An increase in online learning during the pandemic has led to new thinking about online instruction that will last far beyond the pandemic. The hurried nature of instructional design as the pandemic shifted teaching and learning from the classroom to the computer may have neglected the need to design lessons using best practices online instead of focusing on content delivery and grading. Practices that are part of successful middle level education including cultivating depth of student understanding, developmental responsiveness, social emotional learning and differentiation to meet young adolescent student needs may have been neglected in pandemic online lesson design. This article suggests that now is the time to pause for reflection on previous online learning design as teachers use a guided process built on successful middle level practices. As teachers reflect on their previous online experiences and begin to ground their thinking, what they know and understand as expert middle level educators, the future of online learning will become more meaningful not only for teachers but for the young adolescent learners they are committed to reach and teach.

Introduction The articles in this issue of Current Issues in Middle Level Education include a celebration of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education, a report of a research study, and a summary of best practices. Bridget Coleman and Nancy Ruppert are current and past presidents of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE). As this journal is the journal of NAPOMLE, we wanted to celebrate NAPOMLE’s 25th anniversary. Coleman and Ruppert reviewed several documents related to NAPOMLE’s history and mission; they also contacted several past leaders. Michael DiCicco and Ryan Alverson contributed an article that adds to the literature on Schools to Watch. Their study, based on schools in Kentucky, provides additional information about successful middle schools. Holly Thornton suggested best practices for online middle level education. As online teaching and learning continue, these ideas can assist middle level educators as they reflect and renew their commitments to student learning. As always, we extend gratitude to Jennifer Gerrald at Georgia Southern University for her support of the journal.

The National Association of Professors for Middle Level Education has been focused on middle grades education since 1997. This is an introduction for the CIMLE Journal in celebration of NAPOMLE's 25 anniversary in 2022.

In 2017, the state of Kentucky distributed the Teaching, Empowerment, Leading, and Learning (TELL) survey to gain an understating of the learning environments in Kentucky schools. Many of the items on the TELL survey addressed key components of the School to Watch criteria and rubric. Researchers were interested in the teaching and learning conditions in Kentucky middle schools that contributed to successful school environments as defined by the Schools to Watch criteria, and to use results from the TELL survey to see what high scoring schools were doing well according to the teachers and principals that completed the survey. Researchers compared the 12 STW schools in Kentucky to other top scoring schools using TELL survey and STW report data. Findings suggest Kentucky STW schools are performing slightly above average compared to all other middle schools in all areas of the TELL survey. However, only two STW schools scored in the top 10 of the survey and the top scoring schools performed much better on the survey. Researchers discuss the implications of these results and suggest areas for future research.

Introduction The articles in this issue of Current Issues in Middle Level Education reflect different experiences of middle level educators particularly as we continue to adapt to new realities given the coronavirus pandemic. Elizabeth Stewart, Jeasik Cho, Mellinee Lesley, and Julie Smit interviewed a small group of parents about their experiences supporting their children’s literacy learning at home in the early weeks of the pandemic in 2020. Their research provides insights and ideas from a parent perspective. As teacher educators, Jessica VanValkenburgh and Aaron R. Gierhart adjusted their practices and approaches to teaching science methods for middle grades and elementary teacher candidates. They share ideas for best practices from their reflection and experiences. In another article focused on teacher education, Randa Elbih, Elyssa Miller, Grace Sheldon, and Mackenzie Wilson share a pedagogical approach as an example of best practices. They explain how they engaged pre-service teachers in planning a STEM-based learning segment by connecting STEM areas with social studies. Finally, Holly Henderson Pinter and David C. Virtue describe how their program has prepared middle grades candidates for the edTPA portfolio assessment in current uncertain times. Their manuscript shares details about changes they made and concludes with lessons learned that readers may be able to apply within their own programs. Continued thanks to Jennifer Gerrald at Georgia Southern University for her support of the journal. We also thank the following people who acted as reviewers for CIMLE during 2021: Jori Beck Penny Howell Holly Henderson Pinter Hilary Dack Leah Kahn Nicolette Rickert Kent Divoll Deborah McMurtrie Nancy Ruppert Cheryl Ellerbrock Sarah Pennington Kristie Smith Miguel Gomez Stacie Pettit Christopher Weiler

This article expounds how our pedagogical practices have changed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these effects others have contended with in the education community. The authors share pedagogical strategies they have found to be effective in terms of building and supporting relationships with teacher candidates. They suggest using digitally-mediated teaching and learning strategies, staying connected with students, and badge-based assessment and feedback approaches to build and support relationships with students; examples of the instructional design and implementation strategies are described. The authors propose that when looking forward, teachers at any level may benefit from providing students with an environment in which they feel heard and supported.

Teacher candidates in North Carolina must earn a passing score on the edTPA assessment to get certified. The middle grades education program at Western Carolina University integrates aspects of the edTPA assessment throughout pre-student teaching coursework and field experiences to prepare candidates for this high-stakes assessment. Some of the edTPA practice assignments serve as key assessments that help the middle grades program faculty evaluate the program and make decisions about curriculum. The pivot to remote and blended learning formats on campus and in partner middle level schools affected the implementation of the edTPA-related assignments. The authors share some of the challenges of implementing edTPA practice portfolios during the pandemic as well as insights gleaned from their assessment of the data.