational involvement on early adolescent peer group affiliations at 7th and 8th grade. In addition, student gender and ethnicity were explored as possible moderators. Drawn from a large effectiveness trial, participants in this study were 5,802 early adolescents across twenty middle schools in the Northwest region of the United States. Findings suggested that specifically parent’s educational involvement in 6th grade predicted increases in positive peer affiliation, when controlling for a general score of parent monitoring practices. The relation between parent educational involvement and peer affiliation varied by student ethnicity but not by gender. Findings suggest the social benefits of parent’s engagement with the school context on early adolescent development. PMID:29731534

Middle School Configuration Relationship with Eighth Grade Achievement with Administrator Perceptions of Strengths and Weaknesses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billings, Tawny J.

2014-01-01

This mixed-method research study sought to investigate the relationship between middle school configuration and the academic achievement of eighth grade students in English Language Arts (ELA) and Algebra 1. The California Content Standards exam scores of 646 elementary middle schools (K-8) and 1,282 traditional middle schools (6-8, 7-8) in…

Relationships of French and English Morphophonemic Orthographies to Word Reading, Spelling, and Reading Comprehension during Early and Middle Childhood.

PubMed

Abbott, Robert D; Fayol, Michel; Zorman, Michel; Casalis, Séverine; Nagy, William; Berninger, Virginia W

2016-12-01

Two longitudinal studies of word reading, spelling, and reading comprehension identified commonalities and differences in morphophonemic orthographies-French (Study 1, n =1313) or English (Study 2, n =114) in early childhood (grade 2) and middle childhood (grade 5). For French and English, statistically significant concurrent relationships among these literacy skills occurred in grades 2 and 5, and longitudinal relationships for each skill with itself from grade 2 to 5; but concurrent relationships were more sizable and longitudinal relationships more variable for English than French especially for word reading to reading comprehension. Results show that, for both morphophonemic orthographies, assessment and instructional practices should be tailored to early or middle childhood, and early childhood reading comprehension may not be related to middle childhood spelling. Also discussed are findings applying only to English, for which word origin is primarily Anglo-Saxon in early childhood, but increasingly French in middle childhood.

[A cross-sectional study on the status of tobacco use among junior middle school students in Shaanxi province].

PubMed

Guo, Y; Wang, A H; Liu, C Y; Mu, C N; Wang, B

2018-02-10

Objective: To understand the rate on tobacco use and associated factors in junior middle school students in Shaanxi province. Methods: We used a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to select students from 30 junior middle schools in 10 areas of Shaanxi province in 2013. All the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 4 633 questionnaires were dispatched and 4 298 were qualified for further analysis. The current smoking rate of junior middle school students in Shaanxi was 6.5%, with rate in male (11.1%) higher than that of female students (1.7%). The current smoking rate of students in grade three (9.3%) was higher than those of students in grade one (3.5%) or in grade two (7.0%). The smoking rate of students with pocket money more than 31 Yuan per week was (10.0%) higher than those of students with pocket money less than 10 Yuan (4.6%) or 10-30 Yuan (6.3%) per week. Results from the logistic regression analysis showed that factors as: male, school located in the city, older age, with more pocket money, having smokers in the family and exposure to second hand smoking were high risk factors for current smoking. Conclusion: Rate on current smoking was high in junior middle schools students in Shaanxi, suggesting that comprehensive intervention programs be developed to reduce the rate of tobacco use in junior middle school students.

Norms for Participation in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom and Its Effect on Student Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Megowan-Romanowicz, M. Colleen; Middleton, James A.; Ganesh, Tirupalavanam; Joanou, Jamie

2013-01-01

In this article we examine how students engage in learning mathematical concepts in the middle grades of an urban public school in the Southwestern United States. In the context of a 3-year National Science Foundation-funded longitudinal study of the development of students' rational number understanding, we encountered differing levels of…

(Dis)Orientation and Spatial Sense: Topological Thinking in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Freitas, Elizabeth; McCarthy, MaryJean

2014-01-01

In this paper, we focus on topological approaches to space and we argue that experiences with topology allow middle school students to develop a more robust understanding of orientation and dimension. We frame our argument in terms of the phenomenological literature on perception and corporeal space. We discuss findings from a quasi-experimental…

The CMETS Program: Grounding Middle Grade Mathematics and Technology Professional Development in Research-Based Best Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Shannon; Dugdale, Sharon

2009-01-01

The past few decades have seen middle school teachers in the United States hit especially hard by contradictory messages about the use and importance of technology in support of their standards-based mathematics teaching. This paper considers this dichotomy with respect to the California Mathematics Education Technology Site (CMETS), a…

Partnering Peanuts and Word Processors for Research Writing in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaBonty, Jan; Williams, Sandra

2008-01-01

For six weeks, middle school students gathered information about peanuts from a variety of text and media sources to create an original informative book, thereby combining goals in both technology and language arts. By conducting authentic research about one topic for a concentrated period of time, students were able to develop and fine tune their…

"Teaching Is a Lot More than Just Showing up to Class and Grading Assignments": Preparing Middle-Level Teachers for Longevity in the Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Overschelde, James P.; Saunders, Jane M.; Ash, Gwynne Ellen

2017-01-01

The university's teacher preparation program has implemented and continually refined a professional development school program, with extended university-school relationships in its middle-level certification program. This program offers dialogue, targeted learning activities, and intensive field-based experiences to help ease preservice teachers…

Supporting the Development of Intrinsic Motivation in the Middle School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oginsky, Terri

This study took place in a sixth grade math class at Webber Middle School in Saginaw, Michigan. A literature review indicated that a classroom that students perceive as safe, supportive of their autonomy, and of their learning increases intrinsic motivation. With this in mind, the author created a study, which would look for connections between…

STEAM Enacted: A Case Study of a Middle School Teacher Implementing STEAM Instructional Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herro, Danielle; Quigley, Cassie

2016-01-01

This paper examines the implementation practices of a 6th grade middle school teacher enacting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) teaching in his classroom after participating in a 45-hour STEAM professional development. Case study is used to detail the process, successes, and challenges. Project-based learning, technology…

The Collaborative Learning Behaviours of Middle Primary School Students in a Classroom Music Creation Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, William J.; Harvey, Georgina

2014-01-01

Located in a northern Tasmanian government primary school, this study presents the findings of an investigation into the learning behaviours of middle primary (Grade 3/4) students in a collaborative music soundscape task. Recent literature regarding music education and social development are presented and the design of the research described.…

Writing Practices for Mainstream Teachers of Middle School English Learners: Building on What We Know Works Effectively

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Eric; Goldman, Julie; Faltis, Christian

2018-01-01

Improving the writing of middle-school English learners can improve their academic thinking, literacy, and content knowledge. The Writing Reform and Innovation for Teaching Excellence (WRITE) program uses six high-leverage writing practices and develops teacher capacity through professional learning activities anchored in the group grading of…

Teaching the Classics in the Middle Grades: Connecting with the Roots of Western Civilization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Robin H.

1998-01-01

At a New Jersey school, students spend one year studying each of three time periods: ancient Egypt in fourth grade; Greece in fifth grade; and Rome and the Middle Ages in sixth grade. The history curriculum becomes the focal point for other areas (art, music, drama, language arts, science, geography, and math). Teachers use primary sources and…

Stress in Portuguese Middle School Transition: A Multilevel Analysis.

PubMed

Coelho, Vítor Alexandre; Romão, Ana Maria

2016-09-23

Transition from elementary to middle school is commonly seen as a period of stress, impacting students' school adjustment. The present longitudinal study aimed to analyze the difference in stress levels between the end of 4th grade and 5th grade, while also analyzing gender differences and 5th grade retention. Two hundred fifty-eight 4th grade students (M age = 9.55; SD = 0.77) from six Portuguese public schools, from the municipality of Torres Vedras, participated in this study. Self-report questionnaires were administered at the end of the 4th and 5th grades, and 5th grade school records were also collected. Results showed that 5th graders present higher levels of Academic Stress (d = .29) and Teacher/Rules Stress (d = .28). Girls had a greater increase of Peer-related Stress with the transition (p < .01). Students who were retained at the end of 5th grade showed higher increases of Teacher/Rules Stress (p < .05). Intervention programs that aim to support the transition from elementary to middle school are needed, in order to reduce the increase of stress levels at 5th grade and to promote a better school adjustment in the first year of middle school.

Guiding Readers in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Denise N.; Williams, Jeffrey L.; Clark, Barbara; Hatteberg, Scott; Hauptman, Gayle Marek; Kozel, Claudia; Paris, Joe

2013-01-01

Guided reading is an instructional practice commonly used in primary and intermediate grades (Ford & Opitz, 2008; Fountas & Pinnell, 2001). It is used less in middle grades settings (Allen, 2000) where "one size-fits-all instruction" prevails (Allington, 2012). While teachers can read about the principles of guided reading in…

Applying Hope Theory to Support Middle School Transitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akos, Patrick; Kurz, Maureen Shields

2016-01-01

Middle grades transitions pose challenges to many students who meet these tasks with varying levels of success. Contemporary developmental and strengths-based literature offers Hope Theory (Snyder, 2002), a research supported approach that can mitigate risks in school transitions. This article describes how middle grades educators can apply the…

Mathematics in the Middle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leutzinger, Larry, Ed.

This book contains articles that help to further the process of reform in the middle grades, recognizing that the knowledge acquired during these years greatly affects how well the secondary school curriculum will attain its goals. Critical issues facing middle grade classes in particular and all mathematics classrooms in general are discussed.…

Middle Grades Reform. Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blazer, Christie

2008-01-01

Researchers and policymakers have pointed to the lagging scores of eighth graders on international, national, and state assessments as evidence that students are not prepared to meet high academic standards and that middle grades reform is needed. In response to these concerns, educators have introduced reforms designed to provide middle-level…

English Language Arts Scores among Sixth Grade Students Enrolled on an Elementary versus Middle School Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, La-Trice

2013-01-01

A K-12 school district located in southern California was faced with overcrowding at 1of its middle schools for the 2011-2012 school year. This project study was designed to explore if an elementary or middle school campus was best in supporting students' academics while they were in transition to 6th grade middle school. Maslow's hierarchy of…

Teachers Use Tools and Strategies to Engage Students in Grade-Level Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2013

2013-01-01

This newsletter of best practices in implementing the High Schools That Work (HSTW), Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) and Technology Centers That Work (TCTW) school improvement models is based on presentations at the 27th Annual HSTW Staff Development Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the summer of 2013. The newsletter is divided up into…

ROOTing Out Meaning: More Morphemic Analysis for Primary Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mountain, Lee

2005-01-01

In an elementary-school professional development program, a group of primary teachers and a university consultant reviewed the research on morphemic analysis and then explored ways to give pupils in grades 1, 2, and 3 an early start on using prefixes, suffixes, and roots to construct word meaning. The teachers examined some middle-grade strategies…

Joint Trajectories of Bullying and Peer Victimization across Elementary and Middle School and Associations with Symptoms of Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haltigan, John D.; Vaillancourt, Tracy

2014-01-01

The joint development of trajectories of bullying perpetration and peer victimization from Grade 5 to Grade 8 and concurrent and predictive associations with parent- and child-reported symptoms of psychopathology (anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and somatization) were examined in a large sample (N = 695) of Canadian…

Using Written Work to Investigate Stages in Sixth-Grade Students' Construction and Coordination of Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulrich, Catherine; Wilkins, Jesse L. M.

2017-01-01

Background: Students' ability to construct and coordinate units has been found to have far-reaching implications for their ability to develop sophisticated understandings of key middle-grade mathematical topics such as fractions, ratios, proportions, and algebra, topics that form the base of understanding for most STEM-related fields. Most of the…

[East Syracuse-Minoa Schools Environmental Education Materials, Middle School Package, Grade 7--Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

East Syracuse - Minoa Central Schools, East Syracuse, NY.

These five environmental education science units are designed for use in the seventh grade. Skills such as note taking, organizing information, critical thinking, analysis of data, and scientific skills, and the correlation between skills and content area are emphasized throughout the units to develop in the student a greater understanding of his…

Practicing What We Teach: A Self-Study in Implementing an Inquiry-Based Curriculum in a Middle Grades Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Michael; Eick, Charles J.; Brantley-Dias, Laurie

2011-02-01

A science teacher educator returned to teaching adolescents after more than 10 years in the professoriate. We studied his beliefs, practice and daily use of inquiry pedagogy while implementing a reform-based curriculum. Reflection on practice was evidenced by a weekly journal, classroom observations and debriefings, and extensive interviews. Newly developed practical knowledge from this experience shifted the science teacher educator's beliefs away from the Piagetian structuralism espoused in prescribed curricula towards a more culturally responsive, student-driven approach to teaching science to middle grades students. The merits and limitations of curricula attempting to follow traditional scientific practices are discussed.

Data Collection Procedures and Descriptive Statistics for the Grade One Achievement Monitoring Tests (Baseline, S-1, S-2, and S-3), Coordinated Study No. 1. Working Paper 316. Report from the Project on Studies in Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Anne E.; Romberg, Thomas A.

As part of a 3-year study of arithmetic problem-solving skills in young children, pretests were administered to 180 middle class first grade students. Following each of three instructional units, another achievement test was administered. The three first grade units corresponded to the Developing Mathematical Processes curriculum and involved…

Developmental Trajectories of Compensatory Exercise and Fasting Behavior across the Middle School Years

PubMed Central

Davis, Heather A.; Guller, Leila; Smith, Gregory T.

2016-01-01

Compensatory exercise and fasting behavior, in the absence of binge eating and purging, appear to be important eating disorder behaviors that are associated with dysfunction, but little is known about these behaviors in youth. We studied the trajectories of their development in non-binge eating and non-purging girls during early adolescence. Using a longitudinal design, we assessed 564 girls six times over the three years of middle school (grades 6 through 8) and developed trajectories specifying different developmental patterns in relation to the behaviors. Prior to this period, when the girls were in 5th grade (elementary school), we assessed risk factors to predict girls’ subsequent trajectory group membership. Compensatory exercise trajectory groups included a non-engagement group, a group that increased in the behavior, and a group that decreased in the behavior. There were two fasting trajectory groups, one consistently engaging in the behavior and the other consistently not. Elementary school levels of depression, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies predicted subsequent trajectory group membership. Risk for compensatory exercise and fasting should be evaluated as early as in 5th grade. Targeted interventions should focus on girls in late elementary school or middle school, as this appears to be a critical developmental and maintenance period for compensatory exercise and fasting behavior. PMID:27544806

The Role of Executive Function in Children’s Competent Adjustment to Middle School

PubMed Central

Jacobson, Lisa A.; Williford, Amanda P.; Pianta, Robert C.

2012-01-01

Executive function (EF) skills play an important role in children’s cognitive and social functioning. These skills develop throughout childhood, concurrently with a number of developmental transitions and challenges. One of these challenges is the transition from elementary into middle-level schools, which has the potential to significantly disrupt children’s academic and social trajectories. However, little is known about the role of EF in children’s adjustment during this transition. This study investigated the relation between children’s EF skills, assessed both before and during elementary school, and sixth grade academic and social competence. In addition, the influences of the type of school setting attended in sixth grade on children’s academic and behavioral outcomes were examined. EF assessed prior to and during elementary school significantly predicted sixth grade competence, as rated by teachers and parents, in both academic and social domains, after controlling for background characteristics. The interactions between type of school setting and EF skills were significant: parents tended to report more behavioral problems and less regulatory control in children with weaker EF skills who were attending middle school. In contrast, teachers reported greater academic and behavioral difficulty in students with poorer EF attending elementary school settings. In conclusion, children’s performance-based EF skills significantly affect adjustment to the academic and behavioral demands of sixth grade, with parent report suggesting greater difficulty for children with poorer EF in settings where children are provided with less external supports (e.g., middle school). PMID:21246422

Middle School Improvement and Reform: Development and Validation of a School-Level Assessment of Climate, Cultural Pluralism, and School Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, Stephen; Felner, Robert; Shim, Minsuk; Seitsinger, Anne; Dumas, Thaddeus

2003-01-01

Examines the structure of perceived school climate and the relationship of climate dimensions to adaptation of students who attend middle-grade-level schools. The climate scales exhibited a stable dimensional structure, high levels of internal consistency, and moderate levels of stability. Ratings of multiple climate dimensions were associated…

Exploring Life Skills. Middle Grades Exploratory Vocational and Technical Education. Home Economics Education. HE 7018.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational and Technical Education Services.

This curriculum guide was developed as a resource for teachers to use in planning and implementing a competency-based instructional program at the middle school level. It contains materials for a semester-long consumer home economics course based on the North Carolina Vocational Education Program of Studies, Revised 1992. The four units of the…

Environmental Education Activities Manual, Book 3: Middle Elementary Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stapp, William B., Ed.; Cox, Dorothy A., Ed.

This activities book for the middle elementary grades is the third book of a series of six books designed to provide developmental K-12 experiences designed to support the basic environmental philosophy of spaceship earth presented in Book 1. The aims of the four activity sections of this book are to aid in developing students to make them more…

Four Professors, Three Universities, Two Modes of Technology, and One Eighth Grade Classroom: Collaboration in Middle Level Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Penny B.; Rintamaa, Margaret; Faulkner, Shawn; DiCicco, Mike

2017-01-01

This article focuses on four university teacher educators across three mid-western institutions working together to collaborate and develop a shared understanding of practice in middle level teacher education while modeling a team approach to teaching and learning. Three institutions, University of Louisville (UL), University of Kentucky (UK), and…

Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Identifying and Developing Cultural Competence with Preservice Teachers in an Introduction to Middle Level Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruppert, Nancy; Adcock, Lee T.; Crave, Jared

2017-01-01

Using five themes associated with a diversity intensive undergraduate course, preservice teachers in an upper level introduction to middle grade course described their knowledge of cultural competence using digital storytelling as the tool. Findings suggest digital storytelling provides a tool to explore and describe how cultural competence is…

The Role of Supportive Adults in Promoting Positive Development in Middle Childhood: A Population-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberle, Eva; Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly A.; Guhn, Martin; Zumbo, Bruno D.; Hertzman, Clyde

2014-01-01

The goal of this research was to examine the role of supportive adults to emotional well-being in a population of Grade 4 students attending public schools in Vancouver, Canada. Reflecting the ecology of middle childhood, we examined the extent to which perceived family, school, and neighborhood support relate to young people's self-reported…

Transforming Teaching through Arts Integration: AI Implementation Results: Middle School Reform through Effective Arts Integration Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Lori; Klos, Patricial; Grey-Hawkins, Lauren

2014-01-01

In four years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) increased sixth and seventh grade student achievement on the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) by 20% at Bates Middle School, a low performing school that had been targeted for restructuring by the state. This improvement positively correlates with the implementation of the arts integration…

The Role of the Scientific Discovery Narrative in Middle School Science Education: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arya, Diana J.; Maul, Andrew

2012-01-01

In an experimental study (N = 209), the authors compared the effects of exposure to typical middle-school written science content when presented in the context of the scientific discovery narrative and when presented in a more traditional nonnarrative format on 7th and 8th grade students in the United States. The development of texts was…

Design and Technology Productions among Middle School Students: An Indian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khunyakari, Ritesh; Mehrotra, Swati; Chunawala, Sugra; Natarajan, Chitra

2007-01-01

The focus of this paper is students' design productions as they engaged in designing and making a windmill model to lift a given weight. This work is part of a project on the development of design and technology (D&T) education units and its trials among Indian middle school students (Grade 6, age 11-14 years) in different socio-cultural…

College and Career Readiness in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Mary Beth; Rivera, Lourdes M.

2012-01-01

The development and implementation of a comprehensive and systemic career development program, The Career Institute, provided the mechanism through which one school community addressed students' career development and college readiness needs while also attending to their academic and personal-social development. The Career Institute consisted of a…

Comprehension Strategies for Middle Grade Learners: A Handbook for Content Area Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Charlotte Rose

Although students are expected to read and comprehend grade-level texts by the time they reach middle school, classroom teachers are constantly challenged to instruct students who have difficulty comprehending what they read. But how does a middle school teacher approach this task, particularly a teacher with limited experience in reading…

New Middle Schools for New Futures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Anthony

2009-01-01

In 2000, Gayle Andrews and this author published "Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century," in which they summarized their analysis of the conditions of middle grades education at the turn of the century. Now, nearly a decade later, what is the state of middle grades education? On the one hand, federal mandates…

Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in the Middle Grades. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, Barry; Billig, Shelley H.

From a synthesis of findings culled from a study that examined partnerships of families and communities with middle schools at multiple sites, researchers derived eight "lessons" that can help foster understanding of the nature of family-school partnerships in the middle grades. Researchers also elaborated implications of these lessons,…

Prioritizing Elementary School Writing Instruction: Cultivating Middle School Readiness for Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciullo, Stephen; Mason, Linda

2017-01-01

Helping elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) prepare for the rigor of middle school writing is an instructional priority. Fortunately, several standards-based skills in upper elementary school and middle school overlap. Teachers in upper elementary grades, specifically fourth and fifth grades, have the opportunity to provide…

The Need for Large-Scale, Longitudinal Empirical Studies in Middle Level Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mertens, Steven B.; Caskey, Micki M.; Flowers, Nancy

2016-01-01

This essay describes and discusses the ongoing need for large-scale, longitudinal, empirical research studies focused on middle grades education. After a statement of the problem and concerns, the essay describes and critiques several prior middle grades efforts and research studies. Recommendations for future research efforts to inform policy…

Academic Social Networking Brings Web 2.0 Technologies to the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taranto, Gregory; Dalbon, Melissa; Gaetano, Julie

2011-01-01

The middle grades are an exciting time for adolescents to explore, learn, and collaborate with one another (National Middle School Association, 2010). By incorporating an academic social network as part of the classroom experience, collaboration and active learning take on new forms, and a transformation from passive learning to active learning…

Prospective Middle Grade Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge of Algebra for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Rongjin; Kulm, Gerald

2012-01-01

This study examined prospective middle grade mathematics teachers' knowledge of algebra for teaching with a focus on knowledge for teaching the concept of function. 115 prospective teachers from an interdisciplinary program for mathematics and science middle teacher preparation at a large public university in the USA participated in a survey. It…

Metacognitive instruction in middle school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonney, Dianna

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the extent to which metacognitive instruction affected students' performance in the middle-grade science classroom. Conducted with four seventh grade science classes over a three-month time period, 105 students were engaged in 21 metacognitively enhanced lessons. Both quantitative and qualitative data sources were collected for this study and analyzed according to grounded theory methodology. Quantitative data came from the Jr. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, administered as a pre-post test. Qualitative teacher-generated data was collected in a metacognitive observation protocol containing observations and reflections while student-generated data was gathered from reflective journal entries, modified rubrics, and checklists. Analysis of the data led to the assertions that metacognitive development occurred over time through systematic and varied implementation of explicit instruction. In addition, students perceived they learned best both when working collaboratively and when making multiple connections with content material. Implications for middle-grade teachers include the need for explicit instruction of metacognitive strategies, providing for instructional variation and student collaboration, and guiding students in making connections to prior learning.

