Effective Middle School Research Articles

What are the Effects of the Change in the Assessment Systems on the Alignment between Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment? A Case in Korean Middle Schools

This study aimed to analyze how the various assessment systems affecting middle school English education has changed over the recent decade, investigate the effects of these assessment system changes on alignment between curriculum, teaching and assessment, and find implications for effective middle school English education. Document analysis was used to address the changes in the assessment system over the recent decade. It identified that there was a great change in the assessment system in that period. The assessment within middle schools was changed from NRTs to CRTs in 2012, which has affected the high school admission process since 2012. In the CSAT, the assessment of English subject has experienced a change from NRTs to CRTs since 2018. In addition, the NAEA has changed from assessing all 3 graders in middle school and 2 graders in high school to only assessing students from sampled schools since 2017. As a result, the assessment systems which were criticized as a significant barrier that distorted middle school English education due to negative washback effect have been improved. Secondly, a questionnaire survey showed respondents’ positive perceptions regarding their practice to the alignment at all stages of planning, teaching, and assessment. However, issues not corresponding to their positive perception were identified in the implementation process. Thirdly, it was confirmed that there was a consistent difference in the perception among teachers by school levels as to the effect of changes in the assessment systems on the alignment. Particular attention needs to be paid to the significant difference between the results of middle and high school teachers in almost all the issues. This suggests that the difference between of middle and high school teachers should be reflected on English education policy along with the change in the assessment systems.

An Examination of Middle School Organizational Structures in the United States and Australia

The middle school concept, aimed at creating a more developmentally responsive learning environment for young adolescents, gained a stronghold in the later part of the 20th century. Proponents of this concept have argued continually for the holistic implementation of its six key characteristics if its benefits are to be realized. These characteristics include: (a) a challenging, integrative, and exploratory curriculum; (b) varied teaching and learning approaches; (c) assessment and evaluation that promote learning; (d) flexible organizational structures (i.e., including the physical space, scheduling, and grouping of students and teachers); (e) programs and policies that foster health, wellness and safety; and (f) comprehensive guidance and support services. Recently, Ellerbrock, Falbe, and Pomykal Franz identified key middle school organizational structures of people, place, and time as being interconnected and integral to effective middle school practices. Main also demonstrated the interconnected nature of these key characteristics and how organizational structures of people affected the successful implementation of other characteristics. Thus, how these organizational structures can and are being implemented has implications for our understanding of the effectiveness of other middle school practices. In this paper, researchers from both the United States and Australia examine and compare literature published between 2000 and 2018 addressing ways in which middle school/middle years organizational structures have been reported and categorized by structures of people, place, and time in these two countries. Pertinent literature related to organizational structures of middle schools in the United States and to middle years education in Australia was examined. Findings from studies and evaluations from each country are reported to provide an international perspective on the organizational structures of middle schools/middle years education across the two countries. Overall, since 2000, the body of knowledge about middle schools/middle years organizational structures has been surprisingly limited in comparison to their perceived importance in the field. This lack of research is concerning in the midst of educational reform in both countries, resulting in questions about the impact of school organizational structures on young adolescent development and learning.

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs in Middle Schools

Physical activity declines among children in their tweens and teens. To address physical inactivity as a health risk, national organizations are endorsing the implementation of comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs). The purpose of this article is to describe the history of school-coordinated approaches to addressing health issues and to provide steps for implementing CSPAPs in middle-school settings. The current need, theoretical-based rationale, how-to steps, and strategies for overcoming barriers are included. The article also includes sample artifacts from effective middle school CSPAPs and identifies multiple resources for CSPAP implementation.

