middle school

A school at a level between elementary and high school, typically including grades five through eight.

In 1888 Harvard University president Charles Eliot launched an effort to reorganize primary and secondary schooling. At that time, as state after state enacted compulsory attendance laws, eight-year elementary schools and four-year high schools were the most common types of institutions. But Eliot and his colleagues on the National Education Association's Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies argued that young adolescents wasted time in the last years of elementary school and should be introduced to college preparatory courses such as algebra and Latin at an earlier age. The committee recommended reducing elementary schools to six grade levels (1 - 6) and increasing secondary grades to six grade levels (7 - 12). They also recommended that the new secondary schools be designed to allow talented, college-bound students to be promoted quickly so that they could complete the six years of secondary school in as few as four years.

As grades seven and eight began to be considered junior or introductory high school grades rather than elementary grades, intermediate schools (grades 7 - 8), junior high schools (grades 7 - 9), and junior-senior high schools (grades 7 - 12) began to appear. These new secondary schools were seen as a way of offering young adolescents a curriculum that was more substantial and more differentiated than that offered in elementary schools, while also addressing common practical problems such as the overcrowding of K - 8 elementary schools and high rates of students leaving school after grade eight. In addition to giving college-bound youths earlier access to college preparatory work, educators in these schools sought to entice greater numbers of noncollege-bound youths to stay in school at least through grade nine by offering them commercial, domestic, and vocational curricula. By 1920 the number of junior high schools in the United States had grown to 883. By the 1940s more than half of the nation's young adolescents attended a junior high school, and by 1960 four out of five did so.

The enduring contributions of junior high schools to middle-level education in America are many. These schools introduced a broader range of exploratory, tryout courses and activities in order to assist young adolescents to discover and develop their interests and abilities. Junior high schools were also the source of other educational innovations, including homeroom and teacher-adviser programs, extracurricular activities, and core curriculum approaches emphasizing the correlation of subject areas and the integration of learning across disciplinary boundaries.

The Emergence of Middle Schools

Despite the innovations and successes of junior high schools, these schools became the target of increasing criticism for tending to adopt the curricula, grading systems, large size, schedules, regimentation, and impersonal climate of senior high schools. Ironically, some of the key organizational changes that the early promoters of junior high schools believed would meet the special needs of young adolescents - departmentalization, teacher specialization, and tracking - had been taken to the extreme and were now being challenged as inappropriate for junior high school students. Similarly, many began to have second thoughts about having ninth-grade educational programs in the same school buildings as seventh- and eighth-grade programs. The ninth-grade program and curriculum were constrained by Carnegie unit requirements for high school graduation and college entrance. Because these requirements affected scheduling and staffing decisions, they often strongly influenced the educational programs offered to seventh and eighth graders in junior high schools as well.

Fifty years after the first junior high schools were established, educators began to call for middle schools - new schools that had a different grade organization and a more developmentally responsive program - in order to provide a more gradual and appropriate transition between the elementary and high school years. In the 1950s Alvin Howard became one of the first to advocate the creation of a 6 - 8 school that would remove the limitations imposed by Carnegie units, have a more stable school climate than a 7 - 8 school, and would recognize the earlier onset of puberty of young adolescents in the second half of the twentieth century. William Alexander and Emmett Williams, in 1965, recommended the creation of 5 - 8 middle schools featuring interdisciplinary teaming, small learning communities, a teacher advisory program, and special learning centers where students could catch up on needed skills or branch out into further exploration. For example, Alexander and Williams suggested the creation of wing units (interdisciplinary teams of teachers to jointly plan curriculum and deliver instruction to 100 students). Each wing unit would join with wing units from the other grade levels in the school to form a "school within the school." The special learning centers would be open during the school day, after school, and on Saturday, and would include a library, a reading laboratory, a home arts center, a typing and writing laboratory, a foreign language laboratory, an arts and hobby center, a music room, and a physical education/recreation center.

In 1966 Donald Eichorn, a school district superintendent, wrote the first full book promoting the creation of 6 - 8 middle schools. The book attempted to apply Piaget's theories regarding early adolescent development in designing a suitable educational program. For example, Eichorn proposed that middle schools offer frequent opportunities for active learning and interaction with peers. He suggested eliminating activities that might embarrass late maturers or place them at a competitive disadvantage (e.g., interscholastic athletics and prom queen contests) and replacing them with less competitive activities that welcome and affirm all students regardless of their current level of physical or cognitive development (intramural athletics and physical education programs and flexible self-selected projects that allow all students to pursue personal interests and develop further interests while making frequent use of a well-equipped resource center). He proposed flexible scheduling to allow for extended learning opportunities and flexible groupings of middle school students for instruction (e.g., by current cognitive functioning or interests) rather than just by chronological age or grade level. He called for a curriculum that featured frequent use of interdisciplinary thematic units that reflected the interrelated nature of different content areas and that balanced traditional academic subjects with cultural studies, physical education, fine arts, and practical arts.