The development of science achievement in middle and high school. Individual differences and school effects.

PubMed

Ma, Xin; Wilkins, Jesse L M

2002-08-01

Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), hierarchical linear models (HLMs) were used to model the growth of student science achievement in three areas (biology, physical science, and environmental science) during middle and high school. Results showed significant growth in science achievement across all areas. The growth was quadratic across all areas, with rapid growth at the beginning grades of middle school but slow growth at the ending grades of high school. At the student level, socioeconomic status (SES) and age were related to the rate of growth in all areas. There were no gender differences in the rate of growth in any of the three areas. At the school level, variables associated with school context (school mean SES and school size) and variables associated with school climate (principal leadership, academic expectation, and teacher autonomy) were related to the growth in science achievement. Initial (Grade 7) status in science achievement was not associated with the rate of growth in science achievement among either students or schools in any of the three areas.

Ways.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finnucan, Donna; And Others

1985-01-01

Describes an elementary art program that teaches children to use clay, a course in which middle-grade students made pottery using old plaster greenware molds, and an art class in which middle-grade students made Indian jewelry. (RM)

Benefits of Single-Gender Education: Perceptions of Middle Grade Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nattress, Deborah A.

2013-01-01

This quantitative study used descriptive statistics to evaluate data obtained from 179 middle grade teachers, grades 5-9, currently working in a single-gender environment, including public, private, and charter schools, with regard to the academic and behavioral benefits of single-gender education. The study used a survey created by Dr. John Fry…

Teaching the Middle School Grade-Level Outcomes with Standards-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avery, Marybell; Rettig, Brad

2015-01-01

This article focuses on the grade-level outcomes to be assessed on middle school (grades 6-8) physical education. Specifically, the article describes how to teach basic tactics and strategies while applying fundamental movement patterns to the various game and movement categories (invasion, net/wall, target, fielding/striking, dance/rhythms, &…

Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades. Education Outlook. No. 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Trish; Rosin, Matthew; Kirst, Michael W.

2011-01-01

Educators and policymakers have debated in recent years how best to improve academic performance in the middle grades. In the absence of outcomes-based research about what works, school districts have reshuffled grade configurations, bolstered their focus on "academic rigor," and worked to ensure that students are engaged in school as…

Greystone: A Family Lives Here

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Canada, 2009

2009-01-01

This article features Greystone Centennial Middle School, one of two middle schools in Parkland School Division, on the western edge of Edmonton, Alberta. About 500 students attend the school, which encompasses Grades 5-9. It's organized into two "loops": (1) a three-year loop (Grades 5-7); and (2) a two-year loop (Grades 8 and 9). The…

Inclusive Education in the United States: Middle School General Education Teachers' Approaches to Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Megan

2014-01-01

Research examined how three middle school teachers included students with disabilities in their general education classrooms. Purposive sampling was used to select a sixth grade science teacher, seventh grade social studies teacher, and eighth grade math teacher whose classrooms were identified as exemplifying the characteristics of inclusive…

Factors Affecting Literacy Achievement of Eighth Grade Middle School Instrumental Music Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Johnny T.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this pretest-posttest comparative efficacy study was to analyze factors affecting literacy achievement of eighth grade middle school instrumental music students (n = 38) including (a) socioeconomic status (SES), (b) gender, (c) grade point average (GPA), (d) music motivation, (e) music involvement, and (f) instrument section. The…

Relationships of French and English Morphophonemic Orthographies to Word Reading, Spelling, and Reading Comprehension during Early and Middle Childhood

PubMed Central

Abbott, Robert D.; Fayol, Michel; Casalis, Séverine; Nagy, William; Berninger, Virginia W.

2016-01-01

Two longitudinal studies of word reading, spelling, and reading comprehension identified commonalities and differences in morphophonemic orthographies—French (Study 1, n=1313) or English (Study 2, n=114) in early childhood (grade 2) and middle childhood (grade 5). For French and English, statistically significant concurrent relationships among these literacy skills occurred in grades 2 and 5, and longitudinal relationships for each skill with itself from grade 2 to 5; but concurrent relationships were more sizable and longitudinal relationships more variable for English than French especially for word reading to reading comprehension. Results show that, for both morphophonemic orthographies, assessment and instructional practices should be tailored to early or middle childhood, and early childhood reading comprehension may not be related to middle childhood spelling. Also discussed are findings applying only to English, for which word origin is primarily Anglo-Saxon in early childhood, but increasingly French in middle childhood. PMID:27818573

From Middle School to College: Developing Aspirations, Promoting Engagement, and Indirect Pathways from Parenting to Post High School Enrollment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Nancy E.; Wang, Ming-Te

2015-01-01

Based on a longitudinal sample of 1,452 African American and European American adolescents and their parents, parenting practices (i.e., monitoring, warmth, and autonomy support) at 7th grade had significant indirect effects on college enrollment 3 years post high school, through their effects on aspirations, school engagement, and grade point…

Sixth-Grade Students' Views of the Nature of Engineering and Images of Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karatas, Faik O.; Micklos, Amy; Bodner, George M.

2011-01-01

This study investigated the views of the nature of engineering held by 6th-grade students to provide a baseline upon which activities or curriculum materials might be developed to introduce middle-school students to the work of engineers and the process of engineering design. A phenomenographic framework was used to guide the analysis of data…

Grade-Level Differences in Future-Oriented Self-Concept during Early Adolescence: Potential Relevance to School Nursing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoddard, Sarah A.; Pierce, Jennifer; Schmidt, Carissa J.

2016-01-01

The middle school and early high school years are a time of significant development, including an increasing ability to envision oneself in the future. Little is known about how adolescents' future-oriented self-concept (i.e., possible selves) differs across grade levels, although this knowledge may aid in establishing rapport with students and…

Challenges Inherent in the Design and Implementation of After-School Intervention Programs for Middle Grade Underachieving Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velten, Justin; Mokhtari, Kouider

2016-01-01

In this brief report, we share three challenges we encountered when designing and implementing an after school intervention program for an ethnically diverse group of middle grade underachieving readers. We also offer practical solutions to help guide middle school teams in anticipating and addressing potential problems when putting in place…

"Think Bigger about Science": Using Twitter for Learning in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Ryan; Bishop, Penny

2016-01-01

This article examines the use of Twitter as a learning tool in a middle grades science classroom. Relevant research, the direct experience of the teacher leading this unique initiative, and the invaluable perspectives of his middle level students are included to inform interested stakeholders. Following a discussion of open versus closed digital…

She Is So Popular: A Study of Sixth Grade Girls' Views on Popularity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Debra Ann

In this qualitative study, five female students in the sixth grade were interviewed and surveyed about their views on popularity at their urban middle school in Ohio. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether middle school girls engaged in academic competition, to describe their subjective experiences of popularity in middle school,…

Starting Again in the Middle: The Middle Start Initiative [with] Executive Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michigan League for Human Services, Detroit.

This study sought to demonstrate that Michigan middle-grades schools can become more effective learning environments for young adolescents. A total of 224 Michigan schools participated in a teacher and administrator survey, 101 of which also conducted student surveys, reaching over 45,600 students in the fifth to ninth grades. Part 1, "Early…

Habla Con Ellos--Talk to Them: Latinas/os, Achievement, and the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salas, Spencer; Jones, Jeanneine P.; Perez, Theresa; Fitchett, Paul G.; Kissau, Scott

2013-01-01

Culture plays a critical role in the most effective middle schools (NMSA, 2010), and the Education Department at University of North Carolina at Charlotte considers transnational children of immigration to be a great wealth, a rich blessing. This Department works tirelessly to equip today's middle grades teachers to serve this group of…

An Analysis of Approaches to Goal Setting in Middle Grades Personalized Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMink-Carthew, Jessica; Olofson, Mark W.; LeGeros, Life; Netcoh, Steven; Hennessey, Susan

2017-01-01

This study investigated the goal-setting approaches of 11 middle grades teachers during the first year of their implementation of a statewide, personalized learning initiative. As an increasing number of middle level schools explore personalized learning, there is an urgent need for empirical research in this area. Goal setting is a critical…

The Trajectory of Popularity Goal during the Transition to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawes, Molly; Xie, Hongling

2017-01-01

The trajectory of early adolescents' popularity goal during the transition to middle school was examined in a diverse sample of 401 students. Popularity goal was assessed at five time points from the spring semester of fifth grade through the spring semester of seventh grade with the transition to middle school occurring between the fifth and…

Impacts of a University-School Partnership on Middle School Students' Fractional Knowledge: A Quasiexperimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Utkun; Tunç-Pekkan, Zelha; Taylan, Rukiye Didem; Birgili, Bengi; Özcan, Mustafa

2018-01-01

In this quasiexperimental study, the authors investigated the effects of university within school partnership model, within which faculty members acted as teacher-researchers to improve fractional knowledge among middle school (Grades 5-8) students. Students in nine Grade 6 mathematics classes from two public middle schools in Turkey were assigned…

Nutrition intake and physical activity in a middle school in New York City.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Marisol; Feinstein, Ronald; Iezzi, Carina; Fisher, Martin

2015-08-01

The threat of childhood obesity has never been greater. Behavior changes implemented during childhood and adolescence are believed to be the most successful means of thwarting the progression of this epidemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a public health campaign that promotes awareness of clinical guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. The campaign is based on a concept developed by the Maine Center for Public Health referred to as "5-2-1-0 Healthy". The simple clear message of this concept outlines steps families can take to help prevent and treat childhood obesity. The purpose of the present study is to determine the current level of compliance and health education needs of a middle school population related to the "5-2-1-0" concept. A modified version of the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was distributed to students at a private, nonsectarian, middle school in New York City. The school is located in the borough of Manhattan, but includes youngsters from all five boroughs of the city. The questions were grouped and analyzed according to "5-2-1-0" categories. Surveys were scored, and the association between targeted questionnaire items and demographic variables (i.e., sex and grade) was examined. All 140 students completed the survey, and there was great variability in their responses to both the nutrition and physical activity questions. Of all students, 65% reported eating one cup or more of fruit daily, and 38% reported eating one cup or more of vegetables daily. There was no statistically significant difference reported in consumption of fruits or vegetables by gender or grade. Over 60% of students indicated <2 h of DVD/video or computer/video game time per day, while 10% indicated more than 3 h per day for each. A significant difference existed in the screen time reported between grades (more screen time by the older students) and a statistically significant difference also existed in the amount of physical activity reported by gender and grade (more physical activity by males and younger students). There was no difference in the reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by gender or grade. In a cohort of middle school students in New York City, there was great variability in compliance with the principles represented by the "5-2-1-0" concept. Changes in health behaviors were noted as students went from 6th to 7th to 8th grade, with physical activity decreasing and screen time increasing. Consequently, health curriculum topics for middle school students should focus on physical activity and screen time, while continuing to emphasize the need for proper nutrition.

Project Math-Co. Career Based Math Text Book Produced Entirely by Eighth Grade Students at Wiscasset Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiscasset Middle School, ME.

This career-based mathematics text book was written for eighth grade students by eighth grade students at Wiscasset Middle School, Wiscasset, Maine. The text has an innovative format and features interviews with various townspeople of Wiscasset concerning their occupations; from the interviews, information is presented about training needed,…

Strategic Reading Groups: Guiding Readers in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berne, Jennifer; Degener, Sophie C.

2012-01-01

Strategic grouping can transform reading instruction in the middle grades from a hit-or-miss learning experience to a targeted, responsive one. This book features a practical and field-tested model for small-group differentiated reading instruction in Grades 4-8. Jennifer Berne and Sophie C. Degener offer a clear, detailed discussion of how to…

Grade-Aligned Math Instruction for Secondary Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browder, Diane M.; Jimenez, Bree A.; Trela, Katherine

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of grade-aligned math instruction on math skill acquisition of four middle schools with moderate intellectual disability. Teachers were trained to follow a task analysis to teach grade-aligned math to middle school students using adapted math problem stories and graphic organizers. The teacher…

Linking Literature with Life: The NCSS Standards and Children's Literature for the Middle Grades. NCSS Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandmann, Alexa L.; Ahern, John F.

Three significant changes have impacted the teaching of social studies to young adolescents in the past decade: (1) development of the curriculum standards for social studies by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); (2) growth in the number of middle schools, which are premised on the integration of content; and (3) expansive use of…

A Multiple Case Study Analysis of Middle Grades Social Studies Teachers' Instructional Use of Digital Technology with Academically Talented Students at Three High-Performing Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheffield, Caroline C.

2009-01-01

Appropriate education for academically talented students incorporates the use of complex thinking skills, and encourages the development of interpersonal and leadership skills. One potential tool to achieve these goals is the use of instructional technology. Siegle (2004a, 2005) suggests that it is particularly appropriate to utilize technology…

Impairment of facial recognition in patients with right cerebral infarcts quantified by computer aided "morphing".

PubMed Central

Rösler, A; Lanquillon, S; Dippel, O; Braune, H J

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate where facial recognition is located anatomically and to establish whether there is a graded transition from unimpaired recognition of faces to complete prosopagnosia after infarctions in the territory of the middle cerebral artery. METHODS: A computerised morphing program was developed which shows 30 frames gradually changing from portrait photographs of unfamiliar persons to those of well known persons. With a standardised protocol, 31 patients with right and left sided infarctions in the territory of the middle cerebral artery and an age and sex matched control group were compared by non-parametric tests. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Facial recognition in patients with right sided lesions was significantly impaired compared with controls and with patients with left sided lesions. A graded impairment in facial recognition in patients with right sided ischaemic infarcts in the territory of the middle cerebral artery seems to exist. Images PMID:9069481

An exploration of equitable science teaching practices for students with learning disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Marlene

In this study, a mixed methods approach was used to gather descriptive exploratory information regarding the teaching of science to middle grades students with learning disabilities within a general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' beliefs and their practices concerning providing equitable opportunities for students with learning disabilities in a general education science classroom. Equitable science teaching practices take into account each student's differences and uses those differences to inform instructional decisions and tailor teaching practices based on the student's individualized learning needs. Students with learning disabilities are similar to their non-disabled peers; however, they need some differentiation in instruction to perform to their highest potential achievement levels (Finson, Ormsbee, & Jensen, 2011). In the quantitative phase, the purpose of the study was to identify patterns in the beliefs of middle grades science teachers about the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the general education classroom. In the qualitative phase, the purpose of the study was to present examples of instruction in the classrooms of science education reform-oriented middle grades science teachers. The quantitative phase of the study collected data from 274 sixth through eighth grade teachers in the State of Florida during the 2007--2008 school year using The Teaching Science to Students with Learning Disabilities Inventory. Overall, the quantitative findings revealed that middle grades science teachers held positive beliefs about the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the general education science classroom. The qualitative phase collected data from multiple sources (interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts) to develop two case studies of reform-oriented middle grades science teachers who were expected to provide equitable science teaching practices. Based on their responses to The Teaching Science to Students with Learning Disabilities Inventory, the case study teachers demonstrated characteristics of successful teachers of diverse learners developed by Lynch (2000). Overall, the qualitative findings revealed that the case study teachers were unsure how to provide equitable science teaching practices to all students, particularly to students with learning disabilities. They provided students with a variety of learning experiences that entailed high expectations for all; however, these experiences were similar for all students. Had the teachers fully implemented equitable science teaching practices, students would have had multiple options for taking in the information and making sense of it in each lesson. Teaching that includes using a variety of validated practices that take into account students' individualized learning needs can promote aspects of equitable science teaching practices. Finally, this study provides implications for teacher education programs and professional development programs. As teachers implement science education reform efforts related to equitable science teaching practices, both teacher education programs and professional development programs should include opportunities for teachers to reflect on their beliefs about how students with learning disabilities learn and provide them with a variety of validated teaching practices that will assist them in teaching students with learning disabilities in the general education classroom while implementing science reform efforts.

An International Look at Educating Young Adolescents. The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mertens, Steven B., Ed; Anfara, Vincent A., Ed.; Roney, Kathleen, Ed.

2009-01-01

Studies like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have compared the performance of U.S. middle grade students (i.e., eighth graders) to those in other countries. In relation to middle grade schools, 20 countries outperformed the United States in mathematics and nine countries scored above the U.S. in science. The intent of…

The Influence of Grade-Span Configuration on Student Performance in K-8 Schools and Middle Schools in New Jersey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Edward W.

2010-01-01

Recent literature casts unfavorable light upon the middle school as the most appropriate grade configuration in which to effectively educate young adolescents. The current criticism of middle schools may be fueled, in part, by "A Nation at Risk," the "No Child Left Behind Act," and a growing subsequent emphasis on…

The Concerns and Attitudes of Early Adolescent Middle School Students in Transition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sierer, Timothy M.; Winfield, Linda F.

Junior high schools have been blamed for failing to meet the needs of early adolescents. Proponents of the new middle school structure favored moving grade nine to the high school and moving grade five and or six from the elementary school to the new structural organization. The uniqueness of the middle school is in how the philosophy behind this…

The Role of Parental Influences on Young Adolescents' Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Briana K.; Whiston, Susan C.

2008-01-01

The relationship between specific parental behaviors and the career development of young adolescents was assessed. Regression analyses revealed that parental behaviors did relate to the career development of middle school students, after controlling for student grade level and gender. Parental behaviors tended to relate more to career…

Ecology: Learning To Love Our Planet. A Self-Directed Learning Experience. Grades K-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enz, Judith; Diffenderfer, Susan

This self-directed study unit for grades K-3 and 4-8 was developed expressly to transport the student from the position of passive recipient to active participant in his/her own pursuit of knowledge. Within the guide are two complete units: one created for the lower elementary student and one for the upper elementary/middle school student. Units…

A Teacher's Guide to the Energy 80 Student Booklet for the 1981-82 School Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, John, Ed.

This teaching guide was developed for use with Energy 80 program student booklets. Although the program was designed for junior high/middle school students in science/social studies classes, it is indicated that the materials are suitable for use at higher grades and, to a lesser extent, in upper elementary grades. The first 80 pages of the guide…

Law and Order in Grade 6-E: A Story of Chaos and Innovation in a Ghetto School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, M. Kimbrough

This book deals with the development and details of a variant of the open classroom technique, based upon the author's experiences as a sixth grade teacher at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Roxbury Massachusetts Middle School. The system has four major differences from conventional classrooms: (1) Kids sit in groups spread around the room rather than…

Interrelating Selected Aspects of Home Economics and Physical Education for a Health Program in the Middle School at the Sixth Grade Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Virginia Malzahn

This study was conducted to develop, implement, and evaluate a 9-week unit interrelating the health aspects of home economics and physical education at the sixth grade level. The curriculum, which emphasizes physical, social, and mental health, was designed by: (1) diagnosing needs of the students, (2) formulating specific objectives, (3)…

Philosophy behind and Pros & Cons of Various Grade Configurations. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Karen

2003-01-01

The most common configuration for the middle level is for grades 6-8 to be housed together. Although not a common configuration, there are some ninth grade only campuses sprinkled throughout the United States. Many of these schools were designed to address overcrowding issues either at the middle or high school while some were designed to help…

"STEMming" the Swell of Absenteeism in Urban Middle Grade Schools: Impacts of a Summer Robotics Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Martha Abele; Mac Iver, Douglas J.

2014-01-01

Attendance is probably the most fundamental behavioral indicator of student engagement with school. Though many students fall off-track to success for the first time in ninth grade, poor attendance patterns often begin increasing in middle school and become worse in high school. Missing school during the secondary grades can often be traced to low…

Mentoring and Academic Performance of Black and Under-Resourced Urban Middle Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biggs, Shirley A.; Musewe, Lucas O.; Harvey, Jean P.

2014-01-01

Our study examines the impact of adult mentoring on Black, under-resourced, urban, middle grade students. First, we explore impact of mentoring on grades earned in the context of a comprehensive program which included one-on-one mentoring and an array of out-of-school enrichment activities. We also examine the nature of mentor-mentee engagement…

Statistical Content in Middle Grades Mathematics Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickle, Maria Consuelo Capiral

2012-01-01

This study analyzed the treatment and scope of statistical concepts in four, widely-used, contemporary, middle grades mathematics textbook series: "Glencoe Math Connects," "Prentice Hall Mathematics," "Connected Mathematics Project," and "University of Chicago School Mathematics Project." There were three…

Teaching Middle-Grades Mathematics through Financial Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford-Ferre, Heather Glynn; Wiest, Lynda R.; Vega, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Because financial literacy is an important skill for middle-grades students, this article suggests numerous personal financial literacy tasks for use in the mathematics classroom. Also provided are specifics for implementing one of these tasks to address mathematical content.

Developing Critical and Historical Thinking Skills in Middle Grades Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waring, Scott M.; Robinson, Kirk S.

2010-01-01

The author describes a social studies unit designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The lessons give students opportunities to analyze multiple perspectives, use multiple sources when conducting research, and construct historical narratives through the creation of a digital historical biography.

Using Students' Interests as Algebraic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whaley, Kenneth A.

2012-01-01

Fostering algebraic thinking is an important goal for middle-grades mathematics teachers. Developing mathematical reasoning requires that teachers cultivate students' habits of mind. Teachers develop students' understanding of algebra by engaging them in tasks that involve modeling and representation. This study was designed to investigate how…

Developmental trajectories of compensatory exercise and fasting behavior across the middle school years.

PubMed

Davis, Heather A; Guller, Leila; Smith, Gregory T

2016-12-01

Compensatory exercise and fasting behavior, in the absence of binge eating and purging, appear to be important eating disorder behaviors that are associated with dysfunction, but little is known about these behaviors in youth. We studied the trajectories of their development in non-binge eating and non-purging girls during early adolescence. Using a longitudinal design, we assessed 564 girls six times over the three years of middle school (grades 6 through 8) and developed trajectories specifying different developmental patterns in relation to the behaviors. Prior to this period, when the girls were in 5th grade (elementary school), we assessed risk factors to predict girls' subsequent trajectory group membership. Compensatory exercise trajectory groups included a non-engagement group, a group that increased in the behavior, and a group that decreased in the behavior. There were two fasting trajectory groups, one consistently engaging in the behavior and the other consistently not. Elementary school levels of depression, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies predicted subsequent trajectory group membership. Risk for compensatory exercise and fasting should be evaluated as early as in 5th grade. Targeted interventions should focus on girls in late elementary school or middle school, as this appears to be a critical developmental and maintenance period for compensatory exercise and fasting behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Problem Based Learning and the scientific process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuchardt, Daniel Shaner

This research project was developed to inspire students to constructively use problem based learning and the scientific process to learn middle school science content. The student population in this study consisted of male and female seventh grade students. Students were presented with authentic problems that are connected to physical and chemical properties of matter. The intent of the study was to have students use the scientific process of looking at existing knowledge, generating learning issues or questions about the problems, and then developing a course of action to research and design experiments to model resolutions to the authentic problems. It was expected that students would improve their ability to actively engage with others in a problem solving process to achieve a deeper understanding of Michigan's 7th Grade Level Content Expectations, the Next Generation Science Standards, and a scientific process. Problem based learning was statistically effective in students' learning of the scientific process. Students statistically showed improvement on pre to posttest scores. The teaching method of Problem Based Learning was effective for seventh grade science students at Dowagiac Middle School.