NATIVE-It's Your Game: Adapting a Technology-Based Sexual Health Curriculum for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) and birth rates among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth indicate a need for effective middle school HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention curricula to delay, or mitigate, the consequences of early sexual activity. While effective curricula exist, there is a dearth of curricula with content salient to AI/AN youth. Further, there is a lack of sexual health curricula that take advantage of the motivational appeal, reach, and fidelity of communication technology for this population, who are sophisticated technology users. We describe the adaptation process used to develop Native It's Your Game, a stand-alone 13-lesson Internet-based sexual health life-skills curriculum adapted from an existing promising sexual health curriculum, It's Your Game-Tech (IYG-Tech). The adaptation included three phases: (1) pre-adaptation needs assessment and IYG-Tech usability testing; (2) adaptation, including design document development, prototype programming, and alpha testing; and (3) post-adaption usability testing. Laboratory- and school-based tests with AI/AN middle school youth demonstrated high ratings on usability parameters. Youth rated the Native IYG lessons favorably in meeting the needs of AI/AN youth (54-86% agreement across lessons) and in comparison to other learning channels (57-100%) and rated the lessons as helpful in making better health choices (73-100%). Tribal stakeholders rated Native IYG favorably, and suggested it was culturally appropriate for AI/AN youth and suitable for implementation in tribal settings. Further efficacy testing is indicated for Native IYG, as a potential strategy to deliver HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention to traditionally underserved AI/AN middle school youth.

Introduction

Middle school teachers can describe the differences in their students' intellectual, physical and emotional development and how those developmental differences make meeting the needs of middle school students especially difficult. Yet, middle school physical education programs have the potential to engage students in a variety of challenging, exciting and enriching activities to help their students embrace a physically active lifestyle. In particular, middle school teachers have the potential to develop their students' abilities to strategize with teammates, work together to solve movement problems, and set personal goals for improving both skill performance and fitness levels.The purpose of this feature is to offer a window through which the reader can witness the work of middle school physical education teachers who have been successful in capturing the interests of students and helping them feel competent in their ability to engage in a variety of physical activities. In addition, readers will be able to see how effective middle school programs address the emotional and social needs of middle school students as these students struggle to make sense of their physical development and emerging personalities.

Real Middle School Teachers

Effective middle school teachers are more than the sum total of their educational beliefs and practices. They are whole persons whose lives reflect receptivity to growth, treasured relationships, and the intertwining of their personal and professional lives. This article uses the children’s classic, The Velveteen Rabbit, as a metaphor to describe effective middle school teachers.

The Intersection between 1:1 Laptop Implementation and the Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Schools

The number of middle level schools adopting 1:1 laptop programs has increased considerably during the past decade (e.g., Lowther, Strahl, Inan, & Bates, 2007; Storz & Hoffman, 2013; Texas Center for Educational Research, 2009). The cornerstone practices of the middle school concept (National Middle School Association, 2010), therefore, often serve as the backdrop for 1:1 implementation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the intersection between 1:1 program implementation and the characteristics of effective middle schools associated with the middle school concept over a four-year period. Through ongoing participant observation, individual interviews, focus groups, and reviews of digital student work and documents, we explored the implementation of a 1:1 program by one middle school team that also espoused the middle school concept. We begin by providing perspectives on 1:1 programs and on the middle school concept from research and theoretical lenses. We then describe the qualitative methodology we employed to conduct this study. Next, we present an analysis of our findings, illustrating the opportunities, tensions, and trajectories that appeared when we examined 1:1 implementation alongside the characteristics of effective middle level schools. Finally, we explore the implications of these findings for middle level educators, school leaders, and other stakeholders as they adopt 1:1 programs in schools for young adolescents.

Perceptions of Effective Middle School Mathematics Instruction

Perceptions of Effective Middle School Mathematics Instruction

It's Your Game-Tech: Toward Sexual Health in the Digital Age.