By 1970 a small group of educators founded the Midwest Middle School Association, amid much debate and confrontation between advocates of 6 - 8 middle schools and 7 - 9 junior high schools. Three years later its name was changed to the National Middle School Association to acknowledge the national scope of the growing middle school movement. The writings of key educators in this movement displayed increasingly widespread agreement on practices that they believed were especially appropriate for young adolescents, including interdisciplinary team teaching, discovery and inquiry methods, teacher-adviser plans, flexible scheduling, exploratory courses, and ungraded programs.

Growth and Maturation of the Middle School Movement

In 1965 only 5 percent of middle-grades schools in the United States were 6 - 8 or 5 - 8 middle schools, and 67 percent were 7 - 9 junior high schools. By the year 2000 these percentages were reversed: only 5 percent of middle-grades schools were 7 - 9 junior highs and 69 percent were 6 - 8 or 5 - 8 middle schools. The number of middle schools grew rapidly - from 1,434 (23%) in 1971 to 4,094 (33%) in 1981; 6,168 (51%) in 1991; and 9,750 (69%) in 2000.

Although the number of middle schools grew quickly during the 1960s and 1970s, according to William Alexander, writing in 1978, most of these new schools displayed "limited progress toward the objectives of the middle school movement" (p. 19). In fact, John Lounsbury noted in 1991 that the first comparative studies of the new middle schools and the old junior high schools revealed that the schools "were surprisingly alike in actual practice" (p. 68). Changes were restricted largely to the names of schools and the grades they contained.

One reason for the lack of progress in implementing a set of distinct practices was that many middle schools were established for reasons of expediency. For example, the new grade arrangements helped some districts reduce overcrowding in elementary schools, poor utilization of buildings, or racial segregation. Through the 1970s little empirical research was conducted on the consequences of implementing or ignoring the lists of recommended practices. Thus, there was no scientific evidence to persuade educators to change their programs and practices.

By the 1980s the debates between educators about the best grade structures for young adolescents began to die out, as both middle school and junior high school advocates realized that the typical middle-grades school, regardless of grade organization, was still failing to meet the needs of its students. "Junior high and middle school proponents and practitioners began to coalesce into a single cause - the cause of improving early adolescent education" (Lounsbury, p. 67). This new unity of purpose and vision was also fueled by the emergence of a strong and respected literature on the characteristics of early adolescents, and by research indicating that the transition to middle-grades schools was associated with declines in academic motivation and performance.

Research also indicated that students perceived their middle-grades teachers as more remote and impersonal than their elementary teachers, and that they were less certain that their middle-grades teachers cared about them or knew them well. Furthermore, student work completed in the first year of the middle grades was often less demanding than in the last year of elementary school, academic expectations in middle-grades schools were generally low, and students had few opportunities to learn important new concepts and apply them to real-world problems. This research along with case studies and empirical analyses of the effects of recommended practices on the quality of school programs and on the learning, motivation, and development of young adolescents all gave further impetus to the calls for the reform of middle-grades schools.

As practitioners, researchers, and scholars began speaking with one voice about the continuing shortcomings of middle-grades education in the United States, middle-grades reform began receiving unprecedented national attention. That is, at the end of the 1980s, states and foundations that had been focusing their educational reform initiatives on pre-school and early elementary education or on high school improvement and dropout prevention, began to recognize that the middle grades might be central to helping more students succeed and stay in school. California was one of the first states to produce a task-force report calling for middle-grades reform. California's 1987 report, Caught in the Middle, was followed by a long line of reports from Florida, Maryland, Louisiana, and at least fifteen other states. At about the same time, foundations such as the Lilly Endowment, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation began advocating and funding middle-grades reform initiatives.

These efforts helped solidify the consensus on the kinds of supportive structures and responsive practices needed by students in the middle grades (e.g., the eight principles outlined in 1989 by the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development in Turning Points). At this time, research in the middle grades by a wide variety of researchers began to show that schools serving early adolescents, especially middle schools, were increasingly implementing educational programs that were based on these recommended practices for the middle grades. Fewer schools were middle schools only in name.