Truth-Beauty-Goodness: Philosophy Units for Gifted Students (Middle and Secondary Grade Levels). Programs for Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolman, Peter

This document, one in a series of nine units of study developed for middle and junior high school gifted students outlines an introduction to philosophy based on Mortimer Adler's conceptions. Adler simplified the study of logic into the study of truth, the study of aesthetics to that of beauty, and distilled the study of ethics to the study of…

The Chancellor's Model School Project (CMSP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopez, Gil

1999-01-01

What does it take to create and implement a 7th to 8th grade middle school program where the great majority of students achieve at high academic levels regardless of their previous elementary school backgrounds? This was the major question that guided the research and development of a 7-year long project effort entitled the Chancellor's Model School Project (CMSP) from September 1991 to August 1998. The CMSP effort conducted largely in two New York City public schools was aimed at creating and testing a prototype 7th and 8th grade model program that was organized and test-implemented in two distinct project phases: Phase I of the CMSP effort was conducted from 1991 to 1995 as a 7th to 8th grade extension of an existing K-6 elementary school, and Phase II was conducted from 1995 to 1998 as a 7th to 8th grade middle school program that became an integral part of a newly established 7-12th grade high school. In Phase I, the CMSP demonstrated that with a highly structured curriculum coupled with strong academic support and increased learning time, students participating in the CMSP were able to develop a strong foundation for rigorous high school coursework within the space of 2 years (at the 7th and 8th grades). Mathematics and Reading test score data during Phase I of the project, clearly indicated that significant academic gains were obtained by almost all students -- at both the high and low ends of the spectrum -- regardless of their previous academic performance in the K-6 elementary school experience. The CMSP effort expanded in Phase II to include a fully operating 7-12 high school model. Achievement gains at the 7th and 8th grade levels in Phase II were tempered by the fact that incoming 7th grade students' academic background at the CMSP High School was significantly lower than students participating in Phase 1. Student performance in Phase II was also affected by the broadening of the CMSP effort from a 7-8th grade program to a fully functioning 7-12 high school which as a consequence lessened the focus and structure available to the 7-8th grade students and teachers -- as compared to Phase I. Nevertheless, the CMSP does represent a unique curriculum model for 7th and 8th grade students in urban middle schools. Experience in both Phase I and Phase II of the project allowed the CMSP to be developed and tested along the broad range of parameters and characteristics that embody an operating public school in an urban environment.

Individual differences in anxiety trajectories from Grades 2 to 8: Impact of the middle school transition.

PubMed

Nelemans, Stefanie A; Hale, William W; Branje, Susan J T; Meeus, Wim H J; Rudolph, Karen D

2017-11-21

This study examined the impact of the middle school transition on general anxiety trajectories from middle childhood to middle adolescence, as well as how youths' individual vulnerability and exposure to contextual stressors were associated with anxiety trajectories. Participants were 631 youth (47% boys, M age = 7.96 years at Time 1), followed for 7 successive years from second to eighth grade. Teachers reported on youths' individual vulnerability to anxiety (anxious solitude) in second grade; youth reported on their anxiety in second to eighth grade and aspects of their social contexts particularly relevant to the school transition (school hassles, peer victimization, parent-child relationship quality, and friendship quality) in sixth to eighth grade. The results revealed two subgroups that showed either strongly increasing (5%) or decreasing (14%) levels of anxiety across the transition and two subgroups with fairly stable levels of either high (11%) or low (70%) anxiety over time. Youth in the latter two subgroups could be distinguished based on their individual vulnerability to anxiety, whereas youth with increasing anxiety reported more contextual stressors and less contextual support than youth with decreasing anxiety. In sum, findings suggest that the middle school transition has the potential to alter developmental trajectories of anxiety for some youth, for better or for worse.

Multiracial in Middle School: The Influence of Classmates and Friends on Changes in Racial Self-Identification.

PubMed

Echols, Leslie; Ivanich, Jerreed; Graham, Sandra

2017-11-27

In the present research, the influence of racial diversity among classmates and friends on changes in racial self-identification among multiracial youth was examined (n = 5,209; M age  = 10.56 years at the beginning of sixth grade). A novel individual-level measure of diversity among classmates based on participants' course schedules was utilized. The findings revealed that although there was some fluidity in multiracial identification at the beginning of middle school, changes in multiracial identification were more evident later in middle school. In addition, although diversity among classmates and friends both increased the likelihood of multiracial identification in the beginning of middle school, only diversity among friends mattered later in middle school, when fluidity in multiracial identification was at its peak. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Transitioning to Middle School in the Sixth Grade: A Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) Analysis of Substance Use, Violence, and Suicidal Thoughts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Whitney D.; Bakken, Nicholas W.

2010-01-01

In recent years, public schools have moved away from traditional grade configurations with junior high schools and have shifted toward integrating sixth-grade students into middle schools. It has been argued that the effect this will have on students is to allow for additional freedom and earlier social growth. However, the counterargument to this…

Transitions between subclasses of bullying and victimization when entering middle school.

PubMed

Williford, Anne; Boulton, Aaron J; Jenson, Jeffrey M

2014-01-01

We examined the effects of depressive symptoms, antisocial attitudes, and perspective-taking empathy on patterns of bullying and victimization during the transition from late elementary (4th grade to 5th grade) to middle school (6th grade) among 1,077 students who participated in the Youth Matters (YM) bullying prevention trial. Latent transition analysis was used to establish classes of bullying, victimization, bully-victimization, and uninvolvement. The intervention had a positive impact on children as they moved from elementary to middle school. More students in the YM group transitioned from the involved statuses to the uninvolved status than students in the control group during the move to middle school. Elementary school bullies with higher levels of depressive symptoms were less likely than other students to move to an uninvolved status in the first year of middle school. Students who held greater antisocial attitudes were more likely to be a member of the bully-victim status than the uninvolved status during the move to middle school. Perspective-taking empathy, however, was not a significant predictor of status change during the transition to middle school. Implications for school-based prevention programs during the move to middle school are noted. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Expanding the "CBAL"™ Mathematics Assessments to Elementary Grades: The Development of a Competency Model and a Rational Number Learning Progression. Research Report. ETS RR-14-08

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arieli-Attali, Meirav; Cayton-Hodges, Gabrielle

2014-01-01

Prior work on the "CBAL"™ mathematics competency model resulted in an initial competency model for middle school grades with several learning progressions (LPs) that elaborate central ideas in the competency model and provide a basis for connecting summative and formative assessment. In the current project, we created a competency model…

Sixth Grade Students' Development of Historical Perspective: World War II and the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogawa, Masato

This study investigated how the use of various teaching methods influenced perspective taking skills of sixth grade middle school students during a unit of instruction on World War II. Three questions directed the study: (1) What do students know about World War II prior to a unit of study on World War II; (2) What do students know about World War…

The Effects of Student and Text Characteristics on the Oral Reading Fluency of Middle-Grade Students

PubMed Central

Barth, Amy E.; Tolar, Tammy D.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Francis, David

2014-01-01

We evaluated the effects of student characteristics (sight word reading efficiency, phonological decoding, verbal knowledge, level of reading ability, grade, gender) and text features (passage difficulty, length, genre, and language and discourse attributes) on the oral reading fluency of a sample of middle-school students in Grades 6–8 (N = 1,794). Students who were struggling (n = 704) and typically developing readers (n = 1,028) were randomly assigned to read five 1-min passages from each of 5 Lexile bands (within student range of 550 Lexiles). A series of multilevel analyses showed that student and text characteristics contributed uniquely to oral reading fluency rates. Student characteristics involving sight word reading efficiency and level of decoding ability accounted for more variability than reader type and verbal knowledge, with small, but statistically significant effects of grade and gender. The most significant text feature was passage difficulty level. Interactions involving student text characteristics, especially attributes involving overall ability level and difficulty of the text, were also apparent. These results support views of the development of oral reading fluency that involve interactions of student and text characteristics and highlight the importance of scaling for passage difficulty level in assessing individual differences in oral reading fluency. PMID:24567659

Characteristics of early spelling of children with Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Cordewener, Kim A H; Bosman, Anna M T; Verhoeven, Ludo

2012-01-01

The present study investigated active grapheme knowledge and early spelling of 59 first grade children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Speed, nature, and knowledge transfer of spelling acquisition were taken into account. Four orthographic characteristics that influence early spelling, namely, 'Type of Grapheme', 'Grapheme Position', 'Number of Graphemes', and 'Word Structure' were examined at the middle and at the end of first grade. At the beginning of first grade when children were between 71 and 97 months, they performed well below national norms on assessment of active grapheme knowledge. The delay in word spelling persisted, but decreased between the middle and the end of first grade. Despite this delay, the findings suggest that characteristics of early spelling for children with SLI are rather similar to those of children with typical language development. For example, children with SLI represented more graphemes at the end of first grade than at the middle of first grade, found it easier to represent the initial grapheme in words than the final or medial grapheme (Grapheme Position), were more successful spelling shorter than longer words (Number of Graphemes), and spelled words with simple structures (CVC) more accurately than those with complex structures (CVCC and CCVC; Word Structure). Finally, participants demonstrated that they can use known graphemes to spell words, but the transfer between active grapheme knowledge and word spelling was not always stable. As a result of this activity, readers will be able to explain the speed and the nature of spelling acquisition of children with SLI. As a result of this activity, readers will be able to explain what skills are most important for teachers to practice with children with SLI to improve the spelling skills of these children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining the Design Features of a Communication-Rich, Problem-Centred Mathematics Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Araujo, Zandra; Orrill, Chandra Hawley; Jacobson, Erik

2018-01-01

While there is considerable scholarship describing principles for effective professional development, there have been few attempts to examine these principles in practice. In this paper, we identify and examine the particular design features of a mathematics professional development experience provided for middle grades teachers over 14 weeks. The…

Peer relationships of bereaved siblings and comparison classmates after a child's death from cancer.

PubMed

Gerhardt, Cynthia A; Fairclough, Diane L; Grossenbacher, Julie C; Barrera, Maru; Gilmer, Mary Jo; Foster, Terrah L; Compas, Bruce E; Davies, Betty; Hogan, Nancy S; Vannatta, Kathryn

2012-03-01

To compare peer relationships among bereaved siblings and matched classmates, and to examine gender, grade level, and time since death as moderators. Families were recruited from cancer registries at four hospitals 3-12 months after a child's death. Measures of social behavior and peer acceptance were completed by children in the classrooms of 105 bereaved siblings (ages 8-17 years). Teachers also reported on children's social behavior. Three classmates were matched for gender, race, and age to each bereaved sibling to form a comparison group (n = 311). Teachers reported bereaved siblings were more prosocial than comparison classmates. Peers perceived bereaved boys as more sensitive-isolated and victimized, while bereaved siblings in elementary grades were perceived by peers as less prosocial, more sensitive-isolated, less accepted, and as having fewer friends. Peers and teachers viewed bereaved siblings in middle/high school grades as higher on leadership-popularity. Bereaved siblings who were male and in elementary grades were more vulnerable to social difficulties, while those in middle/high school may exhibit some strengths. Ongoing research to inform the development of interventions for bereaved siblings is warranted.

Examining the Impact and School-Level Predictors of Impact Variability of an 8th Grade Reading Intervention on At-Risk Students' Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fien, Hank; Anderson, Daniel; Nelson, Nancy J.; Kennedy, Patrick; Baker, Scott K.; Stoolmiller, Michael

2018-01-01

The purpose of the present article is to report on a large-scale investigation of six school districts' implementation of an initiative aimed at reducing dropout rates by improving reading achievement in the middle grades. Data for the Middle School Intervention Project (MSIP) were collected in 25 middle schools across the state of Oregon. We…

[A Case of Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis Presented with Limb-Shaking TIA].

PubMed

Uno, Junji; Mineta, Haruyuki; Ren, Nice; Takagishi, Sou; Nagaoka, Shintarou; Kameda, Katsuharu; Maeda, Kazushi; Ikai, Yoshiaki; Gi, Hidefuku

2016-07-01

Involuntary movement is a rare clinical manifestation of transient ischemic attack (TIA). However, limb-shaking TIA is well described presentation of carotid occlusive disease. We present the case of a patient who developed limb-shaking TIA associated with high-grade stenosis of middle cerebral artery (M1), which was treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). The procedure was performed successfully without complication and the symptom disappeared immediately after the procedure. The patient remained free of symptoms at the 38-month follow-up. There was no tendency of restenosis of M1. In this case, PTA was technically feasible and beneficial for limb-shaking TIA with M1 stenosis. Limb-shaking TIA can be a symptom of high-grade stenosis of M1.

Guiding without feeling guided: Implicit scaffolding through interactive simulation design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Ariel; Podolefsky, Noah; Perkins, Katherine

2013-01-01

While PhET interactive simulations (sims) were historically designed for college students, they are used at lower grade levels, and we are currently developing sims targeted at middle school (MS). In studying how MS students interact with and learn from these sims, we have been extracting insights about design for the middle-grade-levels and across K-16. This collection of work has highlighted the importance of implicit scaffolding, a design framework that reduces the amount of explicit instruction needed to facilitate learning. We present a case study of redesigning a sim - Energy Skate Park (ESP) - for effective use in MS. We conducted think-aloud interviews with MS students to identify successful features, sources of confusion or unproductive distraction, as well as features inconsistent with gradeappropriate learning goals. Drawing on these data and the principle of implicit scaffolding, we developed Energy Skate Park Basics (ESPB). Interviews on ESPB demonstrate increased usability and learning for MS students.

Predictors of scientific understanding of middle school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strate, Joshua Matthew

The purpose of this study was to determine if middle school student scientific understanding could be predicted by the variables: standardized 5th grade score in science, standardized 5th grade score in mathematics, standardized 5th grade score in reading, student attitude towards science, socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity. The areas of the comprehensive literature review were trends in science learning and teaching, research in the K-12 science education arena, what factors have influenced K-12 science education, scientific understanding, what research has been done on K-12 scientific understanding, and what factors have influenced science understanding in the K-12 arenas. Based on the results of the literature review, the researcher of this study examined a sample of middle school 8th grade students. An Attitude Towards Science Survey (SATS) Simpson & Oliver (1990) and a Survey of Scientific Understandings (Klapper, DeLucia, & Trent, 1993) were administered to these 116 middle school 8th grade students drawn from a total population of 1109 who attend this middle school in a typical county in Florida during the 2010- 2011 school year. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test each sub-hypothesis and to provide a model that attempted to predict student scientific understanding. Seven null sub-hypotheses were formed to determine if there were significant relationships between student scientific understanding and the abovementioned variables. The results of the tests of the seven null sub-hypotheses showed that the sub-hypothesis that involved socioeconomic status was rejected, which indicated that the socioeconomic status of a family does influence the level of scientific understanding of a student. Low SES students performed lower on the scientific understanding survey, on average, than high SES students. This study can be a source of information for teachers in low-income schools by recognizing potential areas of concern for low-income students in their science classrooms. The study is also a guide for administrators in developing science curriculum that is designed to remediate critical science content. Recommendations, further research, and implications for stakeholders in the science education process are then identified in order to focus on the concerns that these stakeholders need to address through a needs assessment.

Development of numerical processing in children with typical and dyscalculic arithmetic skills—a longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Landerl, Karin

2013-01-01

Numerical processing has been demonstrated to be closely associated with arithmetic skills, however, our knowledge on the development of the relevant cognitive mechanisms is limited. The present longitudinal study investigated the developmental trajectories of numerical processing in 42 children with age-adequate arithmetic development and 41 children with dyscalculia over a 2-year period from beginning of Grade 2, when children were 7; 6 years old, to beginning of Grade 4. A battery of numerical processing tasks (dot enumeration, non-symbolic and symbolic comparison of one- and two-digit numbers, physical comparison, number line estimation) was given five times during the study (beginning and middle of each school year). Efficiency of numerical processing was a very good indicator of development in numerical processing while within-task effects remained largely constant and showed low long-term stability before middle of Grade 3. Children with dyscalculia showed less efficient numerical processing reflected in specifically prolonged response times. Importantly, they showed consistently larger slopes for dot enumeration in the subitizing range, an untypically large compatibility effect when processing two-digit numbers, and they were consistently less accurate in placing numbers on a number line. Thus, we were able to identify parameters that can be used in future research to characterize numerical processing in typical and dyscalculic development. These parameters can also be helpful for identification of children who struggle in their numerical development. PMID:23898310

Business as Usual? Not for These Middle-Grades Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Heather; Wiest, Lynda

2011-01-01

A perpetual dilemma of schooling is how to help students develop skills needed for everyday life, including the work world. Quantitative literacy, also called numeracy, involves an ability to apply essential mathematics skills to authentic or near-authentic tasks. Carefully planned classroom activities can help students develop these important…

Career Development in Middle Childhood: A Qualitative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultheiss, Donna E. Palladino; Palma, Thomas V.; Manzi, Alberta J.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to explore childhood career development by examining 4th-and 5th-grade students' career and self-awareness, exploration, and career planning. Responses to written assignments provided qualitative data for analysis. Written narrative data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods as described…

Data on Enacted Curriculum Study: Summary of Findings Experimental Design Study of Effectiveness of DEC Professional Development Model in Urban Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blank, Rolf K.

2004-01-01

The purpose of the three-year CCSSO study was to design, implement, and test the effectiveness of the Data on Enacted Curriculum (DEC) model for improving math and science instruction. The model was tested by measuring its effects with a randomly selected sample of ?treatment? schools at the middle grades level as compared to a control group of…

Museums, zoos, and gardens: how formal-informal partnerships can impact urban students' performance in science.

PubMed

Weinstein, Meryle; Whitesell, Emilyn Ruble; Schwartz, Amy Ellen

2014-12-01

Informal science education institutions (ISEIs) are critical partners in public science education, as they support the science efforts of school systems by providing authentic opportunities for scientific inquiry. This study reports findings from an evaluation of urban advantage (UA), a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education and eight ISEIs designed to improve science education in New York City (NYC) middle schools. Now in its 10th year, the program harnesses the resources and expertise of NYC's ISEIs to (a) enhance the science content knowledge of middle school science teachers, (b) develop teachers' skills at using inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms, and (c) improve the science achievement of middle school students. We examine whether the UA program has led to increased student achievement on the eighth-grade New York State standardized science exam for students in participating schools; in supplemental analyses, we examine the effects on longer term (ninth-grade) outcomes. We use a difference-in-differences framework with school fixed effects to estimate the impact of attending a UA school in eighth grade on science achievement. Our key outcome is performance on New York State's eighth-grade intermediate-level science assessment; longer term outcomes include enrollment at specialized science, technology, engineering, and math high schools as well as taking and passing the high school (Regents) science exams. We find that attending a UA school increases student performance on the eighth-grade science exam by approximately 0.05 SD, and there is some evidence of small effects on Regents taking and passing rates. © The Author(s) 2014.

Early Math Trajectories: Low-Income Children's Mathematics Knowledge From Ages 4 to 11.

PubMed

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R; Hofer, Kerry G; Farran, Dale C

2017-09-01

Early mathematics knowledge is a strong predictor of later academic achievement, but children from low-income families enter school with weak mathematics knowledge. An early math trajectories model is proposed and evaluated within a longitudinal study of 517 low-income American children from ages 4 to 11. This model includes a broad range of math topics, as well as potential pathways from preschool to middle grades mathematics achievement. In preschool, nonsymbolic quantity, counting, and patterning knowledge predicted fifth-grade mathematics achievement. By the end of first grade, symbolic mapping, calculation, and patterning knowledge were the important predictors. Furthermore, the first-grade predictors mediated the relation between preschool math knowledge and fifth-grade mathematics achievement. Findings support the early math trajectories model among low-income children. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Teamwork Evaluation by Middle Grade Students in Inclusive Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Paris S.; Thompson, MaryEllen; Strom, Robert D.

2013-01-01

Teamwork skills are considered essential in a work environment characterized by diversity and interdependence. Consequently, middle grade teachers arrange cooperative learning so students can acquire experience with solving problems in groups. Teachers also acknowledge that they are frustrated because appropriate instruments are lacking to track…

The Best of the Network 1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middle Grades Reading Network, Evansville, IN.

This booklet presents descriptions of 19 reading programs that encourage Indiana middle-grade students to read. The programs described in the booklet were part of the Middle Grades Reading Network and were funded with competitive $5000 "minigrants." Essays (descriptions of the reading programs) in the booklet are: "Building a…

Enhancing Nonfiction Reading Comprehension through Online Book Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Angela Falter

2015-01-01

The introduction of Common Core State Standards has many middle grade school teachers concerned with implementing standards while retaining student reading engagement and motivation strategies. This study analyzes the effectiveness of providing social networking strategies in online book discussion groups on enhancing middle grade student reading…

Research Supporting Middle Grades Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hough, David L., Ed.

2010-01-01

Exemplary Middle Grades Research: Evidence-Based Studies Linking Theory to Practice features research published throughout 2009 in MGRJ that has been identified by the Information Age Publishing's review board as the most useful in terms of assisting educators with making practical applications from evidence-based studies to classroom and school…

The impact of a freshman academy on science performance of first-time ninth-grade students at one Georgia high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Vivian Summerour

The purpose of this within-group experimental study was to find out to what extent ninth-grade students improved their science performance beyond their middle school science performance at one Georgia high school utilizing a freshman academy model. Freshman academies have been recognized as a useful tool for increasing academic performance among ninth-grade students because they address a range of academic support initiatives tailored to improve academic performance among ninth-grade students. The talent development model developed by Legters, Balfanz, Jordan, and McPartland (2002) has served as a foundational standard for many ninth grade academy programs. A cornerstone feature of this model is the creation of small learning communities used to increase ninth-grade student performance. Another recommendation was to offer credit recovery opportunities for ninth graders along with creating parent and community involvement activities to increase academic success among ninth-grade students. While the site's program included some of the initiatives outlined by the talent development model, it did not utilize all of them. The study concluded that the academy did not show a definitive increase in academic performance among ninth-grade students since most students stayed within their original performance category.

Effect of Retention in Elementary Grades on Transition to Middle School

PubMed Central

Im, Myung Hee; Hughes, Jan H.; Kwok, Oi-man; Puckett, Stevie; Cerdia, Carissa Analise

2013-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of retention in grades 1 to 5 on students’ reading and math achievement, teacher-rated engagement, and student-reported school belonging in middle school. From a multiethnic sample (N = 784) of children who scored below the median on a test of literacy in grade 1, an average of 75 students subsequently retained in grades 1 to 5 were matched with an average of 299 continuously promoted students on the basis of propensity to be retained in the elementary grades. A total of 20 imputed datasets were analyzed, all of which showed good balance across the 67 baseline covariates used to calculate propensity scores. The hypothesis that retained students, who are “old for grade” when they make the transition to middle school, would have a more difficult transition to middle school than promoted peers was tested with 3-level, piecewise growth modeling. Piece 1 included assessments prior to the transition to middle school, and piece 2 included assessments after the transition. Retained and continuously promoted students did not differ on any of the outcome measures during the year prior to transition, nor did they differ in their post-transition trajectories. Discrepancies between these results and results of prior research are discussed in terms of demographic and generational differences as well as differences in methodological rigor. PMID:23816229

Investigating Arabic Academic Vocabulary Knowledge Among Middle School Pupils: Receptive Versus Productive Knowledge.