Adolescent sexually transmitted infection (STI) and birth rates indicate a need for effective middle school HIV/STI, and pregnancy prevention curricula to delay, or mitigate consequences of, early sexual activity. Individual and organizational barriers to adoption, implementation, and maintenance, however, can hamper dissemination of evidence-based sexual health curricula, adversely impacting fidelity and reach. Internet-based approaches may help mitigate these barriers. This paper describes the development and feasibility testing of It’s Your Game (IYG)-Tech, a stand-alone 13-lesson Internet-based sexual health life-skills curriculum adapted from an existing effective sexual health curriculum—It’s Your Game… Keep it Real (IYG). IYG-Tech development adaptation steps were to: 1) Select a suitable effective program and gather the original program materials; 2) Develop “proof of concept” lessons and test usability and impact; 3) Develop the program design document describing the core content, scope, and methods and strategies; and 4) produce the new program. Lab- and school-based tests with middle school students demonstrated high ratings on usability parameters and immediate impact on selected psychosocial factors related to sexual behavior—perceptions of friends’ beliefs, reasons for not having sex, condom use self-efficacy, abstinence intentions, negotiating with others to protect personal rules, and improved knowledge about what constitutes healthy relationships (all p < .05). Youth rated IYG-Tech is favorably compared to other learning channels (>76.2% agreement) and rated the lessons as helpful in making healthy choices, selecting personal rules, detecting challenges to those rules, and protecting personal rules through negotiation and refusal skills (89.5% – 100%). Further efficacy testing is indicated for IYG-Tech as a potential strategy to deliver effective HIV/STI, and pregnancy prevention to middle school youth.

“The Second We Stop Growing We Are Dead”: Examining a Middle Grades Social Studies Professional Dyad

Researchers investigate how two social studies teachers engage in collaborative, reflective practices to develop a student-centered curriculum.Although many middle grades teachers continue to work in isolation with little opportunity to learn from colleagues (Lieberman & Pointer Mace, 2008), teacher collaboration benefits students and teachers (Erb, 2001; Kain, 2001). Both the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), formerly National Middle School Association (NMSA, 2010), and the New York State Education Department (2003) assert that an essential characteristic of effective middle schools is teacher collaboration. Teacher collaboration is an important part of their growth as professionals (Coburn, 2001; DuFour, 2004b; Grossman, Wineburg, & Woolworth, 2001; Little, 2002) and has been found to be a key element in highly successful schools (McEwin & Greene, 2010). Additionally, AMLE contends that encouraging collaborative community structures promotes the healthy development of students, teachers, staffmembers, and school leaders.Pathways to such healthy development abound in both research and practice. This article puts its focus on teacher collaboration in the form of a smallscale, qualitative study that provides a snapshot of the professional relationship of how two teachers of the same subject, same grade level, were able to create and sustain a professional dyad. Our research findings serve as a guide for future research about middle grades social studies teacher collaboration through professional dyads.Middle grades teacher collaborationWhile multiple forms of productive teacher partnerships exist (see Figure 1), most middle grades teacher collaborations have consisted of interdisciplinary teams (Erb & Doda, 1998; Rottier, 2001). Ideally, interdisciplinary teams share the same schedule and area of the school building, and they communicate regularly with students' families (see Figure 1). Existing research of social studies middle grades teacher collaborations have been of those with school librarians (Meyer, 2010), special education teachers (Mastropieri et al., 2005), or English teachers (Applebee, Adler, & Flihan, 2007).A growing body of evidence supports the positive impact of interdisciplinary teaming in middle level education (Dickinson & Erb, 1997; Flowers, Mertens, & Mulhall, 1999, Flowers, Mertens, & Mulhall, 2000). Specifically, Felner and associates (1997) found higher levels of student achievement and student self-esteem in middle schools that used interdisciplinary teaming. Student achievement scores, especially among students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, improved significantly in schools with interdisciplinary teams (Mertens, Flowers, & Mulhall 1998). Applebee, Adler, and Flihan (2007) discovered students in schools with interdisciplinary teams possessed a strong sense of purpose and displayed enthusiasm about learning. For teachers, interdisciplinary teams provide a collaborative and supportive work environment (Applebee, Adler, & Flihan, 2007; Mertens & Flowers, 2004).Interdisciplinary teaming also poses challenges for teachers. Teachers need enough common planning and effective curricular resources to flourish. They also have to possess the dispositions necessary to collaborate closely with colleagues from different disciplines (Renyi, 2000). In their study of 30 teachers of interdisciplinary curricula in New York and California, Applebee, Adler, and Flihan (2007) found that interdisciplinary study was neither a problem nor a panacea (p. 1036) to increasing student achievement. The teachers in their study experienced a number of benefits as well as challenges when working in interdisciplinary teams. The authors asserted that teaming is complex and requires a deep commitment from teachers as well as a mix of personalities that are willing to work together during an extended period of time (Applebee, Adler, & Flihan, 2007, p. …

