The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide school district leaders and policymakers information of the impact grade configuration had on academic performance using math and ELA ILEARN scores over a three-year period. The study included data from 585 schools that were classified into four groups: Elementary Setting, Intermediate Setting,…

Student suicide is a serious issue facing intermediate/secondary schools. Teachers have the potential to play important roles in addressing such risk. This study utilized semi-structured interviews with six intermediate/secondary teachers in Newfoundland concerning their experiences of working with a student who had returned to the classroom after…

This book takes a developmental perspective at the use of scoring rubrics to assess student work. Citing developmental characteristics of each age, the author presents examples and adaptations of assessment rubrics on a variety of subjects for teachers from kindergarten through adult/college. After a presentation of foundation information on…

Studied how Swedish schools try to promote students' reading through examination of school-run booktalk conversations held by students in grades 4 through 7. Observations of eight groups show the conflict between the stated aim of promoting reading for pleasure and both tasks presented to students and problems in synchronizing the reading of…

Administered Suicide Opinion Questionnaire to 116 junior high school students. Content analysis yielded nine clusters of items. Results reflect complexity of attitudes toward suicide, a heterogeneity of responses, as well as substantial commonality. Approximately 20 percent of respondents reported seriously thinking about suicide; somewhat higher…

Students in the Portland, Oregon, public schools who achieve the state standards for grade 10 receive a Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) to document their achievement. Students who do not meet the standards may continue to be tested throughout their high school years, but they may receive a diploma without achieving a CIM. To offer additional…

Examined the effects of mothers' negative junior high school experiences on their childrens' junior high school experiences. Mothers first tested in 1971 were subsequently interviewed in the 1990s, along with their children. Results revealed a significant relationship between mothers' negative school experiences and those of their children, which…

This module presents a curriculum on violence prevention for middle school students. It begins with a discussion of what violence is. The second lesson helps students to examine the portrayal of violence in various media. In the third lesson, students examine their own anger and their own tendencies toward violence. The fourth lesson examines the…

This paper focuses on ways to enhance the study skills of students in the middle grades, and describes the use of study guides, textbook activity guides (TAGs), and the Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review (SQ3R) technique of textbook study. Research on the use of the techniques is reported. It is concluded that the proper use of study guides…

This book is a 10-lesson module for grades 5-8, designed to increase students' awareness of self-esteem as a dynamic, ever-changing component in their lives. Beginning with a "Full Esteem Ahead" lesson to help students identify high and low self-esteem behaviors, this module gives teachers specific instructional strategies for guiding students…

This study examined developmental differences in rates of victimization by community violence and associated coping processes in 123 sixth, seventh and eighth graders from a parochial school in a small Connecticut city. Subjects completed the Youth's Exposure to Community Violence questionnaire and the Ways of Coping questionnaire. Results…

Based on Social Learning Theory, the Take Five program was taught to middle school students in two Nevada schools. Students' attitudes about the acceptability of eating fruits and vegetables improved significantly. Students demonstrated a high level of knowledge of the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables on the pretest with no…

Researchers used a qualitative case-study methodology to examine the current status, strengths, and shortcomings of advisor-advisee programs in middle schools. Data came from six middle schools in two large metropolitan areas. At each school, researchers interviewed at least three teachers and three students. The teacher interviews focused on…

Stress is a part of everyday life for adolescents with puberty as stress affecting sixth grade students (N=27) was addressed in a junior high school with a program designed to reduce stress through problem solving. Two evaluation devices, the Barksdale Stress Evaluation and the "My Stress Level" Test were used for pre- and post-test comparison. In…

This study was designed to examine the relative importance of several determinants of children's friendship stability: friendship quality, friendship reciprocity, and children's individual characteristics. Also examined were changes in students' friendships across the junior high transition. Measures of friendship and school adjustment were…