Friday, October 03, 2008
AYP Results Confirm Middle School Concerns
The release of the 2008 MCAS Adequate Yearly Progress Reports shows that 75% of all Massachusetts middle schools are identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. This compares to 25% of high schools and 45% of elementary schools.
Boston Globe Reports on the Failing of Middle Schools
(The following Boston Globe report refers to 2007 data - see the post above for the updated 2008 results)
Two-thirds of the state's middle schools are not meeting federal standards for raising standardized test scores, about twice the rate of elementary and high schools, according to a Globe analysis of state data.
The findings are raising questions about the best teaching practices for students wading through the turbulent years of puberty, first crushes, and short attention spans.
More broadly, the data suggest middle schools may have been largely overlooked as the state has focused on other education priorities such as ensuring all elementary students can read and helping high school students pass the MCAS, a series of tests required for high school graduation.
According to the Globe's analysis, more than 200 of the state's 305 middle schools have fallen short of performance goals established under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years.
Last fall, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education designated about 80 middle schools for restructuring, up from about two dozen middle schools the previous year. Restructuring, the most dire designation for schools under federal law, could set the stage for a state takeover, although Massachusetts has generally partnered with schools to improve achievement.
The afflicted middle schools are not only in Boston, Lowell, and other communities, but also in a host of suburban districts such as Stoneham, Plymouth, and Newton, bewildering school leaders, even as they change teaching methods, textbooks, and staff.
"Middle school students' motivations are different, and the MCAS is not high stakes for them like it is for high school students," said Theresa Craig, coordinator of curriculum and professional development for Middleborough Public Schools, which has a middle school in restructuring. "If middle school students are having a bad day, it totally throws off their test scores."
State Education Secretary Paul Reville said improving middle schools is a significant issue confronting the state, especially as it tries to address the state's high school dropout problem. Students having difficulty in high school, he said, generally begin falling off track in middle school.
"The state should pay more attention to the middle school level," Reville said. "Often, middle school is a critical transition for students from the more protective environment of an elementary school to the more complex social and academic challenges of a secondary school."
Two-thirds of the state's middle schools are not meeting federal standards for raising standardized test scores, about twice the rate of elementary and high schools, according to a Globe analysis of state data.
The findings are raising questions about the best teaching practices for students wading through the turbulent years of puberty, first crushes, and short attention spans.
More broadly, the data suggest middle schools may have been largely overlooked as the state has focused on other education priorities such as ensuring all elementary students can read and helping high school students pass the MCAS, a series of tests required for high school graduation.
According to the Globe's analysis, more than 200 of the state's 305 middle schools have fallen short of performance goals established under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years.
Last fall, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education designated about 80 middle schools for restructuring, up from about two dozen middle schools the previous year. Restructuring, the most dire designation for schools under federal law, could set the stage for a state takeover, although Massachusetts has generally partnered with schools to improve achievement.
The afflicted middle schools are not only in Boston, Lowell, and other communities, but also in a host of suburban districts such as Stoneham, Plymouth, and Newton, bewildering school leaders, even as they change teaching methods, textbooks, and staff.
"Middle school students' motivations are different, and the MCAS is not high stakes for them like it is for high school students," said Theresa Craig, coordinator of curriculum and professional development for Middleborough Public Schools, which has a middle school in restructuring. "If middle school students are having a bad day, it totally throws off their test scores."
State Education Secretary Paul Reville said improving middle schools is a significant issue confronting the state, especially as it tries to address the state's high school dropout problem. Students having difficulty in high school, he said, generally begin falling off track in middle school.
"The state should pay more attention to the middle school level," Reville said. "Often, middle school is a critical transition for students from the more protective environment of an elementary school to the more complex social and academic challenges of a secondary school."
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