PubMed

Makhoul, Baha

2017-08-01

The current study attempted to investigate the development of Arabic academic vocabulary knowledge among middle-school Arabic native speakers, taking into account the socioeconomic status of the Arab population in Israel. For this purpose, Arabic academic word list was developed, mapping the required academic words that are needed for adequate coping with informational texts as appearing in the different content areas text-books. Six-hundred Arabic speaking middle school pupils from the different areas in Israel, representing the different Arab subgroups: general Arab community, Druze and Bedouins, have participated in the current study. Two academic vocabulary tests, including receptive and productive academic vocabulary evaluation tests, were administrated to the students across the different age groups (7th, 8th and 9th). The results pointed to no significant difference between 7th and 9th grade in academic vocabulary knowledge. In contrast, significant difference was encountered between the different Arab sub-groups where the lowest scores were noted among the Bedouin sub-group, characterized by the lowest SES. When comparing receptive and productive academic vocabulary knowledge between 7th and 9th grade, the results pointed to improvement in receptive academic knowledge towards the end of middle school but not on the productive knowledge level. In addition, within participants' comparison indicated a gap between the pupils' receptive and productive vocabulary. The results are discussed in relation to the existing scientific literature and to its implication of both research and practice in the domain of Arabic literacy development.

Single-gender mathematics and science classes and the effects on urban middle school boys and girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudler, Dawn M.

This study compared the differences in the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) mathematics and science achievement scores of boys and girls in Grade 7 at two urban middle schools. The data allowed the researcher to determine to what degree boys and girls in Grade 7 differ in their mathematics and science achievements within a single-gender environment versus a coeducational learning environment. The study compared any differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a single-gender environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. The study also compared differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a coeducational environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. Two middle schools were used within the study. One middle school was identified as a single-gender school (Middle School A); the other was identified as a coeducational school (Middle School B). This quantitative study applied the use of a descriptive research design. In addition, CRCT scores for the subjects of mathematics and science were taken during the spring of 2008 from both middle schools. Data were measured using descriptive statistics and independent t test calculations. The frequency statistics proceeded to compare each sample performance levels. The data were described in means, standard deviations, standard error means, frequency, and percentages. This method provided an excellent description of a sample scored on the spring 2008 CRCT mathematics and science assessments.

The Relevancy of Large-Scale, Quantitative Methodologies in Middle Grades Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mertens, Steven B.

2006-01-01

This article examines the relevancy of large-scale, quantitative methodologies in middle grades education research. Based on recommendations from national advocacy organizations, the need for more large-scale, quantitative research, combined with the application of more rigorous methodologies, is presented. Subsequent sections describe and discuss…

Reach for Reference: A New Early Encyclopedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safford, Barbara Ripp

2005-01-01

This article reviews the new Grolier Student Encyclopedia, intended for grades three through eight. Good middle-level readers might become frustrated with this source, but primary and intermediate students, middle-level students reading below grade level, and English language learners of any age will find the style of information presentation…

Middle Grades Transition Programs around the Globe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Colin; Bishop, Penny

2012-01-01

Transitions into and out of the middle grades can be challenging for many reasons. Students need to acclimate to new policies, practices, and buildings; teachers require accurate data about their new students' capacities; and families must navigate relationships with new personnel. All school transitions present different and, at times, puzzling…

Renovating Literacy Centers for Middle Grades: Differentiating, Reteaching, and Motivating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Tracey S.; McTigue, Erin M.

2014-01-01

Remixing traditional and new teaching techniques via literacy centers can restructure middle grades language arts classrooms to promote student movement, autonomy, and creativity. Literacy centers provide a set of individual, developmentally appropriate learning activities that can be updated daily to match current objectives, but do not need to…

Making Class Size Work in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tienken, C. H.; Achilles, C. M.

2006-01-01

Most research on the positive effects of class-size reduction (CSR) has occurred in the elementary level (Word, Johnston, Bain, Fulton, Zaharias, Lintz, Achilles, Folger, & Breda, 1990; Molnar, Smith, Zahorik, Palmer, Halbach, & Ehrle, 1999). Is CSR an important variable in improving education in the middle grades? Can small classes be…

Middle School Law Awareness Curriculum Guide, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seminole County Board of Public Instruction, Sanford, FL.

Materials, activities, and lesson plans for educating middle school students about the law and the legal system are presented. Materials for the sixth grade are contained in six sections: (1) Prehistoric Man; (2) Ancient Civilizations; (3) Ancient Greece; (4) Ancient Rome; (5) Medieval Civilizations; and (6) the Renaissance. Grade 7 has three…

Classroom Norms and Individual Smoking Behavior in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yarnell, Lisa M.; Brown, H. Shelton, III; Pasch, Keryn E.; Perry, Cheryl L.; Komro, Kelli A.

2012-01-01

Objectives: To investigate whether smoking prevalence in grade-level networks influences individual smoking, suggesting that peers are important social multipliers in teen smoking. Methods: We measured gender-specific, grade-level recent and life-time smoking among urban middle-school students who participated in Project Northland Chicago in a…

Black Girls' Achievement in Middle Grades Mathematics: How Can Socializing Agents Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jemimah L.; Young, Jamaal Rashad; Capraro, Mary Margaret

2017-01-01

The middle grades mathematics classroom is full of transitions that students must overcome to become successful long-term learners of mathematics. This transition can be exorbitantly more tumultuous for Black girls who must overcome gender and racial mathematics achievement stereotypes. Mathematics identities and achievement socialization trends…

University-Based Teacher Preparation and Middle Grades Teacher Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Courtney

2017-01-01

For over two decades, there have been calls to assess the relationship of the features of teacher preparation programs to teacher effectiveness, to provide guidance for program improvement. At the middle grades level, theory suggests that coursework in educational psychology is particularly important for teacher effectiveness. Using 4 years of…

Mobilizing Resources for District-Wide Middle-Grades Reform.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatch, Holly; Hytten, Kathy

This book describes the rationale and research underlying the testing of an "audit" that explored how school districts organize themselves to reform middle-grades education. The volume is intended for those who seek to improve achievement, equity, and learning communities. Section 1 describes the theory, research, and framework for district…

Relaxation Training: Its Usefulness in the Middle School Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Doris B.

A study examined multiple outcomes of relaxation training simultaneously in seventh grade classrooms. "Project Relaxation" measured cognitive (achievement) and affective (discipline, attendance, tardiness, and self-concept) changes with a program of relaxation training for 532 seventh grade students in 10 private and public middle schools in South…

[Factors that influence sexual intercourse among middle school students: using data from the 8th (2012) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey].

PubMed

Gwon, Seok Hyun; Lee, Chung Yul

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence sexual intercourse among middle school students in South Korea. Using statistics from the 8th (2012) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted. The study sample comprised 37,297 middle school students aged primarily 12 to 15. The significant predictors of sexual intercourse were grade, ever smoking, ever drinking, habitual or purposeful drug use, economic status, weekly allowance, cohabitation with family, and type of school. The results suggest that intensified sex education is needed not only in the 1st grade of middle school, but also in the upper grades of elementary school. Sexual health interventions for high-risk groups may be needed, given the factors predicting sexual intercourse.

Mixed-grade rejection and its association with overt aggression, relational aggression, anxious-withdrawal, and psychological maladjustment.

PubMed

Bowker, Julie C; Etkin, Rebecca G

2014-01-01

The authors examined the associations between mixed-grade rejection (rejection by peers in a different school grade), anxious-withdrawal, aggression, and psychological adjustment in a middle school setting. Participants were 181 seventh-grade and 180 eighth-grade students (M age = 13.20 years, SD = 0.68 years) who completed peer nomination and self-report measures in their classes. Analyses indicated that in general, same- and mixed-grade rejection were related to overt and relational aggression, but neither type was related to anxious-withdrawal. Mixed-grade rejection was associated uniquely and negatively with self-esteem for seventh-grade boys, while increasing the loneliness associated with anxious-withdrawal. The results suggest that school-wide models of peer relations may be promising for understanding the ways in which different peer contexts contribute to adjustment in middle school settings.

An Educational Program for Underserved Middle School Students to Encourage Pursuit of Pharmacy and Other Health Science Careers

PubMed Central

Tran, Thao T.; Tran, Linh

2014-01-01

Objective. To develop and implement an active, hands-on program for underrepresented minority (URM) seventh grade students and to determine if participation in the program increased interest in health care careers and understanding of pharmacy and physician assistant (PA) professions. Design. A hands-on educational program was developed in conjunction with local middle school administrators and staff for URM 7th grade students. The program was designed to be hands-on and focus on pharmacy and PA laboratory skills. A discussion component was included, allowing participants to interact personally with pharmacy and PA students and faculty members. Assessment. Students’ responses to survey questions about interest in health care careers and knowledge about health professions were compared before and after 2 separate offerings of the program. After the program, significant increases were seen in participants’ understanding of the pharmacy and PA professions. An increased percentage of participants reported interest in health care careers after the program than before the program. Conclusion. Introducing middle school-aged URM students to the pharmacy and PA professions through a hands-on educational program increased interest in, and knowledge of, these professions. PMID:26056405

An Educational Program for Underserved Middle School Students to Encourage Pursuit of Pharmacy and Other Health Science Careers.

PubMed

Goldsmith, Carroll-Ann; Tran, Thao T; Tran, Linh

2014-11-15

To develop and implement an active, hands-on program for underrepresented minority (URM) seventh grade students and to determine if participation in the program increased interest in health care careers and understanding of pharmacy and physician assistant (PA) professions. A hands-on educational program was developed in conjunction with local middle school administrators and staff for URM 7th grade students. The program was designed to be hands-on and focus on pharmacy and PA laboratory skills. A discussion component was included, allowing participants to interact personally with pharmacy and PA students and faculty members. Students' responses to survey questions about interest in health care careers and knowledge about health professions were compared before and after 2 separate offerings of the program. After the program, significant increases were seen in participants' understanding of the pharmacy and PA professions. An increased percentage of participants reported interest in health care careers after the program than before the program. Introducing middle school-aged URM students to the pharmacy and PA professions through a hands-on educational program increased interest in, and knowledge of, these professions.

Victimization, Aggression, and Other Problem Behaviors: Trajectories of Change Within and Across Middle School Grades.

PubMed

Farrell, Albert D; Goncy, Elizabeth A; Sullivan, Terri N; Thompson, Erin L

2018-06-01

This study examined trajectories of victimization and problem behaviors within and across three grades of middle school. Participants were 2,166 adolescents from three urban middle schools in the United States who completed measures of victimization, physical and relational aggression, substance use, and delinquent behavior. Latent curve analyses modeled changes in each construct across 12 waves collected every 3 months. In each case, the best-fitting model required separate linear slopes to represent changes within each grade and a factor representing decreases in the summers. Positive cross-construct correlations were found for intercepts, linear slopes, and measures within waves. The findings suggest strong associations among victimization and problem behaviors, and individual differences in their patterns of change both within and across grades. © 2017 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Effects of music on assertive behavior during exercise by middle-school-age students.

PubMed

Mills, B D

1996-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the association of a particular style of music and assertive behavior in middle-school-aged students during exercise. Participants were students enrolled in a public middle school (Grades 6, 7, and 8, N = 502). A statistically significant relationship was found between the number of assertive behaviors occurring while listening to fast tempo music and grades and between difference scores and grades. Difference scores were obtained by subtracting the number of assertive behaviors occurring while listening to fast tempo music from those while listening to slow tempo music. Discriminant function analysis showed the number of assertive behaviors when listening to fast tempo music and difference scores were predictive of membership by grade. The higher the more assertive behaviors were emitted when listening to fast tempo music.

It’s Your Game. Keep It Real: Delaying Sexual Behavior with an Effective Middle School Program

PubMed Central

Tortolero, Susan R.; Markham, Christine M.; Peskin, Melissa Fleschler; Shegog, Ross; Addy, Robert C.; Escobar-Chaves, S. Liliana; Baumler, Elizabeth R.

2009-01-01

Purpose This study tested the effects of a theory-based middle-school HIV, STI, and pregnancy prevention program, It’s Your Game: Keep it Real (IYG), in delaying sexual behavior. We hypothesized that the IYG intervention would decrease the number of adolescents who initiated sexual activity by the 9th grade compared to those in the comparison schools. Methods The target population was English-speaking middle schoolers from a large urban predominantly African American and Hispanic school district in Southeast Texas. Ten middle schools were randomly assigned either to receive the intervention or to the comparison condition. Seventh-grade students were recruited and followed through 9th grade. The IYG intervention comprises 12 seventh-grade and 12 eighth-grade lessons that integrate group-based classroom activities with computer-based instruction and personal journaling. Ninth-grade follow-up surveys were completed by 907 students (92% of the defined cohort). The primary hypothesis tested was that the intervention would decrease the number of adolescents who initiated sexual activity by the 9th grade compared to those in the comparison schools. Results Almost one-third (29.9%, n=509) of those in the comparison condition initiated sex by 9th grade compared to almost one-quarter (23.4%, n=308) of those in the intervention condition. After adjusting for covariates, students in the comparison condition were 1.29 times more likely to initiate sex by the 9th grade than those in the intervention condition. Conclusions A theory-driven multi-component, curriculum-based intervention can delay sexual initiation up to 24 months; can have impact on specific types of sexual behavior such as initiation of oral and anal sex; and may be especially effective with females. Future research must explore the generalizabilty of these results. PMID:20113923

Factors affecting aggression in South Korean middle school students.

PubMed

Park, MiJeong; Choi, Jihea; Lim, Seung-Joo

2014-12-01

The study was undertaken to assess levels of aggression, and to determine factors affecting aggression among South Korean middle school students. A descriptive study was conducted using self-report questionnaires. The participants were 340 girls and boys from two middle schools and 302 questionnaires were used for the final data analysis. Aggression, academic stress, depression, self esteem, decision-making competency, and happiness were measured. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including t tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple regressions. Aggression had significant correlations with academic stress (r = .21, p < .001), depression (r = .43, p < .001), self esteem (r = -.25, p < .001), decision-making competency (r = -.25, p < .001), and happiness (r = -.21, p < .001). Mean score for aggression was 2.49 out of 5. Significant explanatory variables for aggression were grade (t = 4.39, p < .001), academic stress (t = 2.78, p = .006), and depression (t = 5.03, p < .001). The explanatory power of these factors was 26.9%, and this was statistically significant (F = 16.06, p < .001). Findings indicate that depression, academic stress, and grade (second grade) influence aggression. To decrease aggressive behavior, it is necessary to provide systematic and political programs in schools and local communities that can ameliorate negative emotional factors like depression and academic stress. Additionally, development of positive factors such as self esteem, decision-making skills, and happiness in middle school students is important to reduce aggression. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The long-term impact of a math, science and technology program on grade school girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Sandra Judd

The purpose of this study was to determine if a math, science, and technology intervention program improved grade school girls' attitudes and stereotypes toward science and scientists, as well as participation levels in science-related activities, two years after their participating in the program. The intervention program evaluated was Operation SMART, developed by Girls Incorporated. Participants were recruited from the 6th and 7th grades from two public middle schools in Northern California. One hundred twenty-seven girls signed up for the survey and were assigned to either the SMART group (previous SMART participants) or Non-SMART group (no previous experience with SMART). The survey consisted of five parts: (1) a background information sheet, (2) the Modified Attitudes Toward Science Inventory, (3) the What Do You Do? survey, (4) the Draw-A-Scientist Test-Revised, and (5) a career interests and role models/influencer survey. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between the SMART and Non-SMART groups on any of the test measures. However, middle school attended did have a significant effect on the outcome variables. Girls from Middle School A reported more positive attitudes toward science, while girls from Middle School B reported higher participation levels in extracurricular science activities. Possible explanations for these findings suggest too much time had passed between treatment effect and time of measurement as well as the strong influence of teacher and school environment on girls' attitudes and stereotypes. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

[Prevalence of deliberate self-harm and its relation with suicidal behaviors among students in middle schools in Beijing].

PubMed

Xing, Yi; Qiao, Yijuan; Duan, Jiali; Bai, Chengxu

2015-09-01

To understand the prevalence of deliberate self-harm in middle school students in Beijing, and explore the relationship between self-harm and suicidal behaviors. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among 5 807 students selected through cluster random sampling from grade 9 to grade 12 in 16 middle schools in Beijing. Among the surveyed middle school students, 35.6% reported that they once had self-harm behaviors, 7.0% reported often had self-harm behaviors in the past 30 days before the survey. More girls reported self-harm behaviors than boys did. And the prevalence of self-harm behaviors was highest in girls in grade 8 and in boys in grade 9. The students in key senior high schools, or living with single or remarried parents were the risk population to have self-harm behaviors. Higher suicide behavior reporting rate was correlated with higher self-harm behavior reporting rate. Compared with students who reported no self-harm behaviors during the past month, the suicide behavior reporting rate in students reporting self-harm behaviors increased by 5.7-12.3 times. Deliberate self-harm behaviors were associated with suicide behaviors among middle school students in Beijing. Early psychological intervention and life education should be carried out among middle school students in order to find risk population and save their life.

Tobacco use among middle and high school students - United States, 2011-2014.

PubMed

Arrazola, René A; Singh, Tushar; Corey, Catherine G; Husten, Corinne G; Neff, Linda J; Apelberg, Benjamin J; Bunnell, Rebecca E; Choiniere, Conrad J; King, Brian A; Cox, Shanna; McAfee, Tim; Caraballo, Ralph S

2015-04-17

Tobacco use and addiction most often begin during youth and young adulthood. Youth use of tobacco in any form is unsafe. To determine the prevalence and trends of current (past 30-day) use of nine tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, hookahs, tobacco pipes, snus, dissolvable tobacco, and bidis) among U.S. middle (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyzed data from the 2011-2014 National Youth Tobacco Surveys (NYTS). In 2014, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle (3.9%) and high (13.4%) school students. Between 2011 and 2014, statistically significant increases were observed among these students for current use of both e-cigarettes and hookahs (p<0.05), while decreases were observed for current use of more traditional products, such as cigarettes and cigars, resulting in no change in overall tobacco use. Consequently, 4.6 million middle and high school students continue to be exposed to harmful tobacco product constituents, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence, a critical window for brain development, might have lasting adverse consequences for brain development, causes addiction, and might lead to sustained tobacco use. For this reason, comprehensive and sustained strategies are needed to prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products among youths in the United States.

A Shakespeare Festival for the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaumier, Tony

1993-01-01

Describes how one teacher developed an approach to teaching the plays of William Shakespeare that included both attending performances of plays and then producing individual scenes through student participation. Outlines other related activities of the unit, including holding an Elizabethan marketplace. (HB)

To Like or Not to Like: A Shakespeare Encounter (Middle Ground).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeFord, Andrea

1995-01-01

Describes how one English teacher developed a five-day approach by which William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" was successfully introduced to a seventh-grade class. Argues that it is possible to have such young students read and enjoy Shakespeare. (HB)

Progression of Chinese Students' Creative Imagination from Elementary Through High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Fujun; Li, Xiuju; Zhang, Huiliang; Wang, Lihui

2012-09-01

For almost a century, researchers have studied creative imagination, most typically that of children. This article reports on a study of the development of creative imagination of Chinese youths and its relation to the educational environment. Data consisted of 4,162 students from grades 4 through 12. Findings showed that students' creative imagination increased as the grade in school increased from grades 4 through 11, but decreased slightly at grade 12. Students' creative imagination was lower in elementary school than that in middle school. The pace of development was also different in different stages. In different grades, youths used different ways to express their imagination. Students of 'excellent' academic performance had the highest creative imagination, followed by students of 'fairly good', 'medium' and 'poor' academic performance. Student-centred teaching methods were associated with higher creative imagination. Students whose teachers had a more supportive attitude showed better creative imagination. Finally, taking part in science-related competitions and frequently visiting science venues were related to the development of students' creative imagination. Some implications and recommendations for development of students' creative imagination are also proposed.

Subject to Form: Research Interviews, Performative Subjectivity, Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarigianides, Sophia Tatiana

2010-01-01

In this dissertation, I analyze teacher, literacy coach and researcher subjectivities in a five-year study of on-site professional development with middle-grade Language Arts teachers in a school designated by its district and state as severely underperforming. Interested in the role of research interviews as both research method and cultural…

Reading Matters: Supporting the Development of Young Adolescent Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Jack W.; Lipsitz, Joan; McGovern, John T.; Wasser, Judith Davidson

1997-01-01

Since 1987, Indiana Middle Grades Reading Network, funded by Lily Endowment, initiated a variety of projects designed to promote young adolescents' reading. A Reading Bill of Rights was developed to create communities of readers. Some valuable lessons emerged: attention must be given to teens' reading needs; schools must be central; students need…

The American Adolescent: Facing a "Vortex of New Risks."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NAMTA Journal, 1993

1993-01-01

Excerpts from the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development's report "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century," issued in 1989, indicate the need to develop a more adolescent-centered approach to education in the middle grades that is very similar to the basic ideas of the Montessori method. (MDM)

Relationships between Prospective Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and TPACK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Ryan C.; Kim, Somin; McIntyre, Leighton

2016-01-01

As technology become more ubiquitous in the classroom, teachers need to overcome two types of barriers to use it effectively: access to resources (including the development of knowledge) and the development of appropriate beliefs. To assist teachers in overcoming these barriers, we must understand the relationships that exist among them. We…

Assessing Young Children's Social Concept Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, William B.; And Others

This study investigated a number of questions regarding the nature of social concept development in young children. Subjects were 64 kindergarten children and 65 first grade public school students from lower to upper middle class socioeconomic levels, of whom 66 were male, 63 were female, 78 were Caucasian, and 51 were black. Two assessment…

Microcomputer Keyboarding Curriculum for Middle and Junior High School Students. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional School District No. 10, Burlington, CT.

This project report describes the development of a seventh-grade curriculum to promote microcomputer keyboarding skills, i.e., learning correct alpha-numeric reaches, developing proficiency in making appropriate reaches, using correct fingering without looking at the keyboard, and attaining a degree of speed and accuracy. Although the curriculum…

European Civilization. Teacher's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leppert, Ella C.; Halac, Dennis

The instructional materials in this teaching guide for Course II, Unit IV, follow and build upon a previous sequential course described in SO 003 169 offering ninth grade students a study on the development of Western European Civilization. Focus is upon four periods of high development: The High Middle Ages (12th Century), The Renaissance (15th…

Prompting Teacher Geometric Reasoning through Coaching in a Dynamic Geometry Software Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Andrea K.; Barrett, Jeffrey E.; Moore, Cynthia J.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the ways in which four middle grades teachers developed mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) geometry as they implemented dynamic geometry software in their classrooms with the assistance of a coach. Teachers developed various components of MKT by observing coaches teach, by dynamic discourse with students, which is…

History of the English Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Curriculum Project, Atlanta, GA.