Accomplishments of the Middle School Movement

Anthony Jackson and Gayle Davis noted in 2000 that "structural changes in middle-grades education - how students and teachers are organized for learning - have been fairly widespread and have produced good results" (p. 5). Changes in practice that ensure each student in a middle-grades school has more support from (and more meaningful relationships with) caring adults at the school have reduced the negative shifts in students' motivational beliefs during the middle grades. Schools-within-schools, looping (assigning teachers to the same students for two or three years), semidepartmentalizion (assigning a teacher to teach two subjects to three class sections rather than one subject to six class sections), and interdisciplinary teaming with a common planning period for the teachers on a team are examples of structural reforms that have been made in many middle-grades schools. Such reforms have been found to increase students' well-being and perceptions that their teacher cares about them and their learning, and to strengthen teacher - student relationships. In turn, when middle-grades students perceive their teachers care about them and their learning, they are more likely to report that they try to do what their teachers ask them to do and give their best effort in class, and they are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

In sum, many middle-grades schools have succeeded in changing their climates and structures to become what Joan Lipsitz and colleagues, in 1997, called "warmer, happier, and more peaceful places for students and adults"(p. 535). However, as David Hamburg noted in 2000, changes in climates and structures "are necessary but not sufficient for major improvement in academic achievement" (p. xii). That is, while modest achievement gains may result from changes in school organization - such as semidepartmentalization, team teaching, or creating smaller learning environments - major achievement gains are obtained only in schools that have implemented both changes in school organization and in curriculum, instruction, and professional development changes that assist teachers to "transmit a core of common, substantial knowledge to all students in ways that foster curiosity, problem solving, and critical thinking" (Hamburg, p. x). For example, in a 1997 study by Robert Felner and colleagues of a group of thirty-one Illinois middle schools, those schools that had made both structural and instructional changes that were consistent with Turning Points recommendations achieved substantially better and displayed larger achievement gains over a two-year period than did similar schools that had implemented at least some of the key structural changes outlined in Turning Points, but not changes in curriculum and instruction. Another study suggesting the critical importance of going beyond just structural changes in improving achievement was conducted by Steven Mertens, Nancy Flowers, and Peter Mulhall in 1998, and involved 155 middle-grades schools in Michigan. When these researchers analyzed outcomes in schools that had one of the key structural changes in place (interdisciplinary teams that were given high levels of common planning time), they found that achievement gains were much higher among the subset of these schools that had a received a grant from the Kellogg Foundation that made it possible for their teachers to engage more regularly in staff development activities focused on curriculum and instruction. In fact there is even evidence from this study that staff development may be more important than common planning time in facilitating achievement gains. Schools whose teams had inadequate common planning (but had a grant that made frequent professional development possible) showed more achievement gains than did schools without grants, even those whose teams had high levels of planning time.

Unfortunately, high-performing middle schools are still rare, because "relatively little has changed at the core of most students' school experience: curriculum, assessment, and instruction" (Jackson and Davis, p. 5). Although structures and practices that are in keeping with the best of the middle-grades reform documents are an essential foundation for middle-grade reform, dramatic and sustained improvements in student performance occur only if teachers also provide all students with markedly better learning opportunities every day.

Enduring Problems

One particularly vexing problem that plagued junior high schools and continues to plague middle schools is what Samuel H. Popper termed being "a school without teachers" (p. 57). Because of the lack of teacher education programs and licensure that focus on the middle school level, the majority of young adolescents are taught by teachers who prepared for a career as an elementary or high school teacher. Fewer than one in four middle-grades teachers have received specialized training to teach at the middle level before they begin their careers. As a result, teachers who wind up teaching in middle schools, even those who discover that they enjoy teaching middle school students, find themselves woefully unprepared to work with this age group. Thomas Dickinson commented in 2001 that these instructors enter middle schools "unschooled in appropriate curriculum and instruction for young adolescents, and ignorant of the place and purpose of middle school organizational practices and the complex role of the middle school teacher" (p. 7). This is clearly one reason why curriculum and instruction in the middle grades continues to show little improvement over time.

There is a growing consensus to support specialized teacher preparation at the middle-grades level. Numerous studies show that middle-grades teachers and principals favor specialized teacher preparation of middle-grades teachers. Similarly, the National Middle School Association, The National Association for Secondary School Principals, and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform have all called for the specialized preparation of middle-grades teachers. Perhaps the only solution to this enduring problem is for states to establish mandatory requirements for middle-level licensure that do not overlap significantly with licensure for elementary school or high school teachers. This will serve as an incentive for colleges and universities to establish specialized programs that prepare practicing and future teachers to work effectively with middle school students, curricula, and instructional practices, and also as an incentive to teachers to pursue this specialized training.

Unfortunately, there is also a lack of middle-school principal preparation. "Preparation to lead a school based on the tenets of the middle school concept is even more rare than middle school teacher preparation programs. The same can be said for the licensure of middle school principals" (Dickinson, p. 7).

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform declared in 2000 that high-performing middle schools are "academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable" (p. K7). If such middle schools are going to become the norm rather than the exception, both middle school teachers and principals need more specialized preparation and continuing professional development to support and sustain their trajectory toward excellence.

Bibliography

Alexander, William M. 1978. "How Fares the Middle School Movement?" Middle School Journal 9 (3):319 - 321.

