Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Research shows that Federal funding for students in middle school and high school, particularly grades 6 through 12, is significantly lower than funding for elementary and postsecondary students. International comparisons indicate that students in the United States do not start out behind students of other nations in mathematics and science, but that they fall behind by the end of the middle grades. Approximately 65 percent of students in grade 8 read below the proficient level on the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
A little over one-third of students in grade 8 in the United States, and approximately 5 percent of such students who are English learners, can read with proficiency, according to the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress. In mathematics, 37 percent of students in grade 8 show skills at or above the proficient level on the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress. However, the percentage of students in grade 4 at or above the proficient level on such Assessment was 40 percent.
In grade 8, the gaps between the average mathematics scores of White and Black students and between White and Hispanic students were approximately as wide in 2017 as in 2015. By grade 6, a student who attends school less than 80 percent of the time, receives unsatisfactory marks for mild but sustained misbehavior, or who fails English or mathematics, has only a 10 to 20 percent chance of graduating on time. Without effective interventions and proper supports, these students are at risk of subsequent failure in secondary school, or of dropping out.
Approximately 55 percent of students in grades 5 through 12 are engaged in the learning process, while 28 percent are unengaged or mentally checked out and 17 percent are actively disengaged and feel negatively about school, according to a 2013 Gallup Student Poll. Additionally, 54 percent of students are hopeful, while 32 percent feel stuck and 14 percent feel discouraged, about their future success at school and beyond. Student transitions from elementary school to the middle grades and to secondary school are often complicated by poor curriculum alignment, inadequate counseling services, and unsatisfactory sharing of student performance and academic achievement data between grades.
Middle grades improvement strategies should be tailored based on a variety of performance indicators and data, so that— educators can create and implement successful school improvement strategies to address the needs of the middle grades; and teachers can provide effective instruction and adequate assistance to meet the needs of at-risk students. Middle grade teachers face unique challenges due to the increased individual subject matter focus of the curriculum combined with the physical, intellectual, and emotional changes faced by early adolescents transitioning from elementary school to high school.
Combining measures of academic achievement and motivation, social engagement, and self-regulation—the behavioral domains essential for success across the school and work continuum—provides a more holistic picture of students, including their likelihood of enrolling in an institution of higher education following high school graduation. This information, available in middle school, allows for early identification of and intervention with students who may be less likely to complete secondary school and attend an institution of higher education.
Appropriate academic accommodations, age-appropriate discipline, access to assistive technology, and evidence-based interventions must be used with students with disabilities, particularly in the middle grades, as— the dropout rate for learning disabled students is nearly 3 times the dropout rate of all students; more than half of young adults with learning disabilities have been involved in the justice system; and students with disabilities have a graduation rate nearly 20 percentage points lower than the graduation rate for general education students.
Local educational agencies and State educational agencies often do not have the capacity to provide support for school improvement strategies. Successful models do exist for turning around low-performing middle grades, and Federal support should be provided to increase the capacity to apply promising practices based on evidence from successful schools.