This curriculum guide, developed for pre-kindergartners through grade 12 as part of the total English curriculum, is concerned with the English language as it is now known and as it evolved from its Indo-European roots. Materials include (1) an overview of the origin and development of the English language from Old English through middle English…

Longitudinal Change in the Relationship between Fundamental Motor Skills and Perceived Competence: Kindergarten to Grade 2

PubMed Central

Naylor, Patti-Jean

2017-01-01

As children transition from early to middle childhood, the relationship between motor skill proficiency and perceptions of physical competence should strengthen as skills improve and inflated early childhood perceptions decrease. This study examined change in motor skills and perceptions of physical competence and the relationship between those variables from kindergarten to grade 2. Participants were 250 boys and girls (Mean age = 5 years 8 months in kindergarten). Motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and perceptions were assessed using a pictorial scale of perceived competence. Mixed-design analyses of variance revealed there was a significant increase in object-control skills and perceptions from kindergarten to grade 2, but no change in locomotor skills. In kindergarten, linear regression showed that locomotor skills and object-control skills explained 10% and 9% of the variance, respectively, in perceived competence for girls, and 7% and 11%, respectively, for boys. In grade 2, locomotor skills predicted 11% and object-control skills predicted 19% of the variance in perceptions of physical competence, but only among the boys. Furthermore, the relationship between motor skills and perceptions of physical competence strengthened for boys only from early to middle childhood. However, it seems that forces other than motor skill proficiency influenced girls’ perceptions of their abilities in grade 2.

Motivation and Behavioral Regulation of Physical Activity in Middle-School Students

PubMed Central

Dishman, Rod K.; McIver, Kerry L; Dowda, Marsha; Saunders, Ruth P.; Pate, Russell R.

2015-01-01

Purpose To examine whether intrinsic motivation and behavioral self-regulation are related to physical activity during middle school. Method Structural equation modeling was applied in cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of self-determination theory. Results Consistent with theory, hypothesized relationships among variables were supported. Integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation were most strongly correlated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured by an accelerometer. Results were independent of a measure of biological maturity. Construct validity and equivalence of measures was confirmed longitudinally between 6th and 7th grades and between boys and girls, non-Hispanic black and white children and overweight and normal weight students. Conclusions Measures of autonomous motivation (identified, integrated, and intrinsic) were more strongly related to physical activity in the 7th grade than measures of controlled motivation (external and introjected), implying that physical activity became more intrinsically motivating for some girls and boys as they moved through middle school. Nonetheless, introjected regulation was related to physical activity in 7th grade, suggesting that internalized social pressures, which can be detrimental to sustained activity and well-being, also became motivating. These results encourage longer prospective studies during childhood and adolescence to clarify how controlled and autonomous motivations for physical activity develop and whether they respond to interventions designed to increase physical activity. PMID:25628178

Motivation and Behavioral Regulation of Physical Activity in Middle School Students.

PubMed

Dishman, Rod K; McIver, Kerry L; Dowda, Marsha; Saunders, Ruth P; Pate, Russell R

2015-09-01

This study aimed to examine whether intrinsic motivation and behavioral self-regulation are related to physical activity during middle school. Structural equation modeling was applied in cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of self-determination theory. Consistent with theory, hypothesized relations among variables were supported. Integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation were most strongly correlated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured by an accelerometer. Results were independent of a measure of biological maturity. Construct validity and equivalence of measures were confirmed longitudinally between the sixth and seventh grades and between boys and girls, non-Hispanic Black and White children and overweight and normal-weight students. Measures of autonomous motivation (identified, integrated, and intrinsic) were more strongly related to physical activity in the seventh grade than measures of controlled motivation (external and introjected), implying that physical activity became more intrinsically motivating for some girls and boys as they moved through middle school. Nonetheless, change in introjected regulation was related to change in physical activity in the seventh grade, suggesting that internalized social pressures, which can be detrimental to sustained activity and well-being, also became motivating. These results encourage longer prospective studies during childhood and adolescence to clarify how controlled and autonomous motivations for physical activity develop and whether they respond to interventions designed to increase physical activity.

Guess Again: Will Changing the Grades Save Middle-Level Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beane, James; Lipka, Richard

2006-01-01

Blaming unsatisfactory student achievement on the middle school concept is a case of mistaken identity. Too many middle schools have failed to fully implement the middle school concept. Based on statements from the Carnegie Council and the National Middle School Association, the middle school concept calls for improved academic achievement for all…

Making the transition to middle schooling: A case study of experienced science teachers coping with change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strong, Donna Dorough

The increasing popularity of the middle school movement necessitates a need for more interpretive research in middle level education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore science teachers' perceptions of the transition to a new middle school and the meanings they attached to this new experience. The participants were three eighth grade science teachers, each with 20 plus years of teaching experience. The primary data for analysis was a series of five interviews with each participant. Data collection also included weekly participant observation of team meetings. Findings revealed that the science teachers all had positive feelings attached to the ability to keep track of students' academic progress and behavior problems as a result of teaming. The changes associated with the first year were very stressful for all three, primarily the loss of the traditional junior high departmentalized structure. The two participants who transferred directly from the junior high school were very skeptical of any benefits from an interdisciplinary curriculum, the appropriateness of the middle school philosophy for eighth grade students, and the move to heterogeneously grouped science classes. In contrast, the former junior high teacher who had spent the past ten years teaching sixth grade at the elementary school had positive beliefs about the potential benefits of an interdisciplinary curriculum and heterogeneous grouping. Teacher stress associated with a change in the school setting and the science teachers' constraints to actualizing a meaningful middle schooling experience are illuminated. Teachers' lack of ownership in the reform decision making process, loss of time with their science teacher peers, diminished compliments from high school counterparts, and need for more empirical evidence supporting proposed changes all served as barriers to embracing the reform initiatives. The participants found taking a very slow approach to be their most useful means of coping with the stress of these changes. The discussion includes meta-assertions and recommendations concerning the leadership and planning process for movement to a middle school philosophy, the most appropriate building structure for meeting needs of science teachers, teachers as curriculum makers, and the nature of middle level professional development for experienced science teachers.

NCLB Presents Middle School Complications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Bess

2004-01-01

In this article, the author reports how the "highly qualified" provision of the No Child Left Behind Act affected middle-grades teachers far more than teachers at the elementary and high school levels. Under the federal law, teachers beyond the elementary grades who were in the classroom two years ago may show their knowledge of academic…

Sensitivity to Verbally and Physically Harassing Behaviors and Reported Incidents in Junior High/Middle School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Penelope B.

This thesis investigates the sensitivity of junior high/middle school students to statements depicting verbal and physical sexual harassment. The independent variables that were investigated included gender, grade level, age, size of district, grades received, participation in sports, birth order, developmental level, and self-esteem. Students…

Linking the Organizational Health of Middle Grades Schools to Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roney, Kathleen; Coleman, Howard; Schlichting, Kathleen A.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student reading achievement and the organizational health of five middle grades schools in North Carolina. The theoretical framework was based upon Hoy and Feldman's definition of organizational health, which links healthy school climates to improved learning environments and…

Problem Solving Strategies of Girls and Boys in Single-Sex Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Che, Megan; Wiegert, Elaine; Threlkeld, Karen

2012-01-01

This study examines patterns in middle-grade boys' and girls' written problem solving strategies for a mathematical task involving proportional reasoning. The students participating in this study attend a coeducational charter middle school with single-sex classrooms. One hundred nineteen sixth-grade students' responses are analyzed by gender…

Effective Practices and Structures for Middle Grades Education. Policy Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Douglas

This document draws upon theory and research about early adolescence and about the effects of middle grades structures and practices on student outcomes. The purpose is to identify specific problem areas and promising innovations that should be considered by policymakers as they establish guidelines for the restructuring of education in the middle…

Urban Middle-Grade Student Mathematics Achievement Growth under Comprehensive School Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mac Iver, Martha Abele; Mac Iver, Douglas J.

2009-01-01

Recognizing the need to implement standards-based instructional materials with school-wide coherence led some Philadelphia schools to adopt whole-school reform (WSR) models during the late 1990s. The authors report on the relation between mathematics achievement growth for middle-grade students on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments and…

Supporting English Language Learners' Writing Abilities: Exploring Third Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaf, Lori Czop

2014-01-01

Research on the sociocultural processes of writing and its impact on writing instruction in the middle grades has gained increased attention in educational research. Less attention has been devoted to research on writing with middle grade English learners (ELs) who are mainstreamed into English only classrooms. National assessment data, reports,…

Agriscience Education for the Middle School. Instructional Units. Grade 7: Agriscience Exploration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrico County Public Schools, Glen Allen, VA. Virginia Vocational Curriculum and Resource Center.

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to assist seventh-grade students in exploring science as…

Planning, Implementing, and Assessing an Authentic Performance Task in Middle Grades Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Nicole C.; Urbankowski, Daniel

2014-01-01

As young adolescents, middle grades students experience a wide variety of changes related to their cognitive capabilities, social and emotional well-being, and use of self-regulation strategies. Authentic performance tasks challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to realistic problems to create products or performances--consistent…

Saxon Middle School Math. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

"Saxon Math" curricula and materials are available for grades K through 12, with the content and skills designed to meet National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards and various state standards. This WWC report focuses on middle school math curricula, defined as all Saxon Math curricula for grades 6 through 9. The…

Classroom Music: Grades 5-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oregon State Dept. of Education, Salem.

The guide was designed to aid administrators and teachers in creating, organizing, and staffing music programs for students in middle schools or grades 5-8 in Oregon. It is presented in four parts. Part I describes the unique features of the middle school. The environment and students are in a period of change, and teachers must have certain…

Implementation of Standards-Based Grading at the Middle School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urich, Laura Jill

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to learn about the experiences of teachers as they transition from traditional grading practices to standards-based reporting (SBR). In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this qualitative study: (1) What understandings related to practices do middle school teachers have as…

Building Life Options: School-Community Collaborations for Pregnancy Prevention in the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Elayne; Cahill, Michele

This handbook was written to encourage and assist school districts, schools, and community-based organizations to respond to the growing need for adolescent pregnancy prevention activities in the middle grades. It reflects the experiences of adolescent pregnancy prevention programs across the country, particularly those of the eight Urban Middle…

Middle Immersion Study 1988. Research Paper 88-08.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkin, Michael; And Others

Ottawa's program of middle French immersion (MFI) instruction, beginning in fourth grade, was evaluated when the first cohort reached sixth grade. Results of the study were compared with those of other groups, particularly the early French immersion (EFI) program and late French immersion (LFI) program students. The evaluation also added data from…

Understanding Linear Functions and Their Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Pamela J.

2015-01-01

Linear functions are an important part of the middle school mathematics curriculum. Students in the middle grades gain fluency by working with linear functions in a variety of representations (NCTM 2001). Presented in this article is an activity that was used with five eighth-grade classes at three different schools. The activity contains 15 cards…

Research Ideas for the Classroom: Middle Grades Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Douglas T., Ed.

Research Ideas for the Classroom is a three-volume series of research interpretations for early childhood, middle grades, and high school mathematics classrooms. Each volume looks at research from the perspective of the learner, the content, and the teacher, and chapters are co-authored by a researcher and a teacher. Chapter titles in the middle…

How Middle Grade Teachers Think about Algebraic Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassmeyer, David; Edwards, Belinda

2016-01-01

Algebraic reasoning is an essential habit of mind for building conceptual knowledge in K-12 mathematics, yet little is known about how middle school mathematics teachers think about algebraic reasoning. In this article we describe a research project examining how algebraic reasoning was considered by grades 6, 7, or 8 mathematics teachers in a…

Middle Grades Reform: A Casebook for School Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filby, Nikola N., Ed.; And Others

The result of a collaborative effort to meet the needs of California educators in middle-grades reform, this volume provides access to the best ideas in research and practice, and support for local improvement efforts. The casebook format tells the strategies, problems, and diverse actions of educators focusing on the "how" of leading a…

Investigating Vocabulary and Reading Strategies with Middle Grades English Language Learners: A Research Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cisco, Brooke Kandel; Padron, Yolanda

2012-01-01

Recent data indicate that many adolescent English language learners (ELLs) comprehend English texts at only a limited literal level. The purpose of this research synthesis was to systematically identify and describe the research related to the English reading comprehension of middle grades ELLs while also making practical connections to…

Too Good for Violence. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2006

2006-01-01

"Too Good for Violence" promotes character values, social-emotional skills, and healthy beliefs of elementary and middle school students. The program includes seven lessons per grade level for elementary school (K-5) and nine lessons per grade level for middle school (6-8). All lessons are scripted and engage students through…

Anterior Borderzone Angle for Hemodynamic Collateral Metric in Patients with Symptomatic Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis.

PubMed

Li, Yongkun; Xiong, Yunyun; Cai, Qiankun; Liu, Dezhi; Dai, Qiliang; Liu, Wenhua; Huang, Zhixin; Sun, Wen; Liebeskind, David S; Wang, Yinzhou; Liu, Xinfeng

2018-01-01

We aimed to introduce a parameter of anterior borderzone angle (ABZA) to quantitatively evaluate the ACA-MCA leptomeningeal collaterals for middle cerebral artery stenosis (MCAS). Two hundred seventy-five patients with 50-100% MCAS and 100 controls were included. The 95% reference range of ABZA was obtained from the controls. ABZAtrans was defined as "ABZA/the 95% upper limit." Relationships between ABZA and MCAS, -ABZAtrans and the TICI grade, the American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR) collateral grade were analyzed. An ABZA grade model for the ACA leptomeningeal collaterals was tentatively developed. The 95% reference range of ABZA was 0.0º-23.0º. ABZA was significantly associated with MCAS by a function of the fourth power (R2 = 0.723, p < 0.001), and could predict hemodynamic MCAS (≥70%) with an AUC of 0.928 (95% CI 0.903-0.953). ABZAtrans was negatively correlated with the TICI grade (rho = -0.752, p < 0.001) and positively with the ASITN/SIR grade (rho = 0.921, p < 0.001). The ABZA grade was created by rounding -ABZAtrans to a nearest integer, and was closely associated with the ASITN/SIR grade (rho = 0.894, p < 0.001). ABZA can be used as a hemodynamic parameter to quantitatively evaluate ACA leptomeningeal collaterals. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Links between sex-typed time use in middle childhood and gender development in early adolescence.

PubMed

McHale, Susan M; Kim, Ji-Yeon; Whiteman, Shawn; Crouter, Ann C

2004-09-01

The authors studied sex-typing in the kinds (e.g., sports, handicrafts) and social contexts (same- vs. other-sex companions) of children's free time activities, and the links between sex-typed activities and gender development over 2 years. Participants were 200 White, working- and middle-class children (103 girls, 97 boys; mean age = 10.86 years). In annual home interviews, children rated their self-esteem, gender role attitudes and sex-typed personality qualities, academic interests, and school grades. During 7 nightly phone interviews each year, children reported on their activities. Boys were more sex-typed than girls in their peer activities, and children were least sex-typed in their activities with siblings. Sex-typed activities in middle childhood predicted individual differences in gender development in early adolescence. Copyright 2004 American Psychological Association

A Nascent Look at Theoretical Frameworks in Middle Level Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Cynthia; Netcoh, Steven

2015-01-01

This paper describes a qualitative content analysis of research articles published on middle level education in the last decade. This analysis was conducted on manuscripts appearing in two premier middle level education journals: "Middle Grades Research Journal" (MGRJ) and "Research in Middle Level Education Online" (RMLE) to…

Grades of undernutrition and socioeconomic status influence cognitive development in school children of Kolkata.

PubMed

Ghosh, Satabdi; Chowdhury, Sutanu Dutta; Chandra, Ananga Mohan; Ghosh, Tusharkanti

2015-02-01

Cognitive development of children is influenced by different environmental factors like nutritional and socio-economic status. The objectives of the present study were to determine the influence of grades of undernutrition and socio-economic status (SES) on the cognitive development of school children of Kolkata. Five hundred sixty six (566) school children having 5-12 years of age were selected from different schools of Kolkata. The cognitive development was measured by the scores of Raven's colored progressive matrices (RCPM). The chronic and acute nutritional statuses were measured from height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-age (WAZ) Z scores respectively with reference to the values of WHO. SES was determined by updated Kuppuswamy scale. The prevalences of undernutrition in the observed children were 57.95% (according to HAZ) and 52.82% (according to WAZ). The age dependent growth curve of RCPM scores of the observed children remains in between the 10th and 25th centile of British children. The children belonging to superior and intellectual deficit IQ classes were 21.55 and 36.40%, respectively of the total subjects. Most of the subjects belong to lower middle (39.93%) and upper middle (36.40%) class of SES. RCPM scores of school children were gradually decreased with the grades of undernutrition and SES. RCPM scores were significantly correlated with HAZ, WAZ, SES, age, and sex (P < 0.001) and strongly associated with HAZ, SES, age, and sex (P < 0.001, P < 0.05). Present study indicates that cognitive development of school children of Kolkata is influenced by the grade of undernutrition and SES. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Middle school students' understanding of time: Implications for the National Science Education Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinemann, Deborah Jean

2000-10-01

Measures of time are essential to human life, especially in the Western world. Human understanding of time develops from the preschool stages of using "before" and "after" to an adult understanding and appreciation of time. Previous researchers (for example, Piaget, Friedman) have investigated and described stages of time development. Time, as it was investigated here, can be classified as conventional, logical or experiential. Conventional time is the ordered representation of time; the days of the week, the months of the year, or clock time: seconds and hours. Logical time is the deduction of duration based on regular events; for example, calculating the passage of time based on two separate events. Experiential time involves the duration of events and estimating intervals. With the recent production of the National Science Education Standards (NSES), many schools are aligning their science curriculum with the NSES. Time appears both implicitly and explicitly in the NSES. Do Middle School students possess the understanding of time necessary to meet the recommendations of the NSES? An interview protocol of four sessions was developed to investigate middle school students understanding of time. The four sessions included: building and testing water clocks; an interview about water clocks and time intervals; a laserdisc presentation about relative time spans; and a mind mapping session. Students were also given the GALT test of Logical Thinking. The subjects of the study were interviewed; eleven eighth grade students and thirteen sixth grade students. The data was transcribed and coded, and a rubric was developed to evaluate students based on their responses to the four sessions. The Time Analysis Rubric is a grid of the types of time: conventional, logical and experiential time versus the degree of understanding of time. Student results were assigned to levels of understanding based on the Time Analysis Rubric. There was a relationship (although not significant) between the students' GALT score and the Time Analysis Rubric results. There was no difference in Time Analysis levels between sixth and eighth grade students. On the basis of this study, Middle School students' level of understanding of time appears to be sufficient to master the requirements of the NSES.

When to Intervene: Elementary School, Middle School or Both? Effects of keepin’ It REAL on Substance Use Trajectories of Mexican Heritage Youth

PubMed Central

Kulis, Stephen; Yabiku, Scott T.; Nieri, Tanya A.; Coleman, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

This article presents the findings of a study exploring two questions: What age is most efficacious to expose Mexican heritage youth to drug abuse prevention interventions, and what dosage of the prevention intervention is needed? These issues are relevant to Mexican heritage youth—many from immigrant families—in particular ways due to the acculturation process and other contextual factors. The study utilized growth curve modeling to investigate the trajectory of recent substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants) among Mexican heritage students (N = 1,670) participating in the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention program at different developmental periods: the elementary school (5th grade), middle school (7th grade), or both. The findings provide no evidence that intervening only in elementary school was effective in altering substance use trajectories from 5th to 8th grade, either for licit nor illicit substances. Implementing keepin’ it REAL in middle school alone altered the trajectories of use of all four substances for Mexican heritage youth. A double dose of prevention, in elementary and middle school proved to be equally as effective as intervening in 7th grade only, and only for marijuana and inhalants. The decrease in use of marijuana and inhalants among students in the 7th-grade-only or the 5th- and 7th-grade interventions occurred just after students received the curriculum intervention in 7th grade. These results are interpreted from an ecodevelopmental and culturally specific perspective and recommendations for prevention and future research are discussed. PMID:21128119

When to intervene: elementary school, middle school or both? Effects of keepin' it REAL on substance use trajectories of Mexican heritage youth.

PubMed

Marsiglia, Flavio F; Kulis, Stephen; Yabiku, Scott T; Nieri, Tanya A; Coleman, Elizabeth

2011-03-01

This article presents the findings of a study exploring two questions: What age is most efficacious to expose Mexican heritage youth to drug abuse prevention interventions, and what dosage of the prevention intervention is needed? These issues are relevant to Mexican heritage youth-many from immigrant families-in particular ways due to the acculturation process and other contextual factors. The study utilized growth curve modeling to investigate the trajectory of recent substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants) among Mexican heritage students (N = 1,670) participating in the keepin' it REAL drug prevention program at different developmental periods: the elementary school (5th grade), middle school (7th grade), or both. The findings provide no evidence that intervening only in elementary school was effective in altering substance use trajectories from 5th to 8th grade, either for licit nor illicit substances. Implementing keepin' it REAL in middle school alone altered the trajectories of use of all four substances for Mexican heritage youth. A double dose of prevention, in elementary and middle school proved to be equally as effective as intervening in 7th grade only, and only for marijuana and inhalants. The decrease in use of marijuana and inhalants among students in the 7th-grade-only or the 5th- and 7th-grade interventions occurred just after students received the curriculum intervention in 7th grade. These results are interpreted from an ecodevelopmental and culturally specific perspective and recommendations for prevention and future research are discussed.

Supporting Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers and Students: A Curricular Activity System Used in an Urban School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, George J.; Fueyo, Vivian; Vahey, Philip

2017-01-01

The exploration of proportional relationships is foundational to the mathematics studied in the middle grades and beyond. Research has shown that an early emphasis on procedures often leaves students with a shallow understanding of the important underlying mathematical concepts of proportional relationships. One approach that addresses the needs…

Getting Students to Meet High Standards Calls for Innovative Strategies and Extra Help

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2009

2009-01-01

Higher standards, motivation and extra help go hand-in-hand in preparing students for success in the middle grades, high school, further education and careers. This newsletter highlights best practices in more than 20 middle grades and high schools that are meeting the challenge of raising expectations for all students, motivating them and…

Executive Functioning Predicts Academic Achievement in Middle School: A Four-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, William Ellery; Tournaki, Nelly; Blackman, Sheldon; Zilinski, Christopher

2016-01-01

Executive functioning (EF) is a strong predictor of children's and adolescents' academic performance. Although research indicates that EF can increase during childhood and adolescence, few studies have tracked the effect of EF on academic performance throughout the middle school grades. EF was measured at the end of Grades 6-9 through 21 teachers'…

A Phenomenological Study of Middle Grade Female and Male Students' Single-Sex Mathematical Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Amber; Che, S. Megan

2016-01-01

Utilizing a descriptive phenomenological design, this study examines the lived experiences of seven middle grade students, four females and three males, enrolled in a single-sex mathematics classroom within a coeducational school setting. The intent of the study is to understand, from students themselves, about the experience of single-sex…

Five Critical Practices for Middle Grades Leadership: A Framework for School Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Ruth C.; Richardson, Yvette M.; Hodge, Patricia H.; Connell, Peggy H.; Green, Zebbra P.