Alexander, William M., and McEwin, C. Kenneth. 1989. Schools in the Middle: Status and Progress. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Alexander, William M., and Williams, Emmett L. 1965. "Schools for the Middle Years." Educational Leadership 23 (3):217 - 223.

California State Department of Education. 1987. Caught in the Middle: Educational Reform for Young Adolescents in California Public Schools. Sacramento, CA: State Department of Education.

Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. 1989. Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Dickinson, Thomas S. 2001. "Reinventing the Middle School: A Proposal to Counter Arrested Development." In Reinventing the Middle School, ed. Thomas S. Dickinson. New York: Routledge Falmer.

Eccles, Jacquelynne S., and Midgley, Carol. 1989. "Stage-Environment Fit: Developmentally Appropriate Classrooms for Young Adolescents." In Research on Motivation in Education, Vol. 3: Goals and Cognitions, ed. Russell E. Ames and Carole Ames. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.

Eichorn, Donald H. 1966. The Middle School. New York: Center for Applied Research in Education.

Epstein, Joyce L. 1981. "Patterns of Classroom Participation, Student Attitudes, and Achievement." In The Quality of School Life, ed. Joyce L. Epstein. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Epstein, Joyce L., and Mac Iver, Douglas J. 1990. Education in the Middle Grades: National Practices and Trends. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Felner, Robert D.; Jackson, Anthony W.; Kasak, Deborah; Mulhall, Peter; Brand, Sally; and Flowers, Nancy. 1997. "The Impact of School Reform for the Middle Years: Longitudinal Study of a Network Engaged in Turning Points-Based Comprehensive School Transformation." Phi Delta Kappan 78: 528 - 532, 541 - 550.

Hamburg, David A. 2000. "Foreword." In Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century, ed. Anthony W. Jackson and Gayle A. Davis. New York: Teachers College Press.

Howard, Alvin W. 1956. "The Carnegie Unit." Clearing House 39:135 - 129.

Jackson, Anthony W., and Davis, Gayle A. 2000. Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century. New York: Teachers College Press.

Lipsitz, Joan; Mizell, M. Hayes; Jackson, Anthony W.; and Austin, Leah M. 1997. "Speaking with One Voice: A Manifesto for Middle-Grades Reform." Phi Delta Kappan 78:533 - 540.

Lounsbury, John H. 1991. As I See It. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Mac Iver, Douglas J.; Young, Estelle; Balfanz, Robert; Shaw, Alta; Garriott, Maria; and Cohen, Amy. 2001. "High-Quality Learning Opportunities in High Poverty Middle Schools: Moving from Rhetoric to Reality." In Reinventing the Middle School, ed. Thomas S. Dickinson. New York: Routledge Falmer.

Mac Iver, Douglas J.; Young, Estelle M.; and Washburn, Benjamin. 2002. "Instructional Practices and Motivation During Middle School (with Special Attention to Science)." In Development of Achievement Motivation, ed. Allan Wigfield and Jacquelynne S. Eccles. San Diego: Academic Press.

McEwin, C. Kenneth; Dickinson, Thomas S.; and Jenkins, Doris M. 1996. America's Middle Schools: A 25-Year Perspective. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Melton, George E. 1984. "The Junior High School: Successes and Failures." In Perspectives: Middle School Education, ed. John H. Lounsbury. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Mertens, Steven B.; Flowers, Nancy; and Mulhall, Peter F. 1998. The Middle Start Initiative, Phase 1: A Longitudinal Analysis of Michigan Middle-Level Schools. Champaign: University of Illinois, Center for Prevention Research and Development.

National Education Association. 1894. Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies. New York: American Book Company.

National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. 2001. "The Vision." Phi Delta Kappan 81:K7.

Popper, Samuel H. 1967. The American Middle School: An Organizational Analysis. Waltham, MA: Blaisdell.

Valentine, Jerry W.; Clark, Donald C.; Nickerson, Jr. Neal C.; and Keefe, James W. 1981. The Middle Level Principalship: A Survey of Middle Level Principals and Programs. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Valentine, Jerry W.; Clark, Donald C.; Hackmann, Donald G.; and Petzko, Vicki N. 2002. Leadership in Middle Level Schools, Vol. I: A National Study of Middle Level Leaders and School Programs. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Wigfield, Allan; Eccles, Jacquelynne S.; Mac Iver, Douglas; Reuman, David A.; and Midgley, Carol. 1991. "Transitions During Early Adolescence: Changes in Children's Self-Esteem Across the Transition to Junior High School." Developmental Psychology 27:552 - 565.

Internet Resource

Valentine, Jerry W. 2000. "United States Middle Level Grade Organizational Trends." www.mllc.org/docs/USMLTrends.pdf.

