61.052 - An Analytic Examination of Current Issues in the Middle School Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The middle school has often been regarded as the toughest grades to teach. Educators and researchers recognize that the rapid changes brought on by biological transformations of puberty impact how students think, learn, and feel, and continue to advocate the necessity of making specific changes in instruction, teacher preparation, and curricula in meeting the needs of young adolescents for facilitating student interests and sustain their motivation for future learning. As we move into the digital era, issues related to access and applications of digital resources in school and at home for learning could also play a significant role in student educational experiences. Presenters in this symposium explore these issues using available data from the NAEP eighth-grade assessments and contextual questionnaires.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Middle-Level Education Research

Chair

• Judy H. Tang, Westat

Papers

• Investigating the Relationships Between Grade Configurations and Student Educational Experiences at the Middle School Level - Kavemuii Murangi, Westat; Elisha Lubar, Westat; Lisa Hamilton, Westat

• Examining the Relations Between Middle School Teacher Preparation, Professional Development, and Student Performance - Juliann Dupuis, Notre Dame of Maryland University; Judy H. Tang, Westat

• Middle School Students' Course-Taking and Performance on NAEP Assessments - Robert Colby Perkins, Westat; Ingrid Fichtenberg, Westat

• Student Access and Applications of Digital Resources in the Middle School Classrooms - Judy H. Tang, Westat; Kavemuii Murangi, Westat

Discussant

• Kavemuii Murangi, Westat