Habla Con Ellos—Talk to Them: Latinas/Os, Achievement, and the Middle Grades

Moving bilingual children beyond subordinated categories toward full engagement in relevant and authentic learning that embraces their communities.Our faculty in the Education Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte often spends time discussing issues we see within our middle grades program, including with our undergraduate teacher candidates in clinical and student teaching settings, with practicing teachers in initial licensure programs, and those learning their way into an M.Ed. in Middle Grades Education. It was at one such meeting that we found ourselves returning to the concern of our content area teachers not feeling knowledgeable about working with Latino newcomers. We were talking our way around the edges of the topic, hoping for solid language that would give clear voice to this issue, when Jeanneine shared this story:I'd never encountered a child who truly couldn't speak a single word of my own language. Yet there they were, two gorgeous Latina girls sitting quietly in the very back of the room, hands folded, staring at the tree outside the window, surely bored half to death, understanding absolutely nothing. The teacher wasn't helping much either because, just like me, she didn't know what to do or even where to begin. She didn't speak their language, and they didn't speak hers. Much to my dismay she made a beeline straight for me after class, and I was pretty sure it wasn't to discuss the student teacher I'd come to observe next block. Instead, just as I feared, it was to eagerly ask for my advice on how to work with those two girls. My conversation on the topic was short, with that five minutes pretty much covering everything I knew. That day lefta real mark on me. That image, though 20 years old, is still so vivid in my head that I can recall the yellow shirt one of the girls was wearing. Like I said, it lefta mark on me because it forced me to confront something that was a dangerous void in my teacher life, and I realized I'd better figure it out fast. I'm worried that our program still isn't where it should be in this area, and especially given our growing Charlotte Latina population.Jeanneine later shared that things got better for the two Latina girls with the arrival that semester of an English as a second language educator. This teacher helped them on their way to learning a new culture, navigating a new school, and, even more important, becoming a part of the school community through both curricular and extracurricular activities. In time, the language became easier for them, too, opening not only academic doors but social windows, which are critically important to young adolescents (Strahan, L'Esperance, & Van Hoose, 2009; Stevenson, 1998).Twenty years later, thousands of young adolescents now come into our middle grades classrooms from a rich array of countries, some with a strong working knowledge of English, some with emerging proficiency in their new language, and some with nothing at all in terms of mainstream communication skills-many, like those two young girls, are of Latino heritage.Culture plays a critical role in the most effective middle schools (NMSA, 2010), and we consider transnational children of immigration to be a great wealth, a rich blessing. We work tirelessly to equip today's middle grades teachers to serve this group of children better than we did 20 years ago. As teacher educators within The University of North Carolina Charlotte's large, urban college of education, we now regularly receive requests for assistance from middle and high school teachers and administrators who are interested in establishing a better school environment for their increasingly diverse adolescent populations. In central Piedmont, a large and growing number of Latino families accounts for much of that diversity.As of 2007, Latinos comprised 15% of the total U.S. population, with approximately one-third selfidentifying as Mexican in origin. …