— DOUGLAS MAC IVER, ALLEN RUBY

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a school for students intermediate between elementary school and college; usually grades 9 to 12
  Synonyms: secondary school, lyceum, lycee, Gymnasium

• Emergent Junior High Leadership Resources for Junior High Leaders and Pastors

Look up junior high school in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Middle school or junior high school serves as a "bridge" between elementary school and high school. The terms can be used in different ways in different countries, sometimes interchangeably. In Chinese language, especially China, Taiwan and Hong Kong but also in Italian (= scuola media), middle school is the synonym to secondary school.

Thus in some governmental and institutional contexts, "middle school" may be used as no more than an alternative name to "junior high school", or it might imply a pedagogical shift away from primary and secondary school practices. The concept of the name junior high dates back to 1909 with the founding of Indianola Junior High School in Columbus, Ohio.^[1] The concept of the name "middle school" dates back to 1950 from Bay City, Michigan.^[1]

Contents 1 Africa 1.1 Egypt 1.2 Algeria 2 Asia 2.1 Afghanistan 2.2 Iran 2.3 India 2.4 People's Republic of China 2.5 Japan 2.6 South Korea 2.7 Indonesia 2.8 Taiwan 2.9 Malaysia 3 Australia/Oceania 3.1 Australia 3.2 New Zealand 4 Europe 4.1 Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia 4.2 France 4.3 Gibraltar 4.4 Italy 4.5 Poland 4.6 Turkey 4.7 United Kingdom 5 North America 5.1 Canada and the United States 5.1.1 Conceptual distinctions 5.1.2 Configurations 5.2 Mexico 6 Professional organizations 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

Africa

Egypt

In Egypt Middle School is the school preceeded by High school, It's called preparatory stage and consists of three stages first preparatory in which students are supposed to have more subjects than primary stage with harder subjects. In Second Prep. They are taught Science, Geography, History of Egypt starting by the Pharonic history, passing by the Coptic , Islamic and finally the modern history, Also they study three different languages, 1 is obligatory and 2 are chosen as first and second languages , Arabic is obligatory while English, French , German, Spanish, and Italian are the first and second languages. They study also Mathematics, with different sections. Egyptian Middle School (PREP STAGE) lasts for three years.

Algeria

In Algeria, a middle school includes grades 6 through 9.

Asia

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, education often does not last until middle school. Under the Taliban, girls were not allowed to attend school. Now, both boys and girls are allowed to attend school, but many families elect to have their children work at home rather than send them to school.^{[citation needed]}

Iran

In Iran, middle school is considered as a 3 years period, grades 6,7 & 8. It is called guidance school (راهنمایی: Persian). This term mainly refers to the fact that students get enough information in this period and then can choose what to focus in high school i.e. math, natural science, social science and etc.

India

In India, There is no specific school period called middle school. Grades 1-5 are considered elementary or primary. Grades 6-7 are considered Upper primary, grades 6-10 are called high school or secondary school. State education boards conduct exams for 7th grade. Those who did not make the mark will not be able to advance. National educational board conducts exams from 10 th and above, Again, Those who did not succeed in obtaining minimum marks will not advance. the high school equivalent of many other countries is called Inter-college(short for Intermediate college) in India. Many of the students determine the discipline during this time. Most graduate out of high school by 16 or 17. Students then take different kinds of entrance exams to enter in to different colleges. National board consists of grades 11-12 which are equivalent of Intermediate-college in state education. Some of the state education boards also follow this, however, it differs from one state to another. Most schools in India, especially ones which are in rural areas skip Kindergarten altogether.^{[citation needed]}

People's Republic of China

In the People's Republic of China, junior middle schools (chuzhong or 初中) refer to years 7–9. It covers the last 3 years of the 12-year compulsory education, which is subject to fees. At the end of the last year, the college-bound students take exams to enter high school (gaozhong or 高中). Others wishing to continue their training may enter technical high school (中学专科/中专) or vocational school (职业学校).^{[citation needed]}

Japan

In Japan, junior high schools, which cover years seven through nine, are called chūgakkō (中学校, literally, middle school). They are referred to as "junior high schools" in most conversations in English and are referred to by MEXT as "lower secondary schools". (See Secondary education in Japan.)^{[citation needed]}

South Korea

In the Republic of Korea, a middle school is called joong-hakyo (중학교, 中學校, also literally meaning "middle school") which includes grades 7 through 9.^{[citation needed]}

Indonesia

In Indonesia, children go to school at the age of three, starting from pre-school and kindergarten. At the age of six, they start Sekolah Dasar (grade school). They spend six years before continuing on to Sekolah Menengah Pertama (junior high school) for three years. After junior high school, they go to senior high school for three years, upon which they would be concentrated in either the science stream or the social science stream. Although compulsory education ends at junior high, most would pursue higher education in senior high, or even further at the collegiate level.^{[citation needed]}