2014-01-01

Based on current research, many students in the middle grades (6-8) have not performed at their highest academic levels. In 2011, more than one-half of eighth graders in 16 Southern states scored basic or below basic on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Alternatively, effective principal-leaders strategically demonstrated…

Site Guidelines for a "Making Middle Grades Work" Technical Review Visit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board, 2004

2004-01-01

The purpose of the Technical Review Visit (TRV) is to follow up on the actions taken to implement the recommendations indicated for each challenge in the most recent Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) report. This document provides the following: (1) Site Guidelines for the Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) Technical Review Visit; (2) Site Checklist;…

Relationship between Class Size and Students' Opportunity to Learn Writing in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tienken, Christopher H.; Achilles, Charles M.

2009-01-01

Class-size reduction (CSR) initiatives have demonstrated positive short- and long-term effects in elementary grades. Less is known about CSR influence on achievement in middle grades. Thus, we conducted a non-experimental, longitudinal, explanatory study of CSR influence on writing achievement of 3 independent cohorts of students (n = 123) in…

Mourning Child Grief Support Group Curriculum: Middle Childhood Edition, Grades 3-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehmann, Linda; Jimerson, Shane R.; Gaasch, Ann

The Mourning Child Early Childhood grief support curriculum is intended for use with late elementary and middle school-aged children, specifically children in grades three through six, who have experienced the death of someone special to them. It is designed for use by professionals who work in schools, hospitals, hospices, mental health agencies,…

Capital Middle Schools Science Department, Preliminary List of Behavioral/Performance Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Mod System, Dover, DE.

This monograph provides basic behavioral objectives designed for a middle school science curriculum. Emphasis is placed on the study of the living environment for students in grade five. This includes the study of plants, animals, the human body, and the use of the microscope, classification and the scientific method. Objectives for grade six are…

Relationships of French and English Morphophonemic Orthographies to Word Reading, Spelling, and Reading Comprehension during Early and Middle Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Robert D.; Fayol, Michel; Zorman, Michel; Casalis, Séverine; Nagy, William; Berninger, Virginia W.

2016-01-01

Two longitudinal studies of word reading, spelling, and reading comprehension identified commonalities and differences in morphophonemic orthographies--French (Study 1, n = 1,313) or English (Study 2, n = 114) in early childhood (Grade 2)and middle childhood (Grade 5). For French and English, statistically significant concurrent relationships…

Virtual vs. Concrete Manipulatives in Mathematics Teacher Education: Is One Type More Effective than the Other?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Annita W.; Nipper, Kelli L.; Nash, Linda E.

2011-01-01

Are virtual manipulatives as effective as concrete (hands-on) manipulatives in building conceptual understanding of number concepts and relationships in pre-service middle grades teachers? In the past, the use of concrete manipulatives in mathematics courses for Clayton State University's pre-service middle grades teachers has been effective in…

Problem Solving and Game-Based Learning: Effects of Middle Grade Students' Hypothesis Testing Strategies on Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spires, Hiller A.; Rowe, Jonathan P.; Mott, Bradford W.; Lester, James C.

2011-01-01

Targeted as a highly desired skill for contemporary work and life, problem solving is central to game-based learning research. In this study, middle grade students achieved significant learning gains from gameplay interactions that required solving a science mystery based on microbiology content. Student trace data results indicated that effective…

Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 2010

2010-01-01

There has been a great deal of focus in recent years on high school reform as a way to ensure all students graduate ready for a skilled job or additional postsecondary education. As expectations for a more highly educated American citizenry rise, what happens in the middle grades--the beginning of the secondary-to-postsecondary education…

Perceived Norms and Social Values to Capture School Culture in Elementary and Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galvan, Adriana; Spatzier, Agnieszka; Juvonen, Jaana

2011-01-01

The current study was designed to gain insights into shifting school culture by examining perceived peer group norms and social values across elementary and middle school grades. Perceived norms were assessed by asking participants (N = 605) to estimate how many grade mates were academically engaged, disengaged, and antisocial. To capture social…

Middle Grade Students of Iris County: A Descriptive Study from Southern Appalachia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Margaret S.; And Others

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (N=301) from a rural county in Tennessee (Iris County is a pseudonym) completed a Rural School Success Inventory (RSSI) and the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). The study explored differences between low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students and middle/high SES students. The RSSI provided information about…

A Culturally Responsive, Transnational Middle Grades Teacher Education Program in American Samoa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuercher, Deborah K.; Yoshioka, Jon; Deering, Paul D.; Martin, Katie; Curry, Kezia; O'Neill, Tara; Apisa, Sheila W.

2012-01-01

Since 1979, the American Samoa Department of Education and the University of Hawai'i have partnered to provide education and training for American Samoan teachers. Beginning in 2009, these efforts have focused on teachers in the middle grades. This article describes the context, program structure, and implementation of a graduate degree program in…

Stability and Change in Peer Relationships during the Transition to Middle-Level School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Cindy L.; Bukowski, William M.; Sippola Lorrie K.

2002-01-01

Assessed Canadian young adolescents' peer relationships as students moved from grade 6 in small elementary schools to middle-level schools offering grades 7 to 12. Found that girls experienced greater instability in reciprocated friendships than boys. Found that girls, more so than boys, lost old friendships and formed new friendships with…

Middle School Exploratory Foreign Language Programs: A Position Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Language.

Four types of exploratory foreign language programs are described: (1) the language overview course, (2) the trial-study course, (3) the Level I offering, and (4) the course for the non-college bound. It is largely in the middle schools (grades 6-8) and junior high schools (grades 7-9) that exploratory programs are being used. The language…

A Causal-Comparative Study of the Affects of Benchmark Assessments on Middle Grades Science Achievement Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Melissa Ritchie

2016-01-01

The purpose of this causal comparative study was to test the theory of assessment that relates benchmark assessments to the Georgia middle grades science Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) percentages, controlling for schools who do not administer benchmark assessments versus schools who do administer benchmark assessments for all middle…

Justification as a Teaching and Learning Practice: Its (Potential) Multifacted Role in Middle Grades Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staples, Megan E.; Bartlo, Joanna; Thanheiser, Eva

2012-01-01

Justification is a core mathematics practice. Although the purposes of justification in the mathematician community have been studied extensively, we know relatively little about its role in K-12 classrooms. This paper documents the range of purposes identified by 12 middle grades teachers who were working actively to incorporate justification…

Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link. Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooney, Sondra; Bottoms, Gene

This research brief describes a study of the readiness for high school of eighth-graders who participated in the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB) Middle Grades Assessment in spring 2000. The assessment included testing in reading, math, and science, and surveys of students and teachers. Following the 2000-01 school year, SREB gathered…

Perceptions of 8th Grade Students in Middle School towards Citizenship Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslan, Seyfettin

2016-01-01

The principal aim of this study is to highlight how students in 8th grade of middle school perceive the principal concepts present in Citizenship Education (lessons), namely the values of: citizenship, (personal) rights, responsibility, the state, the law, military service, the right to education, the right to vote and participate in the political…

Middle School Student Factors as Predictors of College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karnick, Kelley

2013-01-01

In this study, several middle school factors of students from two consecutive graduating classes were analyzed to determine what relation they had to college readiness, as measured by ACT subtest scores. The academic factors included: 8th grade EXPLORE composite score, 7th grade spring reading and math MAP scores, highest math course completed in…

Gender-Based Education: Why It Works at the Middle School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, William C.

1996-01-01

To counter gender bias effects and improve student learning, staff at a Virginia middle school decided to group eighth-grade students by gender for math and science instruction. Girls felt freer to speak out. Grade point averages in gender-based science and math classes for both girls and boys were higher than in coeducational classes. (MLH)

The Fourth Grade Experience: Insights toward the Transition to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Kelly A.

2005-01-01

The transition from elementary to middle school can be an exciting as well as scary time for young adolescents. The stress of this transition can be decreased by incorporating transition programs that address student needs and concerns. This qualitative research study was designed to gain an overall sense of fourth grade in order to better…

WWC Quick Review of the Report "San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation and Achievement"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2008

2008-01-01

This study examined whether attending a "Knowledge is Power Program" (KIPP) middle school improved students' academic achievement. KIPP schools in the study included fifth through eighth grades and served primarily low-income, minority students. The study found that fifth-grade students in KIPP middle schools generally performed better…

Eco-Inquiry: A Guide to Ecological Learning Experiences for the Upper Elementary/Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Kathleen

Eco-Inquiry may be defined as a "whole science" curriculum that embeds hands-on science within thematic multi-dimensional learning experiences. Three modules for the upper elementary and middle grades focus on food webs, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Each module lasts 4-7 weeks and may be used alone or in sequence. Student…

Eight Steps to Meaningful Grading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deddeh, Heather; Main, Erin; Fulkerson, Sharon Ratzlaff

2010-01-01

A group of teachers at Clifford Smart Middle School in Michigan's Walled Lake Consolidated School District have broken free from traditional grading in order to embrace a more meaningful grading practice. Using standards-based grading practices, they believe their grading now accurately communicates to students and parents the student's mastery…

Managing Learning Disabled Students' Academic Frustration through Self-Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ammer, Jerome J.

1982-01-01

Teachers can help learning and behavior disordered students in middle and secondary grades develop self control through a strategy in which students are taught to stop, look, listen, and think before carrying out a task. The final step is to reinforce themselves. (CL)

A Curious Place Indeed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zingher, Gary

2000-01-01

Presents short descriptions of six "curious places" in children's books and films. Describes sample creative class activities for younger and middle grade children to engage in after listening to selected stories. Activities include creating drawings, stories, flip books, and picture books; role-playing; and developing an imaginary town.…

A Multiple Risk Factors Model of the Development of Aggression among Early Adolescents from Urban Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sangwon; Orpinas, Pamela; Kamphaus, Randy; Kelder, Steven H.

2011-01-01

This study empirically derived a multiple risk factors model of the development of aggression among middle school students in urban, low-income neighborhoods, using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Results indicated that aggression increased from sixth to eighth grade. Additionally, the influences of four risk domains (individual, family,…

Technology Professional Development: Investigating the Effectiveness of Technology Integration in Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnello, Kristen G.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of targeted professional development (PD) on the integration of technology upon teachers in grades six through eight. This Executive Position Paper has three key objectives: (1) investigate why teachers opted to participate in certain voluntary PD opportunities; (2) examine teachers' reactions to…

Supplementing Assertive Discipline with Conflict Resolution To Develop Social Skills at the Intermediate Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkhurst, Kathleen J.

A middle school principal with 17 years of experience as a classroom teacher implemented a practicum designed to develop positive, long-lasting social skills among elementary school students in the intermediate grades. The primary goal of the intervention was to decrease the number of instances in which students used verbal or physical aggression…

Teaching Aquatic Science as Inquiry through Professional Development: Teacher Characteristics and Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan Seraphin, Kanesa; Harrison, George M.; Philippoff, Joanna; Brandon, Paul R.; Nguyen, Thanh Truc T.; Lawton, Brian E.; Vallin, Lisa M.

2017-01-01

We present an inquiry-based, aquatic science professional development (PD) for upper-elementary, middle, and high school teachers and examine changes in student outcomes in light of participating teachers' characteristics and the grade band of the students. Our study lends support to the assertion that inquiry- and content-focused PD, paired with…

Career Exploration Occupational Information for the Junior High/Middle School. A Planning Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Dorothy M.; McDonald, Dorothea V.

Materials contained in this guide are designed to be used in planning a comprehensive career education program and for developing individual career education units for grades 6-9. Section 1 is the planning guide and contains strategies for organizing, planning, and implementing a program, developing staff inservice, conducting a needs assessment,…

Teacher Preferences for Middle Grades: Insights into Attracting Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radcliffe, Rich A.; Mandeville, Thomas F.

2007-01-01

Shortages of middle-level teacher candidates may cause teacher educators to recruit candidates by focusing on what attracts and discourages candidates about teaching at the middle level. The authors used a survey approach (n = 110) to investigate why preservice middle school and high school teachers and in-service middle school teachers chose the…

Predicting early adolescent gang involvement from middle school adaptation.

PubMed

Dishion, Thomas J; Nelson, Sarah E; Yasui, Miwa

2005-03-01

This study examined the role of adaptation in the first year of middle school (Grade 6, age 11) to affiliation with gangs by the last year of middle school (Grade 8, age 13). The sample consisted of 714 European American (EA) and African American (AA) boys and girls. Specifically, academic grades, reports of antisocial behavior, and peer relations in 6th grade were used to predict multiple measures of gang involvement by 8th grade. The multiple measures of gang involvement included self-, peer, teacher, and counselor reports. Unexpectedly, self-report measures of gang involvement did not correlate highly with peer and school staff reports. The results, however, were similar for other and self-report measures of gang involvement. Mean level analyses revealed statistically reliable differences in 8th-grade gang involvement as a function of the youth gender and ethnicity. Structural equation prediction models revealed that peer nominations of rejection, acceptance, academic failure, and antisocial behavior were predictive of gang involvement for most youth. These findings suggest that the youth level of problem behavior and the school ecology (e.g., peer rejection, school failure) require attention in the design of interventions to prevent the formation of gangs among high-risk young adolescents.

Promoting Original Scientific Research and Teacher Training Through a High School Science Research Program: A Five Year Retrospective and Analysis of the Impact on Mentored 8th Grade Geoscience Students and the Mentors Themselves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danch, J. M.

2015-12-01

In 2010 a group of 8th grade geoscience students participated in an extracurricular activity allowing them to conduct original scientific research while being mentored by students enrolled in a 3 - year high school Science Research program. Upon entering high school the mentored students themselves enrolled in the Science Research program and continued for 4 years, culminating with their participation in Science Research 4. This allowed them to continue conducting original scientific research, act as mentors to 8th grade geoscience students and to provide teacher training for both middle and high school teachers conducting inquiry-based science lessons. Of the 7 Science Research 4 students participating since 2010, 100% plan on majoring or minoring in a STEM - related field in college and their individual research projects have been been granted over 70 different awards and honors in science fair and symposia including a 3rd and 4th place category awards at two different international science fairs - the International Sustainable Energy Engineering and Environment Project (iSWEEP) and the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Science Research 4 students developed and conducted a Society for Science and the Public affiliated science fair for middle school students enrolled in an 8th grade honors geoscience program allowing over 100 students from 5 middle schools to present their research and be judged by STEM professionals. Students with research judged in the top 10% were nominated for participation in the National Broadcom MASTERS program which they successfully entered upon further mentoring from the Science Research 4 students. 8th grade enrollment in the Science Research program for 2015 increased by almost 50% with feedback from students, parents and teachers indicating that the mentorship and participation in the 8th grade science fair were factors in increasing interest in continuing authentic scientific research in high school.

Students' Development of Astronomy Concepts across Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, Julia

Students in Grades 1, 3, and 8 (N = 60) were interviewed while using a planetarium-like setting that allowed the students to demonstrate their ideas about apparent celestial motion both verbally and with their own motions. Though the older students were generally more accurate in many conceptual areas compared with the younger students, in several areas, the eighth-grade students showed no improvement over the third-grade students. The use of kinesthetic learning techniques in a planetarium program was also explored as a method to improve understanding of celestial motion. Pre- and postinterviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first- and second-grade students (N = 63). Students showed significant improvement in all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program and surpassed the middle school students' understanding of these concepts in most areas. Based on the results of these studies, a learning progression was developed describing how children may progress through successively more complex ways of understanding apparent celestial motion across elementary grades.

Social goals, social behavior, and social status in middle childhood.

PubMed

Rodkin, Philip C; Ryan, Allison M; Jamison, Rhonda; Wilson, Travis

2013-06-01

This study examines motivational precursors of social status and the applicability of a dual-component model of social competence to middle childhood. Concurrent and longitudinal relationships between self-reported social goals (social development, demonstration-approach, demonstration-avoid goal orientations), teacher-rated prosocial and aggressive behavior, and peer nominations of social status (preference, popularity) were examined over the course of an academic year among 980 3rd- to 5th-grade children. Findings support dual-component expectations. Confirmatory factor analyses verified the expected 3-factor structure of social goals and 2-factor structure of social status. Structural equation modeling (SEM) found that (a) social development goals were associated with prosocial behavior and increased preference, and (b) demonstration-approach goals were associated with aggressive behavior and increased popularity. Demonstration-avoid goals were associated with a popularity decrease. SEMs were invariant across grade, gender, and ethnicity. Discussion concerns the potential risks of high social status, extensions to the dual-component model, and the generality of an achievement goal approach to child social development. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Prediction and stability of reading problems in middle childhood.

PubMed

Ritchey, Kristen D; Silverman, Rebecca D; Schatschneider, Christopher; Speece, Deborah L

2015-01-01

The longitudinal prediction of reading problems from fourth grade to sixth grade was investigated with a sample of 173 students. Reading problems at the end of sixth grade were defined by significantly below average performance (≤ 15th percentile) on reading factors defining word reading, fluency, and reading comprehension. Sixth grade poor reader status was predicted by fall of fourth grade passage reading fluency, spelling fluency, and the number of reading problems identified by teachers. Reading fluency and spelling fluency were significant predictors in logistic regression equation that combined to yield a screening battery with an area under the curve of .91. These results suggest that brief assessments of reading and spelling fluency in fourth grade may be able to identify students in middle childhood who have a reading problem or who are at risk for experiencing reading problems in sixth grade. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

A quantitative comparative analysis of Advancement via Independent Determination (AVID) in Texas middle schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Krystal Astra

The "Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program was designed to provide resources and strategies that enable underrepresented minority students to attend 4-year colleges" (AVID Center, 2013, p. 2). These students are characterized as the forgotten middle in that they have high test scores, average-to-low grades, minority or low socioeconomic status, and will be first-generation college students (AVID, 2011). Research indicates (Huerta, Watt, & Butcher, 2013) that strict adherence to 11 program components supports success of students enrolled in AVID, and AVID certification depends on districts following those components. Several studies (AVID Center, 2013) have investigated claims about the AVID program through qualitative analyses; however, very few have addressed this program quantitatively. This researcher sought to determine whether differences existed between student achievement and attendance rates between AVID and non-AVID middle schools. To achieve this goal, the researcher compared eighth-grade science and seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics scores from the 2007 to 2011 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and overall attendance rates in demographically equivalent AVID and non-AVID middle schools. Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) were used to obtain 2007 to 2011 TAKS results and attendance information for the selected schools. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between AVID demonstration students and non-AVID students in schools with similar CI. No statistically significant differences were found on any component of the TAKS for AVID economically disadvantaged students. The mean scores indicated an achievement gap between non-AVID and AVID demonstration middle schools. The findings from the other three research questions indicated no statistically significant differences between AVID and non-AVID student passing rates on the seventh- and eighth-grade TAKS math tests or on overall attendance rates. The mean scores on the eighth-grade TAKS science test revealed some positive results in the academic performance of economically disadvantaged in non-AVID demonstration middle schools. Specifically, the results indicated that the mean passing percentage of AVID demonstration was lower than that of non-AVID middle schools. The TAKS scores showed a small achievement gap between non-AVID and AVID demonstration middle schools.

Achievement in and attitudes toward the science of sound, by middle school students, grades five through eight, both overall and by gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariaschin-Melenson, Cynthia Faith

2001-07-01

This study explores the relationship, among middle school students, between the understanding of a physical science topic, sound, and expressed attitudes toward topics with a strong sound component. Further, it assesses these differences in achievement and attitude by grade level and by gender. An attitude inventory, comprised of 30 Likert-type questions, and a concepts-of-sound achievement instrument, comprised of 30 multiple-choice questions, were administered to approximately 1300 students in grades five, six, seven, and eight, the middle-school grades, in a variety of locations within a single school district in the Intermountain West. Results indicate that during the middle school years there is no significant difference between males and females in physical science achievement on the topic of sound energy. Results additionally indicate that, contrary to researched literature, throughout the middle school years females, as a group, do not have poorer attitudes than males toward the physical sciences; indeed, in grades five and eight female attitude responses were significantly more positive than male attitude responses. Overall, attitude correlates with knowledge. When positive attitude toward learning about sound diminishes, incremental knowledge about sound diminishes. Results of this study may be utilized in determining whether instructional and further research efforts should be directed toward methods for improving achievement in and attitudes toward the physical sciences. It is anticipated that improved methods for instilling positive attitudes and imparting greater knowledge would result in more students, especially females, pursuing advanced physical science studies and related occupations.

System-Level Biochip for Impedance Sensing and Programmable Manipulation of Bladder Cancer Cells

PubMed Central

Chuang, Cheng-Hsin; Huang, Yao-Wei; Wu, Yao-Tung

2011-01-01

This paper develops a dielectrophoretic (DEP) chip with multi-layer electrodes and a micro-cavity array for programmable manipulations of cells and impedance measurement. The DEP chip consists of an ITO top electrode, flow chamber, middle electrode on an SU-8 surface, micro-cavity arrays of SU-8 and distributed electrodes at the bottom of the micro-cavity. Impedance sensing of single cells could be performed as follows: firstly, cells were trapped in a micro-cavity array by negative DEP force provided by top and middle electrodes; then, the impedance measurement for discrimination of different stage of bladder cancer cells was accomplished by the middle and bottom electrodes. After impedance sensing, the individual releasing of trapped cells was achieved by negative DEP force using the top and bottom electrodes in order to collect the identified cells once more. Both cell manipulations and impedance measurement had been integrated within a system controlled by a PC-based LabVIEW program. In the experiments, two different stages of bladder cancer cell lines (grade III: T24 and grade II: TSGH8301) were utilized for the demonstration of programmable manipulation and impedance sensing; as the results show, the lower-grade bladder cancer cells (TSGH8301) possess higher impedance than the higher-grade ones (T24). In general, the multi-step manipulations of cells can be easily programmed by controlling the electrical signal in our design, which provides an excellent platform technology for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) or a micro-total-analysis-system (Micro TAS). PMID:22346685

Ohio's Middle Childhood Licensure Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Paula M.; Ross, Diane; Miller, Jennifer; Dever, Robin; Jones, Karen A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe middle level prepared teachers' perceptions of their practices after completing an Ohio Middle Childhood: Grades 4-9 teacher education program. Using the National Middle School Association/National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education Initial Level Teacher Preparation Standards (2001)…

Legal Interviewers Use Children's Affect and Eye Contact Cues to Assess Credibility of Their Testimony

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, Tiffany; Malphurs, Julie E.; Yando, Regina; Bendell, Debra; Carraway, Kirsten; Cohen, Raquel

2010-01-01

Based on interviews with 120 children ranging from age 3 to 12, legal interviewers rated the grade school and middle school age children as competent and as understanding the meaning of lying. The interviewers rated the grade school children as more credible "witnesses in court" than either the preschool or the middle school age…

The Effect of LIFT on Life Effectiveness and Locus of Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrell, Brian

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of the Leadership Inspiration Facilitation Team (LIFT) program on the life effectiveness and locus of control of a group of sixth grade students at Schultz Middle School. The participants consisted of 36 sixth grade students, ages 10 to 12 years, from a single public middle school. The…

Truth: Humanities Unit (Middle and Secondary Grade Levels). Programs for Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Barbara; Kolman, Peter

One in a series of instructional units designed for gifted students, this booklet describes a humanities unit for students in middle and secondary grades. The specific focus of the unit is on truth as it is perceived and expressed in philosophy, literature, art, music, drama, and the social sciences. The study of truth and its surrounding concepts…

Turning Points: States in Action. An Interim Report of the Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC. Resource Center on Educational Equity.