Organizational Models for Teacher Learning

From the earliest reports regarding middle level education to the most recent ones, teacher learning has been central to effective middle level schools. Alexander, Williams, Compton, Hines, and Prescott (1968) asserted, Even the most enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers must have the support of congenial organizational framework, abundant resources, pertinent inservice programs, and appropriate procedures to assure continued optimum performance (p. 88). In the seminal Turning Points document, the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development (1989) highlighted how teachers working collectively can solve problems, experience professional support and less isolation, and coordinate instructional programs. In Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century, Jackson and Davis (2000) recommended that middle level schools not only be staffed with teachers who are expert at teaching young adolescents but also engage teachers in ongoing, targeted professional development opportunities. More recently in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, National Middle School Association (NMSA, now Association for Middle Level Education [AMLE], 2010) named ongoing professional development as one of its 16 tenets, explaining, is ... initiatives (p. 30).It is important that professional development experiences provide continued participation over an extended period of time, collaborative approaches, and ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of the professional development initiatives. (p. 30)Professional development experiences can take many forms, yet collaborative organizational models, in particular, can facilitate teachers' discussions about professional readings, student work and data, instructional practices and assessment techniques, and school improvement goals. The professionalization of teaching is dependent upon teachers having opportunities to contribute to the development of their own knowledge, engage in collegial relationships, and grow intellectually throughout the process (Holmes Group, 1986). Such collegiality among teachers can exist teachers work together on shared project toward some shared goal through mutually constructed contributions (Angelle & Anfara, 2008, p. 52). Despite the focus on collaborative teacher learning, too many teachers, including middle grades teachers, still work in isolation and engage solely in individual professional development.The purpose of this article is to explore organizational models for teacher learning that are being used in middle level schools, including common planning time, professional learning communities, and critical friends groups. After offering brief definition of each model of teacher learning, we describe the theoretical underpinnings of the models, summarize the relevant research regarding the use of these models, and offer concluding remarks with implications for middle level education.Agreeing on language regarding the organizational models that support teacher learning is good starting point. First, common planning time is a regularly scheduled time during the school day when teachers who teach the same students meet for joint planning, parent conferences, materials preparation, and student evaluation (Kellough & Kellough, 2008, p. 394). It affords interdisciplinary teams of teachers- teachers from different content areas (e.g., language arts, mathematics, science, social studies)-time to collaborate. Second, professional learning communities are collaborative teams of teachers who routinely analyze their practice for the purpose of improving student achievement (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008). Often, they are organized in discipline-specific groups or teams. Third, critical friends groups are groups of teachers who gather regularly to consider ways to improve student learning through collaboration and inquiry. Unique to critical friends groups is the use of structured protocols. …

Effective middle school teacher teams: a ternary model of interdependency rather than a catch phrase

The introduction of middle schooling in Australia has brought about changes to the working conditions of many teachers including finding themselves in teacher teams. The formation of such teams has been identified as critical to Australian middle school reform with teacher teams underpinning several of the fundamental components of a middle school philosophy. For teachers, however, changing their previous practice is a challenging task. Imposed changes often demand new knowledge and skills that teachers are unlikely to have met in their own education or developed in their preceding classroom work. However, changes in teaching practices must be complemented by changes at the school level. That is, individual learning must be supported by concurrent organisational learning. Using structured interviews and participant as observer field notes, this study focused on identifying factors at individual, team and school levels that could enable or hinder the successful implementation of teaching teams. At an individual level, we found that it took time for teachers to learn and perfect the necessary new forms of instruction. At a team level, team processes were shown to need administrative support (i.e. resources both human and physical), and at a school level, the norms and customs that shape a school’s culture were shown to either promote or frustrate teaming practices.

Using critical race theory to analyze science teachers culturally responsive practices

Culturally responsive science teaching is using knowledge about the culture and life experiences of students to structure learning that is conducive to their needs. Understanding what teachers need to prepare them to be culturally responsive is a matter of continuous debate. As the focus of multicultural education ventures farther away from its roots, advocating the civil rights of historically oppressed groups, concerns about the gravity of racial inequity on schooling continues. How will this shift in focus influence teachers’ capacity to accommodate students’ needs resulting from racial inequities in this society, particularly African American students? What knowledge is essential to their effectiveness? This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of two effective middle school science teachers deemed culturally responsive by their administrator on the basis of classroom observations, students’ responses and standardized assessment results. Both teachers’ classrooms consisted primarily of African American students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the teachers’ beliefs and practices in order to identify existing commonalties. Critical race theory was used to identify whether there was any influence of the students’ racial identities on the teachers’ beliefs and practices. The analysis reveals that the teachers’ beliefs and practices were informed by their critical awareness of social constraints imposed upon their African American students’ identities. These findings communicate the significance of sociocultural awareness to informing the teachers’ instruction, as well as their strategies for managing the varying dynamics occurring in their classrooms. It can be deduced from the findings that an understanding of racial inequities is crucial to the development of sociocultural awareness, and is the foundation for the culturally responsive dispositions and practices of these middle school science teachers.