Taiwan

Taiwanese junior high schools (3-year) were originally called chuzhong (初級中學, 初中; "primary middle school"). However, in August 1968, they were renamed guozhong (國民中學, 國中; "citizen middle school") when they became free of charge and compulsory. Private middle school nowadays are still called chuzhong. Taiwanese junior high schools are attended normally by those older than twelve. Accompanied with the switch from junior high to middle school was the cancellation of entrance examination needed to enter middle school.^{[citation needed]}

Malaysia

In Malaysia, pre-schools (Kindergarten) are meant for children from 5-6 years old. 7-12 year old kids attend Sekolah Rendah (Primary School / Elementary School) from Standard 1 to Standard 6. There are three types of Sekolah Rendah according to the child's spoken language, Sekolah Kebangsaan (Malay), Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina or better known as SJKC, (Chinese) and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT), (Tamil). 13-17 year old students study in Sekolah Menengah (secondary school / high school) and it is regarded as Form 1 to Form 5.

However, Form 1 to 3 students are called Pelajar Menengah Rendah (lower secondary students) and Form 4 to 5 are noted as Pelajar Menengah Tinggi (upper secondary students).

There are three major exams,
Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (Standard 6) -5 Subjects,
Penilaian Menengah Rendah (Form 3) -7 subjects for non-Muslim students and 8 subjects for Muslim students, and
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (Form 5) -subjects varying, according to the elective and extra subjects chosen by the students.^{[citation needed]}

Australia/Oceania

Australia

Most regions of Australia do not have middle schools, as students go directly from primary school to secondary school.

In 1996 and 1997, a national conference met to develop what became known as the National Middle Schooling Project, which aimed to develop a common Australian view of

• early adolescent needs
• guiding principles for educators
• appropriate strategies to foster positive adolescent learning.

The first middle school established in Australia was The Armidale School, in Armidale (approximately 570 km north of Sydney, 470 km south of Brisbane and approximately 170 km inland from the coast). Schools have since followed this trend, such as The King's School.

As of 2007^[update], the Northern Territory has introduced a three tier system featuring Middle Schools for years 7-9 (approx ages 12-15) and high school year 10-12. (approx ages 15-18)^[2]

Many schools across Queensland have introduced a Middle School tier within their schools. The middle schools cover the grades/years 5 to 8.

Currently in Brisbane, Queensland, students do not go to middle school. Primary School covers preschool to year 7 (ages 5-12), and high school covers years 8 to 12 (ages 13-17.)

New Zealand

In New Zealand intermediate schools cover years 7 and 8 (formerly known as form 1 and 2, with children aged 11-12) in areas where the local primary schools teach year 1 to year 6 students. Many primary schools however, do teach year 7 and 8. These primary schools may have a relationship with a nearby intermediate school to teach manual training classes, such as woodwork. Highschool then runs from year 9 to year 13 Recently, however, Junior High Schools covering years 7-10 (the four years between primary and NCEA, the national secondary qualification) have been established. The first was Albany Junior High School in Albany, Auckland.

Europe

Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia

In the countries of former Yugoslavia, srednja škola/šola (literally translated as Middle School) refers to age between 14 and half - 15 and 18, and lasts 2-4 years since elementary school (which lasts 8 or 9 years). The final four years of elementary school are actually what would be called junior high school in USA. Students have up to 12-13 different subjects in each school year (most of them only two 45-minute class periods per week). For example, 8th grade students do not have one subject called Science but three separate subjects called Chemistry, Physics and Biology.^{[3][citation needed]}

France

In France, the equivalent period to middle school is collège, which ends with the Troisième (the equivalent of the Canadian and American Grade 9). Upon completion of this grade, students are awarded a Brevet des collèges if they obtain a certain number of points on a series of tests in various subjects.^{[citation needed]}

Gibraltar

There are four middle schools in Gibraltar, following the English model of middle-deemed-primary schools accommodating pupils aged between 8 and 12 (National Curriculum Years 4 to 7). The schools were opened in 1972 when the government introduced comprehensive education in the country.^[4]

Italy

In Italy, middle school (which is "scuola media" in Italian, officially "scuola secondaria di primo grado") refers to age between 11 and 14, lasting 3 years. At the end of the third year, students have to take a final test due to complete this grade. Middle school in Italy is the last compulsory year. At 14, students who don't wish to keep studying anymore usually take a short professional course (two years). Students who decide to end school at the age of 14 either take a sabbatical or start working.

Poland

See also: Education in Poland

Middle school in Poland, called gimnazjum, was first introduced in 1932. The education was intended for pupils of at least 12 years of age and lasted 4 years. Middle schools were part of the educational system until the reform of 1948, except during World War II (1939-1945).

The middle schools were reinstated in Poland in 1999 now lasting 3 years after 6 years of primary school. Pupils entering gimnazjum are usually 13 years old. Middle school is compulsory for all students, and it's also the final stage of mandatory education. In the final year students take a standardized test to evaluate their academic skills. Higher scorers in the test are allowed first pick of school if they want to continue their education, which is encouraged.

