Why 6th graders should be in middle school

The data pertained to 44, sixth-graders in schools in 99 districts. The sixth graders attending middle school were more than twice as likely to be disciplined as those attending elementary school, after accounting for socioeconomic and demographic differences in the groups. Drug-related disciplinary incidents were nearly four times greater among the middle school group. The pattern continued as the sixth graders advanced through the grades, suggesting the problems were not tied solely to the transition to a new school environment.

In addition, sixth graders in elementary schools improved their scores on end-of-grade exams in math and reading relative to their peers in middle schools, and those gains persisted through ninth grade. Although the study didn't pinpoint the causes for the differences, the authors concluded that the middle school structure brought impressionable sixth graders into routine contact with older adolescents who were a bad influence.

But are these drawbacks also experienced at the same level by a sixth grader at a K-8 public school, where they are more likely to be "top dogs"? The answer, according to the new study published by the American Educational Research Association , is no.

It is not just about being new, but also something particular about one's relative social position. It affects both student experience of the learning environment as well as academic achievement. Over the course of three years, Rothbart, Schwartz and Stiefel tracked data and student surveys from roughly public schools in New York City, covering 90, students in grades in schools with different grade spans - , K-8 and The data they analyzed included student perceptions of bullying, school safety, and general sense of belonging, along with state assessments of academic achievement.

What they found was that 6th grade students felt safer and did better academically in the K-8 public schools. Because they were still "top dogs. The researchers were able to rule out factors such as new student status and student height and weight as possible causes of negative school experiences. Bullying remains a serious problem regardless of what kind of school a 6th grader attends. Still, that's an improvement over the one-third of sixth grade students who feel that way in middle schools.

That's a significant difference, Rothbart points out, especially when you consider that it's not a result of a targeted intervention to reduce bullying. Middle schools stress academic achievement more than elementary schools.

Sixth graders were moved between elementary schools and middle schools throughout the 20 th century. At first, sixth-graders attended elementary school with grades one through eight. Then schools began to cut off elementary school in grade six. Seventh through ninth graders were placed in a junior high or middle school, which was supposed to bridge the gap between elementary and high schools.

In , only 25 percent of sixth-graders were placed in middle schools. During the s through , however, millions of sixth-graders were transferred to middle schools, and ninth-graders were moved to high schools. Seventy-five percent of sixth-graders nationwide now go to middle school. The tide may be turning again, however, in favor of returning sixth-graders to elementary school.

Sixth graders in middle school have more behavioral problems than their peers in elementary school. In a highly-regarded study of public school students in North Carolina, a group at Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy looked at behavior to evaluate whether sixth-graders were better off in elementary school or middle school.

After appropriate adjustments for socioeconomic and demographic factors, the study showed that sixth graders attending elementary school were less likely to have discipline problems than their middle school counterparts.

Moreover, the discrepancy in discipline problems continued through the eighth and ninth grades. Studies have shown that disciplinary problems correspond with low academic achievement. Sixth graders in elementary school test higher than those in middle school. The Duke study also considered test scores. The researchers found that sixth-graders in elementary school scored higher than their peers in middle school on standardized end-of-grade tests.

A recent study in Philadelphia the school system concurred with the Duke study. According to school superintendent Paul Vallas, the study showed that sixth graders in elementary schools perform better on standardized tests than those in middle schools. In response, Philadelphia is reducing the number of middle schools from 46 to eight and placing the sixth graders in elementary schools.

Sixth graders in middle school are exposed to older teens which may have a negative influence on them. Children in the sixth grade are at a point in their lives when they are easily influenced by their peers. Keeping the sixth graders in elementary school gives them another year to mature before they are exposed to older adolescents.

Middle schools are usually larger than elementary schools. Rightly or wrongly, middle schools have a reputation of seeming large, uninviting, and impersonal. Middle schools have been referred to as the lost stepchildren of the education system.

Many parents and teachers believe that sixth graders do better in a smaller, more nurturing setting where there are fewer classmates and more one-on-one contact with the teacher. Middle schools tend to be located tend further away from home than elementary school s. Probably because there are fewer middle schools than elementary schools, many parents find that the middle school is further away from home than the elementary school. They do not like the idea of their sixth-graders being so far away.

They also question whether a longer commute is appropriate for sixth graders.