Higher-Performing Middle Grades Schools Set High Goals for Students, Hold All Accountable for Outcomes

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Study Links Performance to Clear Expectations, Data Use, Leader Evaluations

A new report by EdSource finds that middle grades schools in which middle- and low-income students do well academically have a lot in common. These schools embrace high expectations and design instructional programs to prepare all students for a rigorous high school education. This orientation toward the future and intense focus on student outcomes may represent a culture shift in these schools, affecting everything from the way they use data to the way educators are evaluated.

The report, Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better, is based on a study of 303 principals, 3,752 English Language Arts (ELA) and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents in California. Each group was given a survey exploring 10 broad domains of effective middle grades practice. Educator responses to a combined total of over 900 survey items were analyzed against spring 2009 scores on California’s standards-based tests in ELA and math in grades 6, 7, and 8, which were taken by close to 204,000 students.

WHAT DISTINGUISHES HIGHER-PERFORMING MIDDLE GRADES SCHOOLS?

To identify the practices common in higher-performing schools, survey questions were organized into 10 areas: focus on academic outcomes; standards-aligned instruction and curriculum; use of data to improve instruction and learning; proactive academic interventions; teacher competencies, evaluation, and support; principal leadership; superintendent leadership and district support; school environment; organization of teaching and instruction; and attention to student transitions.

Researchers found that the key distinguishing factor between higher- and lower-performing schools was an intense schoolwide focus on improving student academic outcomes. Other common practices among the higher-performing schools include setting measurable goals for improved outcomes on standards-based tests; a shared mission to prepare students academically for the future; and expecting students and parents to share the responsibility for student learning. The research also showed that higher-performing middle grades schools stress early identification of and proactive intervention for struggling students, and use data extensively to monitor student progress and improve teacher practice.

The study found that superintendents and principals in higher-performing middle grades schools were more likely to report that student outcomes were a part of their evaluations. Slightly more than half of the 157 superintendents in the study reported this practice, while fewer than half of the 303 principals did so.

GRADE CONFIGURATION IS NOT CONSISTENTLY ASSOCIATEDWITH HIGH PERFORMANCE

Educators have for years tried to figure out the best way to organize the middle grades. However, this study did not find that a school’s internal organization of teachers and instruction was associated with higher student outcomes. Another finding, related to grade configuration, was also unexpected. About half of the 303 participating schools were grades 6-8, one-quarter were 7-8, and one-quarter were K-8. No single one of these configurations was consistently associated with higher performance on the state’s standards-based tests in ELA and math. In another finding with implications for federal, state, and local policies, the report found that only 5 percent of principals and 24 percent of superintendents reported that they received salary adjustments based in part on improvements in student achievement. Performance-based pay was not significantly related to student outcomes in this study.

The report offers important recommendations. It encourages educators to use its findings to learn more about what is working in the classroom and to inform staff discussions about ways to improve student outcomes. And it urges state policymakers to examine the extent to which current initiatives and budget cuts either strengthen or inhibit local schools’ and districts’ ability to carry out the practices this study found to be significant.