Turkey

In Turkey,middle school called "Orta Okul" and it's a part of elementary school.Also,students don't have to pass an exam to be a middle schooler after the elementary school.Middle schoolers are often at age between 11 and 14.It includes 6th,7th and 8th grade.After 3 years,they have an exam and go to high school according to their success.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, some English Local Education Authorities introduced Middle Schools in the 1960s and 1970s. The notion of Middle Schools was mooted by the Plowden Report of 1967 which proposed a change to a three-tier model including First schools for children aged between 5 and 8, Middle Schools for 8–12 year-olds, and then Upper or High Schools for 12–16 year-olds.^[5] Some authorities introduced Middle Schools for ideological reasons, in line with the report, while others did so for more pragmatic reasons relating to the raising of the school leaving age in compulsory education to 16, or to introduce a comprehensive system.^[6][7]

Different authorities introduced different age-range schools, although in the main, three models were used:

• 5–8 First Schools, followed by 8–12 Middle Schools, as suggested by Plowden
• 5–9 First Schools, followed by 9–13 Middle Schools
• 5–10 First Schools followed by 10–13 Middle Schools, or Intermediate Schools

In addition, some schools were provided as combined schools catering for pupils in the 5–12 age range as a combined first and middle school. ^[6]

Around 2000 middle and combined schools were in place in the early 1980s. However, that number began to fall in the later 1980s with the introduction of the National Curriculum. The new curriculum's splits in Key Stages at age 11 encouraged the majority of Local Education Authorities to return to a two-tier system of Primary and Secondary schools.^[8]

Under current legislation, all middle schools must be deemed either primary or secondary. Thus, schools which accept pupils up to age 12 are entitled middle-deemed-primary, while those accepting pupils aged 13 or over are entitled middle-deemed-secondary. For statistical purposes, such schools are often included under primary and secondary categories "as deemed".^[9] Notably, most schools also follow teaching patterns in line with their deemed status, with most deemed-primary schools offering a primary-style curriculum taught by one class teacher, and most deemed-secondary schools adopting a more specialist-centred approach.

Some Middle Schools still exist in various areas of England. The are supported by the National Middle Schools' Forum. A list of middle schools in England is available.

In Scotland a similar system was trialled in Grangemouth, Falkirk between 1975 and 1987.^[10](See Grangemouth middle schools article) The label of junior high school is used for some through schools in Orkney and Shetland which cater for pupils from 5 up to the age of 16 or 18, at which point they transfer to a nearby secondary school.

North America

The definition of "middle school" is muddied somewhat because, in North American contexts, "secondary education" quite frequently means post-compulsory (High School level) education, encompassing such diverse institutions as "English as a second language" schooling, trade schools and certificate programs, as well as other intermediate options such as Junior colleges, four-year colleges and full universities.

Canada and the United States

As noted above, the first junior high school was established in 1909. Advocated by groups such as the National Middle School Association, the middle school concept is a relatively new model for the middle-level grades, contrasted with the more traditional junior high concept. North American children at this level are educated either at junior high schools or at middle schools, depending on the philosophy and practice of the particular school.

Conceptual distinctions

Junior high schools were created for the purpose of "bridging the gap between the elementary and the high school," a concept credited to Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University.^[11] The faculty is organized into academic departments that operate more or less independently of one another. The middle school movement in the United States saw this model as inadequately addressing the intended purpose of transition by maintaining an emphasis on the high school model, as reflected in the "junior high" designation.

The middle school concept often involves a group of two to eight teachers from different disciplines working as a team with the same group of students of the same grade level, with each teacher teaching a different subject. This format facilitates interdisciplinary units, where part or all of the entire team teaches on the same general topic from the perspective of different disciplines. The middle school philosophy also advocates assigning students in each team to a homeroom. By having homeroom daily for various discussions and activities, middle schools try to foster a sense of belonging in students to ease social and emotional difficulties during adolescence.^{[citation needed]}

Configurations

Middle school (sometimes abbreviated MS^[12][13][14]) is often used instead of junior high school when demographic factors increase the number of younger students.^[15] Whereas junior highs tend to only include grades 7 and 8, middle schools are usually grades 6, 7, and 8 (i.e. around ages 11-14), varying from area to area and also according to population vs. building capacity. Another common model includes grades 5-8. Alberta junior high schools (the term "middle school" is not commonly used) have included only Grades 7 to 9 for at least fifty years, with the first year of high school traditionally being Grade 10.