This report analyzes the experiences of 27 states selected to participate in Carnegie Corporation of New York's Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative (MGSSPI), a 3-year grant program to states to stimulate fundamental reform in schools serving 10- to 15-year old students. MGSSPI states are working to radically transform the education…

Performance and Preparation: Alignment between Student Achievement, Teacher Ratings, and Parent Perceptions in Urban Middle-Grades Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowrey, Sascha C.; Farran, Dale C.

2016-01-01

The middle grades are a critical transition period in students' mathematics trajectories, as students move from arithmetic to the more complex and abstract concepts of algebra. Teachers' and parents' judgments of students' math abilities in these years are important to instructional planning and decision making for teachers, and can advise parents…

An Examination of the Levels of Cognitive Demand Required by Probability Tasks in Middle Grades Mathematics Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Dustin L.; Tarr, James E.

2007-01-01

We analyze probability content within middle grades (6, 7, and 8) mathematics textbooks from a historical perspective. Two series, one popular and the other alternative, from four recent eras of mathematics education (New Math, Back to Basics, Problem Solving, and Standards) were analyzed using the Mathematical Tasks Framework (Stein, Smith,…

An Alternative Path to Becoming a Successful Middle Grades Math and Science Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeanpierre, Bobby; Lewis, Nancy

2007-01-01

In 2003, the University of Central Florida began a Transition to Mathematics and Science Teaching (T-MAST) program, a one-year, fast-track program that prepares and certifies bachelor's degree holders who will work as teachers in a job-sharing paid internship, while completing a Master of Arts degree in middle grades (5-9) mathematics education or…

Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems, Peer Affiliations, and Bullying Involvement across the Transition to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Thomas W.; Irvin, Matthew J.; Motoca, Luci M.; Leung, Man-Chi; Hutchins, Bryan C.; Brooks, Debbie S.; Hall, Cristin M.

2015-01-01

Continuity and change in children's involvement in bullying was examined across the transition to middle school in relation to externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in fifth grade and peer affiliations in fifth and sixth grades. The sample consisted of 533 students (223 boys, 310 girls) with 72% European American, 25% African American,…

An Investigation of the Combined Assessments Used as Entrance Criteria for a Gifted English Middle School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsey, Colleen D.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if the four assessments for entrance into an academic middle school gifted English program were accurately predicting success, as measured by students' grades each nine-week grading period. Some students were dismissed from the program each year because they could not maintain the required minimum average…

Comparing the Contexts of Middle-Grade Schools, Their Instructional Practices, and Their Outcomes: A Regression Discontinuity Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Elias; Heck, Ronald H.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to describe an alternative means of estimating school effectiveness, referred to as an "absolute year" of schooling and demonstrate its usefulness as a measure of school effectiveness in the middle grades. More specifically, the study investigated (a) whether the absolute schooling effect in math and reading outcomes…

Improved Middle Grades Schools for Improved High School Readiness: Ten Best Practices in the Middle Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene; Timberlake, Allison

2012-01-01

In 2009, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Committee to Improve High School Graduation Rates and Achievement, led by then-Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia, released a report of 10 key recommendations for ensuring more students graduate from high school, and they graduate ready for college and careers. Among these 10 recommendations was…

Using Assessment Data to Guide Math Course Placement of California Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chun-Wei; Snipes, Jason; Finkelstein, Neal

2016-01-01

Middle school math placement and progression are topics that are part of an active policy and practice discussion in California and elsewhere. Beginning in the 2008/09 school year, California's State Board of Education recommended that students complete algebra I by the end of grade 8. Between 2003 and 2009 the proportion of grade 8 students…

Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms: Effectiveness of Teacher Think-Alouds to Increase the Metacognition of 7th Grade Social Studies Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matz, Debbie S.

2012-01-01

This study examined how the use of teacher think-alouds influenced and transferred to the reading comprehension and metacognition of seventh grade middle school social studies students in two Reading Apprenticeship classrooms. The researcher conducted classroom observations at a middle school in a mid-size suburban and rural school district in…

Gendered Socialization with an Embodied Agent: Creating a Social and Affable Mathematics Learning Environment for Middle-Grade Females

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Yanghee; Lim, Jae Hoon

2013-01-01

This study examined whether or not embodied-agent-based learning would help middle-grade females have more positive mathematics learning experiences. The study used an explanatory mixed methods research design. First, a classroom-based experiment was conducted with one hundred twenty 9th graders learning introductory algebra (53% male and 47%…

Middle Grades' School Models and Their Impact on Early Adolescent Self-Esteem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booth, Margaret Zoller; Sheehan, Heather Chase; Earley, Mark A.

2007-01-01

Throughout the world, school grade structures are most variable during the early adolescent years when students can find themselves in a variety of school models. This paper investigates the impact of two popular school models in the United States (middle school and K-8) on the self-esteem and self-concept of early adolescents. Based on mixed…

Exploring the Ups and Downs of Mathematics Engagement in the Middle Years of School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.; Way, Jennifer; Bobis, Janette; Anderson, Judy

2015-01-01

This study of 1,601 students in the middle years of schooling (Grades 5-8, each student measured twice, 1 year apart) from 200 classrooms in 44 schools sought to identify factors explaining gains and declines in mathematics engagement at key transition points. In multilevel regression modeling, findings showed that compared with Grade 6 students…

Assessing Learning Progression of Energy Concepts across Middle School Grades: The Knowledge Integration Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hee-Sun; Liu, Ou Lydia

2010-01-01

We use a construct-based assessment approach to measure learning progression of energy concepts across physical, life, and earth science contexts in middle school grades. We model the knowledge integration construct in six levels in terms of the numbers of ideas and links used in student-generated explanations. For this study, we selected 10 items…

TPACK Goes to Sixth Grade: Lessons from a Middle School Teacher in a High-Technology-Access Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wetzel, Keith; Marshall, Summer

2012-01-01

This is a qualitative study addressing the question: In what ways does a sixth grade middle school teacher show evidence of behaviors that fit the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework in the classroom? The researcher observed in this class, interviewed the teacher, and looked for evidence of the interplay between…

What's the Big Deal about Vocabulary?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunston, Pamela J.; Tyminski, Andrew M.

2013-01-01

This article describes techniques for teaching mathematics terminology that allow adolescents to expand their abstract reasoning ability and move beyond operations into problem solving. Mathematics vocabulary instruction is particularly important in the middle grades because this is when "the serious development of the language of mathematics…

No Penalties for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy; Pumpian, Ian

2011-01-01

Teachers and administrators at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego, California, wanted to create a grading system that reflected understanding while still encouraging students to practice. They developed course competencies, or performance assessments, that teachers use to measure what students know and can do with the concepts…

Professional Development for Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Alex; Healey, Tim

2011-01-01

Every secondary school leader in the United States is aware of the importance of a successful transition from middle to high school. Schools and districts have implemented many programs specifically designed to help rising freshmen successfully make the transition to high school, such as ninth-grade academies, mandatory interventions, small…

Clean It Up!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Janette

2017-01-01

Young students need opportunities to develop their conceptual understanding of properties of matter. By providing students with inquiry activities, we lay the groundwork necessary for students to grasp the challenging concepts associated with learning about the periodic table in middle school. In this 5E activity (Bybee 2009), fifth-grade students…

Teacher Use of Evidence to Customize Inquiry Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerard, Libby F.; Spitulnik, Michele; Linn, Marcia C.

2010-01-01

This study investigated how professional development featuring evidence-based customization of technology-enhanced curriculum projects can improve inquiry science teaching and student knowledge integration in earth science. Participants included three middle school sixth-grade teachers and their classes of students (N = 787) for three consecutive…

Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

PubMed Central

Elleman, Amy

2017-01-01

Purpose We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers. Method A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction in 4 inference strategies (i.e., clarification using text clues; activating and using prior knowledge; understanding character perspectives and author's purpose; answering inferential questions). In addition, narrative and informational texts were carefully chosen and sequenced to build requisite background knowledge to form inferences. Intervention was delivered in small groups of 3 students for 10 days of instruction. Results One-way analysis of covariance models on outcome measures with the respective pretest scores as a covariate revealed significant gains on a proximal measure of Egyptian-content knowledge (g = 1.37) and on a standardized measure of reading comprehension—i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition Reading Comprehension (g = 0.46). Conclusion The moderate effect on a standardized measure of reading comprehension provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this multistrategy inference intervention in improving reading comprehension of middle-grade struggling readers. PMID:27776201

Indicators of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career interest among middle school students in the USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Leila A.

This study examines middle school students' perceptions of a future career in a science, math, engineering, or technology (STEM) career field. Gender, grade, predispositions to STEM contents, and learner dispositions are examined for changing perceptions and development in career-related choice behavior. Student perceptions as measured by validated measurement instruments are analyzed pre and post participation in a STEM intervention energy-monitoring program that was offered in several U.S. middle schools during the 2009-2010, 2010-2011 school years. A multiple linear regression (MLR) model, developed by incorporating predictors identified by an examination of the literature and a hypothesis-generating pilot study for prediction of STEM career interest, is introduced. Theories on the career choice development process from authors such as Ginzberg, Eccles, and Lent are examined as the basis for recognition of career concept development among students. Multiple linear regression statistics, correlation analysis, and analyses of means are used to examine student data from two separate program years. Study research questions focus on predictive ability, RSQ, of MLR models by gender/grade, and significance of model predictors in order to determine the most significant predictors of STEM career interest, and changes in students' perceptions pre and post program participation. Analysis revealed increases in the perceptions of a science career, decreases in perceptions of a STEM career, increase of the significance of science and mathematics to predictive models, and significant increases in students' perceptions of creative tendencies.

Exploring mathematical connections of prospective middle-grades teachers through card-sorting tasks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eli, Jennifer A.; Mohr-Schroeder, Margaret J.; Lee, Carl W.

2011-09-01

Prospective teachers are expected to construct, emphasise, integrate, and make use of mathematical connections; in doing so, they acquire an understanding of mathematics that is fluid, supple, and interconnected (Evitts Dissertation Abstracts International, 65(12), 4500, 2005). Given the importance of mathematical connection making, an exploratory study was conducted to consider the ability of prospective middle-grades teachers to make mathematical connections while engaging in card-sorting activities. Twenty-eight prospective middle-grades teachers participated in both an open and closed card sort. Data were analysed using constant comparative methods to extract meta themes to describe the types of connections made. Findings indicate that these prospective teachers tended to make more procedural- and categorical-type mathematical connections and far fewer derivational or curricular mathematical connections.

7 CFR 28.403 - Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Middling Color. 28.403 Section 28.403 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.403 Middling Color. Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.442 - Middling Yellow Stained Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Middling Yellow Stained Color. 28.442 Section 28.442... Stained Color. Middling Yellow Stained Color is American Upland cotton which in color is deeper than Middling Tinged Color. [57 FR 34498, Aug. 5, 1992] below color grade cotton ...

7 CFR 28.403 - Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Middling Color. 28.403 Section 28.403 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.403 Middling Color. Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.442 - Middling Yellow Stained Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Middling Yellow Stained Color. 28.442 Section 28.442... Stained Color. Middling Yellow Stained Color is American Upland cotton which in color is deeper than Middling Tinged Color. [57 FR 34498, Aug. 5, 1992] below color grade cotton ...

7 CFR 28.442 - Middling Yellow Stained Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Middling Yellow Stained Color. 28.442 Section 28.442... Stained Color. Middling Yellow Stained Color is American Upland cotton which in color is deeper than Middling Tinged Color. [57 FR 34498, Aug. 5, 1992] below color grade cotton ...

7 CFR 28.442 - Middling Yellow Stained Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Middling Yellow Stained Color. 28.442 Section 28.442... Stained Color. Middling Yellow Stained Color is American Upland cotton which in color is deeper than Middling Tinged Color. [57 FR 34498, Aug. 5, 1992] below color grade cotton ...

7 CFR 28.403 - Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Middling Color. 28.403 Section 28.403 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.403 Middling Color. Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.403 - Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Middling Color. 28.403 Section 28.403 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.403 Middling Color. Middling Color is color which is within the range...

Teaching Middle School Language Arts: Incorporating Twenty-First Century Literacies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small Roseboro, Anna J.

2010-01-01

"Teaching Middle School Language Arts" is the first book on teaching middle school language arts for multiple intelligences and related twenty-first-century literacies in technologically and ethnically diverse communities. More than 670,000 middle school teachers (grades six through eight) are responsible for educating nearly 13 million students…

7 CFR 28.442 - Middling Yellow Stained Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Middling Yellow Stained Color. 28.442 Section 28.442... Stained Color. Middling Yellow Stained Color is American Upland cotton which in color is deeper than Middling Tinged Color. [57 FR 34498, Aug. 5, 1992] below color grade cotton ...

7 CFR 28.403 - Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Middling Color. 28.403 Section 28.403 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.403 Middling Color. Middling Color is color which is within the range...

Classroom Management and the Middle School Philosophy. Fastback 500.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, John W.

This document explores how teachers can connect the instructional and interpersonal approaches embedded in middle-school philosophy to effective classroom management. It describes the current mismatch between middle-school philosophy and practice and how the creation of middle-school grades introduced a volatile mismatch between a school's…

Risk factors of bicycle traffic injury among middle school students in chaoshan rural areas of china.

PubMed

Lin, Zhen-Bin; Ji, Yan-Hu; Xiao, Qing-Yu; Luo, Li-Bo; Li, Li-Ping; Choi, Bernard

2017-01-26

Bicycle injuries are a leading cause of accidental death among children in the world, and bicycle-related injuries are also very common in China, thus to find out bicycle injury risk factors is imperative. This study aims to identify the cyclist-, bicycle- and road-related risk factors of bicycle injury, to develop health education programs as an intervention and to provide a scientific basis for establishing policies against bicycle injury. We selected two middle schools randomly among seven schools in Chaoshan rural areas,where the main means of transportation for students from home to school was bicycle. The subjects were middle school students from 7th to 9th grades from Gucuo Middle School and Hefeng Middle School. Cyclists were surveyed through questionnaires about bicycle injury in the past 12 months. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that compared with a combination-type road、 motor lane and a non-intact road were both risk factors of bicycle injuries. This was followed by riding with fatigue, non-motor lane and inattentive riding. Bicycle injuries are frequent in China. Three risk factors on bicycle traffic injury among middle school students in Chaoshan rural areas of China were identified. This study provides important data to develop intervention strategies for China and other developing countries.

Sex, Literacy and Videotape: Learning, Identity and Language Development through Documentary Production with "Overage" Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Steven

2010-01-01

This case study examines the learning, identity and language development experienced by "overage" 8th-grade students who have been left behind two or more years in their New York City middle school and are participating in an extended-day video documentary program. The students practise a range of literacy skills naturally embedded in…

Defining Mathematics Competency in the Service of Cognitively Based Assessment for Grades 6 through 8. Research Report. ETS RR-09-42

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graf, Edith Aurora

2009-01-01

This report makes recommendations for the development of middle-school assessment in mathematics, based on a synthesis of scientific findings in cognitive psychology and mathematics education. The focus is on background research, rather than test specifications or example tasks. Readers interested in early development and pilot efforts associated…

Evaluation of Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) Professional Development. Final Report. NCEE 2012-4005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bos, Johannes M.; Sanchez, Raquel C.; Tseng, Fannie; Rayyes, Nada; Ortiz, Lorena; Sinicrope, Castle

2012-01-01

To add to the evidence base on effective strategies for teaching English language learner students, the 2006-2011 REL West at WestEd conducted a rigorous study, using an intent-to-treat model, of the impact on middle grades student achievement of offering teachers the opportunity to participate in a teacher professional development program. The…

'"I’m Not Going to Become No Rapper": Stereotypes as a Context of Ethnic and Racial Identity Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Way, Niobe; Hernandez, Maria G.; Rogers, Leoandra Onnie; Hughes, Diane L.

2013-01-01

Few studies examine how the macro context shapes ethnic or racial identity development during early adolescence. This analysis draws on interview data from 40 African American, Chinese American, Dominican American, and European American middle school students (6th through 8th grade) to explore how stereotypes inform adolescents' ethnic and racial…

Managing Asthma in Elementary and Middle Schools: Adherence to Federal Laws and National Guidelines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schilling, Ethan J.; Neuharth-Pritchett, Stacey; Getch, Yvette Q.; Lease, A. Michele

2017-01-01

The current study examined teacher-reported asthma management practices in school and adherence to federal guidelines for students with asthma. 593 kindergarten-eighth grade teachers completed surveys regarding compliance with federal laws and policies, information-seeking behavior, asthma-related professional development, and asthma management…

Early Cognitive Profiles of Emergent Readers: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunswick, Nicola; Martin, G. Neil; Rippon, Georgina

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study examined the contribution of phonological awareness, phonological memory, and visuospatial ability to reading development in 142 English-speaking children from the start of kindergarten to the middle of Grade 2. Partial cross-lagged analyses revealed significant relationships between early performance on block design and…

Only One Ocean: Marine Science Activities for Grades 5-8. Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halversen, Catherine; Strang, Craig

This guide was designed by the Marine Activities, Resources & Education (MARE) Program through the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) ongoing curriculum development program for middle school students. This GEMS guide addresses the concepts of the interconnectedness of the ocean basins, respect for organisms, oceanography, physical…

Bug Talk: A Learning Module on Insect Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Daniel J.

2008-01-01

The study of insects (entomology) can be used to stimulate students' interest in science and nature. It can develop students' understanding of fundamental science concepts, awareness of interdisciplinary connections, and mastery of science process skills. This teaching module provides opportunities for middle school students (Grades 5-8) to learn…

Birth Order and Field Dependence-Independence: A Failure to Replicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finley, Gordon E.; Solla, Joseph

1975-01-01

The Children's Embedded Figures Test was individually administered to 116 Caucasian, middle class, second grade children. Results suggest that a child's early experience in a particular birth order position may not be related to the development of field dependence-independence in any unambiguous and simple fashion. (Author/ED)

Lake Pollution in the Yahara Watershed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison Public Schools, WI.

Audio-visual media are utilized in this teacher's guide for an interdisciplinary unit in the middle grades. A filmstrip is employed to increase the student's understanding of how pollution problems develop, and some of the steps necessary in working out solutions, as interpretation of historical changes, scientific analysis, and government…

Stimulating Divergent Thinking in Junior High Career Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranke, Charlotte; Champoux, Ellen M.

1981-01-01

Describes a middle school career-oriented teaching unit with emphasis on teaching for divergent thinking. The unit provides hands-on opportunities for eighth-grade students to explore careers using the knowledge and skills developed in their home economics class. The careers are restaurant management, hospitality service, and interior design. (CT)

Candles in Our Windows

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Kathryn

2005-01-01

"Candles in Our Windows"--also titled "Nightlights"--is a play developed for elementary and middle school students about how residents in Billings, Montana, took a stand against hate. Last March, the 6th-grade students of Woodland Elementary School in New Jersey performed an early version of the play based on a children's book,…

Documentaries: Motivating the Tech Generation to Research and Write

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Dallas

2012-01-01

This article describes the process, tools, and benefits of engaging highly gifted middle-school age students in producing historical documentaries. Dallas Price, a sixth-grade teacher in a self-contained public school program for highly gifted students, highlights the project components that help students develop twenty-first-century skills within…

Infusing Alcohol and Drug Prevention with Existing Classroom Study Units: Miscellaneous.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valencia Community Coll., Orlando, FL.

This curriculum module, one of seven developed by the "Infusion Project," offers information and miscellaneous lessons on drug use prevention for integration into an existing seventh-grade middle school curriculum. The module, based on a type of interactive learning called infusion learning contains seven lessons each providing…

Assessing Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Habits of Adolescents Using Personal Data Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murimi, Mary W.; Guthrie, Joanne; Landry, Danielle; Paun, Mihaela M.

2008-01-01

Objective: To assess nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors of seventh graders in nine randomly selected middle schools in Louisiana. Methods: This descriptive study used personal data assistants (PDAs) to administer a pre-validated questionnaire developed from national instruments to 127 seventh grade students from nine randomly-selected…

Motivating Mathematics Learning: Changes in Teachers' Practices and Beliefs during a Nine-Month Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Julianne C.; Warzon, Kristen Bogner; Christensen, Andrea

2011-01-01

The authors investigated patterns of change in three middle grade teachers' beliefs and practices about motivation in mathematics during a yearlong professional development project with a university researcher. Four principles of motivation (and corresponding instructional strategies) were introduced in this sequence: supporting students'…

Teaching: A Reflective Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

German, Susan; O'Day, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

In this article, the authors describe how they used formative assessments to ferret out possible misconceptions among middle-school students in a unit about weather-related concepts. Because they teach fifth- and eighth-grade science, this assessment also gives them a chance to see how student understanding develops over the years. This year they…

Effects of Mathematics Acceleration on Middle School Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boysworth, Sylvia Elaine

2010-01-01

The researcher's purpose in the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an Accelerated Mathematics Program (AMPS) for sixth and seventh grades, using the accelerative practice of curriculum telescoping in a rural school district in North Carolina. The mathematics achievement of students served in the locally developed Accelerated Mathematics…

Chapter 6: Curriculum Effects in Seventh-Grade Pickleball.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Sharon A.; Nguyen, Phong T.; Barrett, Tim M.; Johnson, Melissa K.; Doutis, Panayiotis; Brobst, Brandi; Shinoda, Yousike

1999-01-01

Examined how different middle schools, with different curricula, differed in their approach to teaching the same pickleball activity, comparing the enacted curriculum of schools using a multi-activity curriculum to a school using curriculum developed through the Saber-Tooth Project. Schools were similar managerially. Differences were apparent when…

Notetaking Skills Instruction for Development of Middle School Students' Notetaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilter, Ilhan

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit instruction in notetaking skills on the notetaking performance of seventh-grade students at different reading ability levels. The students in the notetaking instruction condition (NTI) received classroom-based notetaking skills instruction (approximately 40 minutes) every week…

The Heart of Authenticity: Shared Assessment in the Teacher Education Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unwin, Cynthia G.; Caraher, Jody

2000-01-01

Discusses the transformation from traditional evaluation practices to those associated with authentic assessment at Georgia's Augusta State University, focusing on the negotiation of shifting boundaries. One former student shares the philosophical background that she developed prior to entering a middle-grades reading class, elaborating on how the…

Improving Content Knowledge and Comprehension for English Language Learners: Findings from a Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Martinez, Leticia R.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Roberts, Greg; Swanson, Elizabeth; Fall, Anna-Mária

2017-01-01

Supporting the reading comprehension and content knowledge acquisition of English language learners (ELs) requires instructional practices that continue beyond developing the foundational skills of reading. In particular, the challenges ELs face highlight the importance of teaching reading comprehension practices in the middle grades through…

Student Perspectives of Grading in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Xihe

2015-01-01

Recent state and federal legislations on educational accountability push evaluation and grading to the frontline. This study examined students' perspectives of grading in physical education. The participants included students (N = 39) from two middle schools. Data were collected through observation, student profile grading sheets and interviews.…

Lexile Reading Growth as a Function of Starting Level in At-Risk Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Laura E.