Reading Intervention in the Middle Grades

At the minimum, one of every four middle school students will struggle to cope with the grade-level textbooks they are typically assigned to read. Few reading programs used in middle schools have any research evidence that they actually improve student reading proficiencies. Only three programs had even modest evidence of a positive effect, and none of these three targeted decoding proficiencies as the primary problem. There seems to be no reliable research evidence available for over 100 commonly used commercial reading programs. In lieu of using a commercial reading program, Allington offers five research-based principles for providing effective middle school reading instruction, both across the school day and during intervention sessions.

Student-Centered Instruction: Integrating the Learning Sciences to Support Elementary and Middle School Learners

Research from the learning sciences (how people learn) can help educators and parents work more effectively with disengaged students and reluctant learners. In this article, the author reviews the knowledge base of the learning sciences and examines what researchers and teachers have learned in the past 30 years regarding how and why people learn can support effective elementary and middle school–level instruction. An instructional guide is presented for educators and parents using the learning sciences as the basis for the design of learning environments to support disengaged students.

A Tri-State Study: Is the Middle School Movement Thriving… or Barely Surviving?

This descriptive study sought to determine the attitudes of middle school teachers in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio toward the current implementation of key components of the middle school concept within their schools. Researchers were asked to assess the relationship of state accountability programs to the implementation levels of such components. Random cluster sampling was used to select participants from a population list of districts. One hundred four teachers of 201 (52%) completed the questionnaires. Results revealed that many essential components of effective middle school programs are currently present in the schools, but often less so than in prior years. Other tenets were perceived to be disappearing or absent completely. A lack of fit with state testing/accountability was the primary reason for the current lack of fully implemented middle school components, although a clear majority of teachers did not select this option. Some reported that high-stakes testing/ state testing and accountability had some positive effects in the classroom. Teachers, however, believed they have less autonomy. Most perceived a decrease for enrichment, elective, or exploratory courses and activities. In sum, the results from this tri-state study suggested that teachers still consider the middle school concept to be quite relevant and applicable. The real issue would appear to be the intensity, integrity, and strength with which the components are implemented.

The Politics and Sustainability of Middle Grades Reforms

Jennifer's first years as a middle school principal occurred during a time of transformation initiated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and further intensified by demographic changes within her Midwest suburban district of 25,000 students. In the context of national educational reform during this time period, Tom Erb asked, Who will advocate for the best interests of young adolescents? (2002, p. 4). This question held particular significance in the Sunflower School District (a pseudonym), as the superintendent and board of education decided to dismantle certain middle grades structures and practices that had been sustained for 20 years. Schools returned to a departmentalized schedule with stratified academic classes and, during this same academic year, advisory programs were discontinued in favor of a study hall period. In this article, we describe how the Sunflower School District fell prey to the pendulum of educational reform efforts (Slavin, 1989), dismantling the interdisciplinary teaming structure despite findings from relevant research studies that suggest teaming is necessary to meet the needs of young adolescents and to achieve academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, and social equity (Erb, 2006; Flowers, Mertens, & Mulhall, 1999; Flowers, Mertens, & Mulhall, 2000; Jackson & Davis, 2000). From junior high to middle school The Sunflower School District recognized that middle grades education should be distinctive due to the unique needs of young adolescents (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989), and in the mid-1980s a committee of teachers, counselors, and administrators investigated the possibility of changing from a junior high model to the middle school concept. The committee visited effective middle level schools in the region and in nearby states and consulted with middle level education experts. After much deliberation involving district level administrators, building administrators, teachers, parents, and community members, the district reorganized its middle level schools according to a teaming model grounded in the middle school concept. The changes included the implementation of an advisory program and an intramural program, a revision of the exploratory curriculum, and renaming the junior high schools to indicate that changes were taking place both inside and outside the building. A mixed reception The teachers in the new middle schools knew that one goal of the reorganization was to develop ways to show students connections among separate subjects through interdisciplinary units. This meant they would have one planning time for the team and one individual planning time. However, moving from a departmental organizational structure to an interdisciplinary structure affected more than the way the curriculum was to be delivered. Some administrators were reassigned to different buildings or levels, and the district offered staff development to assist teachers in making the transition to a middle school philosophy and program. Cadres of teacher-experts were formed to provide inservice professional development on effective instruction and cooperative learning. Although these instructional strategies should have been familiar to teachers of young adolescents, regardless of the organization of the school, leaders felt that moving to the middle school model provided an opportunity to stress the importance of active, engaged learning. Teachers responded to the changes with differing attitudes. One teacher described how she felt about the impending changes when she heard about them during her first year teaching in the district, which was the final year for the junior high model. I remember there was a boy named John failing my English class. I wrote notes to six teachers. It took me seven days to get responses back, and by that time, I had already figured out a different way to reach John. When I first heard that interdisciplinary teams would be meeting every day, having that communication system sounded great. …