The middle school format has now replaced the junior high format by a ratio of about ten to one in the U.S. In Canada, the junior high concept is primarily seen in Western Canada, while middle schools to US-standards are generally only seen in Ontario and parts of Atlantic Canada, where they are sometimes called senior elementary schools. Many people also call middle school "junior high school." Middle school does not exist at all in Quebec, where primary school comprises grades 1 to 6, secondary school comprises grades 7 to 11, and those latter are named "secondary 1" through "secondary 5".

Mexico

In Mexico, the middle school system is called "secundaria" ("secondary") and comprises grades 7-9 and is completed after primary (1-6) and before preparatory (10-12).

Professional organizations

The National Middle School Association (NMSA) was founded in 1973. It now claims over 30,000 members representing principals, teachers, central office personnel, professors, college students, parents, community leaders, and educational consultants across the United States, Canada, and 46 other countries. An equivalent organisation operates in the UK under the name of The National Middle Schools' Forum.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} CEEP. Popular Topics. Middle School, U of I.
2. ^ "About Middle Years". Middle Years - N8orthern Territory of Australia. Northern Territory Government. 200. http://www.middleyears.nt.gov.au/about/. Retrieved on 2008-02-01. 
3. ^ http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/(A(Khk4Jr78yQEkAAAANzRjZmY4ZjgtZTlmYi00NTI0LTk5MjktNzJmN2NhM2Q5NTQ59aWa4OjfCOqjVqyzc8ZcObCmAB41))/img/doi/0579-6431/2006/0579-64310602333A.pdf
4. ^ "Schools Gibraltar". http://www.recruitspain.com/schoolsingibraltar.asp. Retrieved on 2009-01-09. 
5. ^ Central Advisory Council for Education (England) (1967). "Volume 1 Chapter 10 The Ages and Stages of Primary Education". Children and their Primary Schools. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. http://www.dg.dial.pipex.com/documents/plowden10.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-02-01. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Middle schools decline due to haphazard development". Times Educational Supplement: pp. 9. 1981-11-13. 
7. ^ Andrew, Herbert; Department of Education and Science (1965-07-12). "Main forms of comprehensive organisation". Circular 10/65: The Organisation of Secondary Education. HMSO. http://www.oldmonovians.com/comprehensive/circular1065.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-18. 
8. ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (1998). "Education: End of the Middle Way?". BBC News website. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/121169.stm. Retrieved on 2008-02-01. 
9. ^ "The Education (Middle School) (England) Regulations 2002". Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 1983. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 2002. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2002/20021983.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-01. 
10. ^ Meldrum, James (1976). Three-tier Education in Grangemouth. 
11. ^ "Junior high plan outlined," The Dallas Morning News, September 22, 1929, section 1, page 9.
12. ^ "Glossary of FCPS Acronyms". http://www.fccpta.org/glossary/glossary2.htm#M. 
13. ^ ""What does MS stand for?"". http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=ms. 
14. ^ "Abbreviation Guidelines". http://www.mlcnet.org/cms/sitem.cfm/library_tools/melcat/melcat_procedures/abbreviation_guidelines/. 
15. ^ [1] Definition of junior high school, accessed June 12, 2007

Further reading

• Arnold, J. "Needed: A Realistic Perspective of the Early Adolescent Learner." CLEARINGHOUSE 54:4 (1980).
• Atwell, Nancie. "In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and Learning." Boynton/Cook Pub (1987).
• Beane, J. "Dance to the Music of Time: The Future of Middle Level Education." THE EARLY ADOLESCENT MAGAZINE 2 (September 1987):18–26.
• Beane, J. A MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM: FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY. Columbus, Ohio: National Middle School Association, 1990a.
• Beane, J. AFFECT IN THE CURRICULUM: TOWARD DEMOCRACY, DIGNITY, AND DIVERSITY. New York: Teachers College Press, 1990b.
• Cross Keys Middle School. A PLACE OF OUR OWN. Florissant, Missouri: Florissant Public Schools, 1990.
• Jennings, W., and Nathan, J. "Startling/Disturbing Research on School Program Effectiveness." PHI DELTA KAPPAN 59 (1977): 568–572.
• Fenwick, J. (Primary Author) Taking Center Stage: A Commitment to Standards-Based Education for California's Middle Grades Students. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2001
• "Why Middle Level Schools Are KEY to Young Adolescent Success" Westerville, OH: NMSA, 2003. [2]

External links

• Model Programs for Middle School Teacher Preparation
• The Transition to Middle School
• Integrating Literature into Middle School Reading Classrooms
• Middle School Education--The Critical Link in Dropout Prevention
• Integrated Curriculum in the Middle School
• Canada: Provincial Systems of Education
• National Middle School Association
• Collegiate Middle Level Association A pre-professional organization for students preparing to teach middle school.
• National Middle Schools' Forum (UK)
• UK Middle Schools
• Parents Against Change - large collection of research pro-Middle Schooling
• Taking the Middle Out of Middle School
• Australian Middle School Program

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