2010-01-01

This study investigated average yearly reading growth norms of at-risk middle school students as a function of start of year reading grade level. Data for this study were collected from an urban school in the western United States over five years and tracked the yearly growth of 2,485 seventh- and eighth-grade students using a Lexile-linked…

Mathematics Preservice Teachers Are Literacy Educators Too: Learning How to Administer and Use Data from the Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment to Plan Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks. Benita R.

2017-01-01

House Bill (HB) 2237 (80th Legislature), Section 6: Adolescent Reading Assessment requires districts and public charter schools to administer the Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA) or some other state approved alternative assessment to students in grade seven who do not demonstrate reading proficiency on the grade six state reading…

Traditional and Digital Game Preferences of Children: A CHAID Analysis on Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatli, Zeynep

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine types of games that middle school students play in their daily lives and analyze the effects of various variables such as gender, available technology, grade in school and parents' education levels on their game preferences. The sample consisted of a total of 464 grade 5-8 students (212 girls and 252…

Analysis of Problems Posed by Sixth-Grade Middle School Students for the Addition of Fractions in Terms of Semantic Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kar, Tugrul

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate how the semantic structures of problems posed by sixth-grade middle school students for the addition of fractions affect their problem-posing performance. The students were presented with symbolic operations involving the addition of fractions and asked to pose two different problems related to daily-life situations…

A Common Vision: Teacher Quality Enhancement in the Middle Grades in Illinois. Collaborating for Success: Lessons Learned from Illinois' TQE Grant Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klostermann, Brenda K.; Presley, Jennifer B.

2005-01-01

Findings are presented from our case study evaluating the implementation of the IBHE's federally funded grant, "A Common Vision: Teacher Quality Enhancement in the Middle Grades in Illinois." Four sites were examined in terms of how they organized to attain the grant goals, and what aspects of organizational culture and leadership…

Metrological traceability in education: A practical online system for measuring and managing middle school mathematics instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres Irribarra, D.; Freund, R.; Fisher, W.; Wilson, M.

2015-02-01

Computer-based, online assessments modelled, designed, and evaluated for adaptively administered invariant measurement are uniquely suited to defining and maintaining traceability to standardized units in education. An assessment of this kind is embedded in the Assessing Data Modeling and Statistical Reasoning (ADM) middle school mathematics curriculum. Diagnostic information about middle school students' learning of statistics and modeling is provided via computer-based formative assessments for seven constructs that comprise a learning progression for statistics and modeling from late elementary through the middle school grades. The seven constructs are: Data Display, Meta-Representational Competence, Conceptions of Statistics, Chance, Modeling Variability, Theory of Measurement, and Informal Inference. The end product is a web-delivered system built with Ruby on Rails for use by curriculum development teams working with classroom teachers in designing, developing, and delivering formative assessments. The online accessible system allows teachers to accurately diagnose students' unique comprehension and learning needs in a common language of real-time assessment, logging, analysis, feedback, and reporting.

Navigating into, through, and beyond the middle grades: the role of middle grades attendance in staying on track for high school graduation.

PubMed

Kieffer, Michael J; Marinell, William H; Neugebauer, Sabina Rak

2014-12-01

In this longitudinal study, we investigated the use of attendance during middle school as a behavioral indicator of engagement to predict whether students are on track toward high school graduation. We used administrative data from four cohorts of students in New York City schools (N=303,845) to (a) explore patterns of change in attendance between Grades 4 and 8 and (b) determine the extent to which changes in attendance between Grades 4 and 8 predict which students are on track in Grade 9 for going on to graduate from high school. Results of latent growth modeling indicated that students demonstrate the most substantial declines in attendance during Grade 8 and that attendance changes are most variable in this year, with some students demonstrating much more dramatic declines than others. In addition, these changes in attendance were robust predictors of whether students were on track for high school graduation. To identify students who are at risk for not graduating for the purposes of providing appropriate interventions, educators should pay attention to their commonly collected data on attendance rates as a behavioral indicator of engagement. Copyright © 2014 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quilt Block Symmetries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roscoe, Matt B.; Zephyrs, Joe

2016-01-01

Geometric transformations have long been topics of middle school mathematics. Generations of middle school students have learned to reflect, rotate, and translate geometric objects. Historically, though, the mathematics of "movement" might have been considered a departure from other more central middle-grades geometric content areas,…

Stuck in the Middle: How and Why Middle Schools Harm Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rockoff, Jonah E.; Lockwood, Benjamin B.

2010-01-01

Could middle schools be bad for student learning? Could something as simple as changing the grade configuration of schools improve academic outcomes? That's what some educators have come to believe. States and school districts across the country are reevaluating the practice of educating young adolescents in stand-alone middle schools, which…

7 CFR 28.402 - Strict Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Strict Middling Color. 28.402 Section 28.402... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.402 Strict Middling Color. Strict Middling Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the United States...

7 CFR 28.402 - Strict Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Strict Middling Color. 28.402 Section 28.402... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.402 Strict Middling Color. Strict Middling Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the United States...

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.402 - Strict Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Strict Middling Color. 28.402 Section 28.402... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.402 Strict Middling Color. Strict Middling Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the United States...

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.405 - Low Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Low Middling Color. 28.405 Section 28.405 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.405 Low Middling Color. Low Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.405 - Low Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Low Middling Color. 28.405 Section 28.405 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.405 Low Middling Color. Low Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.405 - Low Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Low Middling Color. 28.405 Section 28.405 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.405 Low Middling Color. Low Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.402 - Strict Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Strict Middling Color. 28.402 Section 28.402... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.402 Strict Middling Color. Strict Middling Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the United States...

7 CFR 28.405 - Low Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Low Middling Color. 28.405 Section 28.405 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.405 Low Middling Color. Low Middling Color is color which is within the range...

A Case Study Exploring the Transition to Middle School from the Perspective of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappa, Kelly A.

2012-01-01

The transition to middle school is often associated with negative effects on academic achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Educators at a Grade 6 through 8 middle school in the northeastern United States observed students struggle with the adjustment to middle school. Research suggests that developmentally responsive…

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.405 - Low Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Low Middling Color. 28.405 Section 28.405 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.405 Low Middling Color. Low Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.402 - Strict Middling Color.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Strict Middling Color. 28.402 Section 28.402... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.402 Strict Middling Color. Strict Middling Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the United States...

Against All Odds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy

2005-01-01

More than a decade ago, no one held out much hope for the poor, immigrant children at Kennedy Middle School. Nobody thinks that now. This article presents how Kennedy Middle School transformed and beat all the odds to be a "school to watch." In many ways, Kennedy Middle School has become a model of middle-grades improvement. Test scores,…

Phonemic Awareness and Middle-Ear Disease among Bedouin Arabs in Israel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Rabia, Salim

2002-01-01

Investigates the effect of middle-ear infections on phonemic awareness on first-grade Bedouin Arab elementary school children in northern Israel. Divides 49 children who were screened according to their infant medical records into two groups: one with repeated middle-ear infection and one without. Indicates a nonsignificant effect of middle-ear…

The Timing of Grade Skipping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yi-Lung; Lohman, David F.

2011-01-01

The purposes of this study were to investigate the following: (a) the impact of sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family income on the likelihood of whole-grade skipping between kindergarten and Grade 7 and (b) the effects of grade skipping during elementary or middle school on students' academic achievement in high school. The authors…

Deconstructing the externalizing spectrum: Growth patterns of overt aggression, covert aggression, oppositional behavior, impulsivity/inattention, and emotion dysregulation between school entry and early adolescence

PubMed Central

Olson, Sheryl L.; Sameroff, Arnold J.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Sexton, Holly; Davis-Kean, Pamela; Bates, John E.; Pettit, Gregory S.; Dodge, Kenneth A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether five subcomponents of children's externalizing behavior showed distinctive patterns of long-term growth and predictive correlates. We examined growth in teachers' ratings of overt aggression, covert aggression, oppositional defiance, impulsivity/inattention, and emotion dysregulation across three developmental periods spanning kindergarten through Grade 8 (ages 5–13 years). We also determined whether three salient background characteristics, family socioeconomic status, child ethnicity, and child gender, differentially predicted growth in discrete categories of child externalizing symptoms across development. Participants were 543 kindergarten-age children (52% male, 81% European American, 17% African American) whose problem behaviors were rated by teachers each successive year of development through Grade 8. Latent growth curve analyses were performed for each component scale, contrasting with overall externalizing, in a piecewise fashion encompassing three developmental periods: kindergarten–Grade 2, Grades 3–5, and Grades 6–8. We found that most subconstructs of externalizing behavior increased significantly across the early school age period relative to middle childhood and early adolescence. However, overt aggression did not show early positive growth, and emotion dysregulation significantly increased across middle childhood. Advantages of using subscales were most clear in relation to illustrating different growth functions between the discrete developmental periods. Moreover, growth in some discrete subcomponents was differentially associated with variations in family socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Our findings strongly affirmed the necessity of adopting a developmental approach to the analysis of growth in children's externalizing behavior and provided unique data concerning similarities and differences in growth between subconstructs of child and adolescent externalizing behavior. PMID:23880394

Development and validation of the Rapid Estimate of Adolescent Literacy in Medicine (REALM-Teen): a tool to screen adolescents for below-grade reading in health care settings.

PubMed

Davis, Terry C; Wolf, Michael S; Arnold, Connie L; Byrd, Robert S; Long, Sandra W; Springer, Thomas; Kennen, Estela; Bocchini, Joseph A

2006-12-01

The magnitude and consequences of low literacy in adolescent health and health care are unknown. The purpose of this study was to validate the Rapid Estimate of Adolescent Literacy in Medicine (REALM-Teen), a word-recognition test in English that can be used as a brief literacy-screening tool in health care settings. A total of 1533 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years attending 1 of 5 middle schools, 3 high schools, 1 pediatric clinic, or 2 summer programs in Louisiana and North Carolina participated in face-to-face interviews. Demographic information was solicited, and participants were administered a battery of reading tests, including the REALM-Teen, Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-3), and Slosson Oral Reading Test-Revised (SORT-R). Internal consistency for the REALM-Teen was determined using Cronbach's alpha, and criterion validity was established through correlations with both the WRAT-R and SORT-R. Using reading below grade level (according to SORT-R scores) as an outcome, instrument accuracy and corresponding cutoff scores were calculated by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves and stratum-specific likelihood ratios. Participants were 50% black and 53% female; 34% were enrolled in middle school and 66% in high school. The average time required to administer the REALM-Teen was 3 minutes. Internal consistency was excellent, as was test-retest reliability. The REALM-Teen is strongly correlated with both the WRAT-R and SORT-R. Five reading level categories were identified: 3rd grade and below, 4th to 5th grade, 6th to 7th grade, 8th to 9th grade, and 10th grade and above. Forty-six percent of participants were reading below grade level according to the SORT-R and 28% had repeated at least 1 grade. The REALM-Teen is a brief, reliable instrument for assessing adolescent literacy skills and reading below grade level.

[Taphonomy of the gastropod cf. Donaldina robusta (Heterobranchia: Streptacididae) from the Middle Pennsylvanian, La Joya Formation, Sonora, Mexico].

PubMed

Gómez E, Catalina; Buitrón S, Blanca; Vachard, Daniel

2010-03-01

Gastropods are an important component in most of the fossil record; however, investigations have focused mainly on the characterization of the tafofacies and signatures in determined environments. We present qualitative and quantitative taphonomic data for the gastropod cf. Donaldina robusta assemblages from the La Joya Formation of the Sierra Agua Verde, Sonora State, (NW) Mexico. We analyzed 176 shells. Good preservation received ahigh taphonomic grade (A) and poor preservation a D. The shells were complete in 72% of cases (taphonomic grade B). Less than 10% are corroded or are parallel to the layer (grade A). This rock is petrographycally classified as wackestone, sedimentologically it is characterized by middle sorting (grade B) and low grading (grade A). The fossiliferous assemblage grades as A and B. Biostratinomic features of the skeletal assemblage are characteristic of sedimentologic concentrations of autochthonous-parautochthonous elements at the accumulation site. There was minimal reworking and transport in an environment of low energy, locally produced during a short period of accumulation.

Association of Grade Configuration with School Climate for 7th and 8th Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malone, Marisa; Cornell, Dewey; Shukla, Kathan

2017-01-01

Educational authorities have questioned whether middle schools provide the best school climate for 7th and 8th grade students, and proposed that other grade configurations such as K-8th grade schools may provide a better learning environment. The purpose of this study was to compare 7th and 8th grade students' perceptions of 4 key features of…

The Relationship of Fast ForWord Scientific Learning to North Carolina End of Grade Reading Scores at a Middle School in Anson County, North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benfield, Jamie Ledsinger

2012-01-01

Anson County School District wished to determine the relationship between Fast ForWord Scientific Learning data and North Carolina End of Grade reading scores at Anson Middle School in Anson County, North Carolina. The specific research questions that guided this study include: 1. How does the literacy intervention, Fast ForWord, affect EOG growth…

The Tale of Two Noras: How a Yup'ik Middle Schooler Was Differently Constructed as a Math Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Maureen P.

2008-01-01

This case study seeks to explain why a Yup'ik middle schooler, Nora, from a remote Alaskan village, was differently constructed as a math learner by her 6th- and 7th-grade math teachers. When a culturally relevant curriculum was used in 6th grade, Nora had a greater opportunity for leadership, ownership of knowledge, collaborative problem solving,…

Education and Certification Qualifications of Public Middle Grades Teachers of Selected Subjects: Evidence from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey. NCES 2015-815

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldi, Stéphane; Warner-Griffin, Catharine; Tadler, Chrystine

2015-01-01

This report examines the postsecondary majors and teaching certifications of middle grades teachers in public schools in selected subject areas by using data from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a sample survey of elementary and secondary schools in the United States that collects data on American public and private…

Reflections on Teaching and Learning the Arts: A Middle-Grade Classroom and a High School for the Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barilla, Rosemary; Brown, Tina Boyer

2015-01-01

Rosemary Barilla, a middle-grade language arts teacher, inspired by her own dedication to the arts, describes the ways she integrates the fine arts into her classroom program that is designed to teach reading and writing. Tina Boyer Brown, a founding teacher at The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts®), describes the school as a place where…

Enhancing inferential abilities in adolescence: new hope for students in poverty

PubMed Central

Gamino, Jacquelyn F.; Motes, Michael M.; Riddle, Russell; Lyon, G. Reid; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Chapman, Sandra B.

2014-01-01

The ability to extrapolate essential gist through the analysis and synthesis of information, prediction of potential outcomes, abstraction of ideas, and integration of relationships with world knowledge is critical for higher-order learning. The present study investigated the efficacy of cognitive training to elicit improvements in gist reasoning and fact recall ability in 556 public middle school students (grades seven and eight), vs. a sample of 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group, to determine if changes in gist reasoning and fact recall were demonstrated without cognitive training. The results showed that, in general, cognitive training increased gist reasoning and fact recall abilities in students from families in poverty as well as students from families living above poverty. However, the magnitude of gains in gist reasoning varied as a function of gender and grade level. Our primary findings were that seventh and eighth grade girls and eighth grade boys showed significant increases in gist reasoning after training regardless of socioeconomic status (SES). There were no significant increases in gist reasoning or fact recall ability for the 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group. We postulate that cognitive training in middle school is efficacious for improving gist reasoning ability and fact recall in students from all socioeconomic levels. PMID:25505393

Enhancing inferential abilities in adolescence: new hope for students in poverty.

PubMed

Gamino, Jacquelyn F; Motes, Michael M; Riddle, Russell; Lyon, G Reid; Spence, Jeffrey S; Chapman, Sandra B

2014-01-01

The ability to extrapolate essential gist through the analysis and synthesis of information, prediction of potential outcomes, abstraction of ideas, and integration of relationships with world knowledge is critical for higher-order learning. The present study investigated the efficacy of cognitive training to elicit improvements in gist reasoning and fact recall ability in 556 public middle school students (grades seven and eight), vs. a sample of 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group, to determine if changes in gist reasoning and fact recall were demonstrated without cognitive training. The results showed that, in general, cognitive training increased gist reasoning and fact recall abilities in students from families in poverty as well as students from families living above poverty. However, the magnitude of gains in gist reasoning varied as a function of gender and grade level. Our primary findings were that seventh and eighth grade girls and eighth grade boys showed significant increases in gist reasoning after training regardless of socioeconomic status (SES). There were no significant increases in gist reasoning or fact recall ability for the 357 middle school students who served as a comparison group. We postulate that cognitive training in middle school is efficacious for improving gist reasoning ability and fact recall in students from all socioeconomic levels.

The Middle Ages: Family Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Library Media Activities Monthly, 1996

1996-01-01

Describes a four-volume reference set for elementary and middle school students called "The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students" edited by William Chester Jordan. Provides a sample lesson which includes library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, activity and procedures for…

Predicting early spelling difficulties in children with specific language impairment: a clinical perspective.

PubMed

Cordewener, Kim A H; Bosman, Anna M T; Verhoeven, Ludo

2012-01-01

This study focused on the precursors of spelling difficulties in first grade for children with specific language impairment (SLI). A sample of 58 second-year kindergartners in The Netherlands was followed until the end of first grade. Linguistic, phonological, orthographic, letter knowledge, memory, and nonverbal-reasoning skills were considered as precursors, as was spelling level at an earlier point in time. Spelling difficulties at the end of first grade were most accurately identified by letter knowledge at the beginning of first grade and word spelling at the middle of first grade. It is concluded that spelling development in children with SLI can be seen as an autocatalytic process in which, without intervention, poor spellers generally remain poor spellers, and good spellers remain good spellers. A focus on early spelling intervention is thus emphasized. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspectives of Learners and Teachers on Implementing the Storytelling Strategy as a Way to Develop Story Writing Skills among Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkaaf, Fatma

2017-01-01

This study explores teachers' and learners' views on the impact of the storytelling strategy on developing the story writing skills of Omani seven graders. One hundred and twenty grade seven learners and five teachers participated in this study. The participants completed two questionnaires. The first questionnaire administered to the learners…

Development Process and Outcome Evaluation of a Program for Raising Awareness of Indirect and Relational Aggression in Elementary Schools: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verlaan, Pierrette; Turmel, France

2010-01-01

The development process of a program for raising awareness of indirect and relational aggression in elementary school children and teachers is described and a preliminary outcome evaluation of the program was conducted. The 188 participants were derived from 8 fourth- through sixth-grade elementary classes in two lower-middle-class schools from…

A Study of STEM Assessments in Engineering, Science, and Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwell, Michael; Moreno, Mario; Phillips, Alison; Guzey, S. Selcen; Moore, Tamara J.; Roehrig, Gillian H.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop, scale, and validate assessments in engineering, science, and mathematics with grade appropriate items that were sensitive to the curriculum developed by teachers. The use of item response theory to assess item functioning was a focus of the study. The work is part of a larger project focused on increasing…

Beyond the Professional Development Academy: Teachers' Retention of Discipline-Specific Science Content Knowledge throughout a 3-Year Mathematics and Science Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clary, Renee M.; Elder, Anastasia; Dunne, James; Saebo, Svein; Beard, Debbie; Wax, Charles; Tucker, Deborah L.

2018-01-01

The Teacher Academy in the Natural Sciences (TANS) provided middle school (U.S. Grades 6-8) teachers (N = 81) with intensive professional development (PD) in chemistry, geosciences, and physics, with teachers enrolled in one scientific discipline per year. Because some teachers were retained and rotated into different disciplines, the TANS program…

Science: An Indian Perspective. Ten Modules for Learning. Indian Ethnic Heritage Studies Curriculum Development Project, 1974-75.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allery, Alan J.

In this unit, ten modules provide an open approach to science, offering a wide variety of activities and experiences that include aspects of Indian studies incorporated into the regular science curricula. The materials are intended for use in middle grades as part of a social studies program. The objectives of the unit are to develop students'…

[Caudal migration of the verumontanum and enlargement of the utricle in hypospadias].

PubMed

Ikoma, F; Hohenfellner, R; Yamamoto, S

2014-09-01

Hypospadias is one of the morphological and functional alterations of the internal urogenital organs under the influence of androgen deficiency. In the time period 1974-1998 a total of 823 cases of hypospadias were surgically treated and the findings of the preoperative X-ray diagnostics with micturating cystourethrogram (MCU) and urethrocystogram (UCG) as well as urethrocystoscopy were analyzed. A caudal migration of the verumontanum could be detected in 55% of cases with hypospadias (453/823) and in 79% (322/403) of middle grade (penoscrotal) and high grade (scrotoperineal) cases of hypospadias. Enlargement of the utricle was present in 31.5% (259/823) cases of hypospadias and in 46.2% (186/423) of middle grade (penoscrotal) and high grade (scrotoperineal) cases of hypospadias.

The role of teacher behavior in children's relational aggression development: A five-wave longitudinal study.

PubMed

Weyns, Tessa; Verschueren, Karine; Leflot, Geertje; Onghena, Patrick; Wouters, Sofie; Colpin, Hilde

2017-10-01

The present article examined the development of relational aggression in middle childhood and the effects of observed teacher behavior on this development. Relying on social learning theory, we expected that teacher praise would slow down the increase of relational aggression, whereas teacher reprimands would promote the increase of relational aggression. A sample of 570 children (49% boys, M age =7years and 5months, >95% Belgian) was followed from second to fourth grade. Teacher praise and reprimands were observed at the beginning of second grade. Child relational aggression was assessed using teacher and peer reports, collected at five points in time: at the beginning and end of the second grade, at the beginning and end of the third grade, and at the end of the fourth grade. Multilevel modeling showed that relational aggression generally increased from second to fourth grade. Moreover, when teachers displayed more praise, students' relational aggression increased at a slower rate; when teachers displayed more reprimands, students' relational aggression increased at a faster rate. Overall, the results stress the importance of supporting teachers to reduce reprimands and increase praise when interacting with children. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.