Many middle schools in Bay State stumbling

Underperformance raises questions about teaching

Fifth-grader Stanley Geneste read his essay about his first day of school to his classmates at Fast Forward, a program to help middle school students whose first language is not English. (Michele McDonald/Globe Staff)

Two-thirds of the state's middle schools are not meeting federal standards for raising standardized test scores, about twice the rate of elementary and high schools, according to a Globe analysis of state data.

The findings are raising questions about the best teaching practices for students wading through the turbulent years of puberty, first crushes, and short attention spans.

More broadly, the data suggest middle schools may have been largely overlooked as the state has focused on other education priorities such as ensuring all elementary students can read and helping high school students pass the MCAS, a series of tests required for high school graduation.

According to the Globe's analysis, more than 200 of the state's 305 middle schools have fallen short of performance goals established under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years.

Last fall, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education designated about 80 middle schools for restructuring, up from about two dozen middle schools the previous year. Restructuring, the most dire designation for schools under federal law, could set the stage for a state takeover, although Massachusetts has generally partnered with schools to improve achievement.

The afflicted middle schools are not only in Boston, Lowell, and other communities, but also in a host of suburban districts such as Stoneham, Plymouth, and Newton, bewildering school leaders, even as they change teaching methods, textbooks, and staff.

"Middle school students' motivations are different, and the MCAS is not high stakes for them like it is for high school students," said Theresa Craig, coordinator of curriculum and professional development for Middleborough Public Schools, which has a middle school in restructuring. "If middle school students are having a bad day, it totally throws off their test scores."

State Education Secretary Paul Reville said improving middle schools is a significant issue confronting the state, especially as it tries to address the state's high school dropout problem. Students having difficulty in high school, he said, generally begin falling off track in middle school.

"The state should pay more attention to the middle school level," Reville said. "Often, middle school is a critical transition for students from the more protective environment of an elementary school to the more complex social and academic challenges of a secondary school."

Under No Child Left Behind, signed into law in 2002, schools are judged on overall student performance as well as the performance of certain subgroups such as race/ethnicity, family-income level, special education, and other characteristics. If a school or one of its subgroups fails to make necessary progress two years in a row, the state designates the school for improvement and could allow parents to transfer their children to other schools or obtain free tutoring. If problems persists for four years, the school goes into "corrective action," causing possible changes in school leadership and teaching philosophy.

Restructuring, the final category, comes after five years. In these cases, the state generally encourages actions such as lengthening the school day or providing schools with more governing autonomy and fewer union restrictions. Reversing a negative standing takes two consecutive years of improvement on test scores.

Across Massachusetts, middle schools are stumbling the most with subgroups, primarily with special education or low-income students, and most often in math, according the Globe analysis. The grade configurations in middle schools can vary greatly, ranging from grades 5 through 8 to only grades 7 and 8. The Globe analysis included all schools exclusively serving grades within that range.

Middle schools have tried to respond to the lackluster scores, setting off what many educators consider the most intense era of improvements in more than a decade.

Dozens of schools have adopted or are exploring longer school days, new teaching methods, or a change in school governance. Some districts are even scrapping middle schools for K-8 schools, which some educators believe could provide young teens with more stability.

Boston launched a new five-week program this summer for 150 middle grade students who are non-native English speakers and come from schools struggling with test scores. In addition to mastering English skills, students in the Fast Forward program tackle math.

"Like they say, education comes first," said Stacee Odige, 12, from Haiti, during class recently at Mildred Avenue Middle School in Mattapan, one of four program sites. "I don't like to play games. I just like to learn. I need to improve in math and English."

The plight of Massachusetts middle schools mirrors a national trend, which some educators trace to the fact that more than half of federal testing occurs in what is known as the middle years, grades 5-8, increasing the odds of failure.

Other experts say the lackluster performance is the result of previous middle school changes that, they say, sacrificed academic rigor for too many programs on student self-esteem and well-being.

"There has been longstanding confusion of what the focus of middle schools should be," said Michael Petrilli, a vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a nonprofit that works on education policy. "If we want to compete with the rest of world and if we want kids to succeed, they need to learn at high levels and having these few years of hitting the pause button has been disastrous."

One of the state's top priorities is the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, which has been tapped for restructuring. The decades-old school with worn hardwood floors has adopted new teaching strategies, uniforms, and a longer school day. Along with increasing math and English instruction, the school also has added more music and sports.

"Kids at this age need a lot of structure and unconditional love and people to be tough on them," said principal Jeffrey Riley, noting the students need an outlet for their energy, too. "You can't go after kids with extra MCAS help all the time."

Last year, overall student scores at Edwards hit federal improvement benchmarks in math and English. But even if the school repeats its success this year, it will remain under watch because scores for student subgroups have not improved enough.

While state education officials consider subgroup violations to be less egregious than missing overall student performance, the struggle to improve just a few dozen students has led in many cases to widespread changes in the teaching of all students.

Braintree's East Middle School, like many suburban middle schools, consistently scored above state averages, but in 2004 East got designated for improvement because special education students were not showing progress in math.

"The first thing you do is denial. 'Oh, it was that group of students or a bad year,' " said Bill Kendall, the district's math coordinator. "But eventually you stop making excuses and start being honest and reflecting. It's hard to admit things could be better."

Now, East, like a few dozen other middle schools, is poised to shed its negative status. With scores improving enough in spring 2007, East is anxiously awaiting this fall's release of the latest MCAS results.