Item specifications developed by the Arkansas Department of Education as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT) appear in this document. Specifically, the social studies materials given to sixth-grade students on the MPT are included. The purpose of an item specification is to provide an overview of the general content and format of…

Middle level schools have special needs because of the characteristics of the age group served. Staff development is crucial for middle schools. Its purposes and major planning components are presented in this paper. Most mid-level educators were prepared for elementary or high school teaching and have a limited knowledge of early adolescent…

Research findings indicate that students are affected positively or adversely by the visual, acoustical, and thermal characteristics of the classroom environment. During the 1986-87 school year, 280 fourth- and sixth-grade students housed in two separate school facilities--the oldest and the newest in a rural Tennessee county school district--were…

This guide to improving middle school guidance programs is based on two premises: (1) that the primary goal of the guidance program is to help students find meaning in their lives, and by this means, find relevancy in what schools have to offer them; and (2) that this sense of relevancy is accompanied by higher motivation to learn, and as a…

Establishing instruction in heterogeneous small groups as standard practice in middle-grade classrooms is a central goal of present reform efforts. Addresses the following: (1) the nature of the curricular materials; (2) the organization of the classroom for groupwork; and (3) the provision of providing access to learning for all students in the…

Change to a middle school brought some complaints from teachers, parents, and students. A principal describes the forces to maintain the status quo and shares her strategies and solutions. Lists nine factors that illustrate the difference in perspective from the traditional approach of education to one of educating students for the twenty-first…

This document consists of a final report and executive summary. The report is that of a project involving eight college and university faculty who were given the responsibility of developing new versions of introductory level geography courses. The plan of the project involved bringing together college or university professors, local school…

This guide presents an advisory program for middle schools. The program is designed for groups of 10 to 15 students meeting twice a week; the advisors should be adults from within the school (teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, etc.). The program has four goals: (1) to promote students' sense of belonging within the school; (2) to…

The purpose of this monograph is to heighten awareness about action research for both teachers and administrators involved in California middle level reform efforts. This approach to educational research is a means of developing knowledge through collaboration in a process that improves both student learning and professional autonomy. The…

This handbook is intended to assist technology education teachers and administrators in promoting and publicizing the program content of the new technology curriculum and the benefits it offers junior and senior high school students in New York State. Suggestions are made regarding preliminary issues to address to comply with local school district…

Developed as a guide for school leaders faced with the task of restructuring a school, this guide is a comprehensive look at the notions of restructuring and reform. It provides a comprehensive definition of restructuring, three outstanding representative examples, and a systematic process for implementing and managing change. Written to provide…

Delaware's state standards for modern foreign language curricula are designed to assist school districts in designing curricula in all languages. Introductory sections describe the evolution of the standards and the philosophy underlying foreign language instruction in the state, and offer general suggestions to the teacher for using the standards…

This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Mesa Public Schools Gifted/Extended Learning Program. The gifted program offers a one day per week program at 13 sites for qualifying students in grades 3-6 and specific classes for the students at all junior and senior high schools. Attitudinal data were collected for parents, teachers,…

Discusses the necessity for schools to be responsive to the developmental needs of young adolescents in order to develop an effective learning environment. Analyzes the application of the Middle Grades Assessment Program to this effort, as exemplified in the case of the Francisco Middle School in San Francisco, California. (PGD)

Two strategies were tried to address the need for a multicultural education program to increase cultural awareness and reduce prejudice among a target population of 1,500 students in a middle school setting that was 84 percent white. One strategy included human relations training of 50 students, who formed a Cultural Awareness Group within the…