Common Planning Time

All the key documents explicating the essential features of effective middle level schools highlight the importance of organizational structures that foster teaching, learning, and meaningful relationships. This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents (National Middle School Association, 2010) identifies interdisciplinary teams as one of these organizational features and reminds us that these teams need daily or regular common planning so they plan ways to integrate the curriculum, analyze assessment data, examine student work, discuss current research, and reflect on the effectiveness of instructional approaches being used (p. 32). Teachers also use common planning time to address management issues related to individual student and parent concerns, the day-to-day management of the team, and scheduling of activities. Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989) also addressed the need for teachers to have greater authority to make decisions that affect the educational experiences of their students. The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development noted, Teachers on teams should exercise creative control over how curricular goals are to be reached for their teams. Teachers should collectively allocate budget and space for their team, choose instructional methods and materials for classroom use, identify and develop interdisciplinary curricular themes, schedule classes, select field experiences including youth service opportunities, and evaluate students' performance in light of school-wide objectives. (p. 55) The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development further stated, Teachers need time to form themselves into smoothly functioning teams. ... They need time to express ideas, talk about students for whom they share responsibility, describe their successes to other teachers, and seek counsel from colleagues on solving problems. (p. 55) Following the recommendations in these key reports, many middle level schools are organized into interdisciplinary teams that use a common planning time or a combination of both common planning time and individual planning for team members. While the intent of individual planning time may be obvious, it is important to have a clear definition of common planning time for the purpose of this column. Kellough and Kellough (2008) defined common planning time as A regularly scheduled time during the school day when teachers who teach the same students meet for joint planning, parent conferences, materials preparation, and student evaluation (p. 394). Also important is a common meaning for an interdisciplinary team. Again, from Kellough and Kellough, an interdisciplinary team is an organizational pattern of two or more teachers representing different core curriculum areas such as science, mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Frequently, teachers from the related arts and specialty areas like physical education and special education are included on such teams. Based on her review of four large-scale surveys (i.e., Alexander & McEwin, 1989; Epstein & Mac Iver, 1990; McEwin, Dickinson, & Jenkins, 1996; Valentine, Clark, Irvin, Keefe, & Melton, 1993), Arhar (1997) reported that the use of common planning time in middle level schools was increasing. However, more recent anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more middle grades teachers may be in danger of losing their common planning time or have already lost it. To that end, this column focuses on presenting the research that supports the use of common planning time. We first discuss what we know from existing research, and then address the current gaps in the literature. Finally, we make recommendations regarding future directions for research and steps for creating a shared vision that values common planning time. It is our hope that those who need this evidence can use it to advocate for this integral component of the middle school concept. …

It's Your Game: Keep It Real: delaying sexual behavior with an effective middle school program.

This study tested the effects of a theory-based, middle-school human immunodeficiency virus, 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 ninth grade compared with those in the comparison schools. The target population consisted of English-speaking middle school students 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 ninth 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 ninth grade compared with those in the comparison schools. Almost one-third (29.9%, n=509) of the students in the comparison condition initiated sex by ninth grade compared with 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 ninth grade than those in the intervention condition. 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.