National
Middle School Association (NMSA) Research Summary #8
Grade 5 in the Middle School (1996)
The Issue
"Many researchers and practitioners claim that 5th graders
would benefit from inclusion in the middle school (Alley, 1992;
Jenkins & McEwin, 1992), contending greater similarities between
5th and 6th graders and 7th and 8th graders (Alexander, WIlliams,
Compton, Hines, Prescott, Kealy, 1968).
"McEwin and others (1996) concluded that in general 5-8 schools
have higher implementation levels than other organizations of programs
and practices that provide a better match between characteristics
and needs of most fifth graders."
A Rationale for 5th
Grade Inclusion
"Alley (1992) built a rationale for including 5th grade in
middle school by addressing the benefits to students and teachers
in six areas: (1) Physical: the daily physical activities of a middle
grades program focuses on the physical development needs of the
10-14 year span (2) Social: the cooperation, teaming arrangements,
and social activities of a middle school addresses the young adolescents
need for socialization and interaction with peers (3) Individual
Learning Needs: the teams of teachers, variety in grouping patterns,
opportunities for remediation, and integrated learning units, and
acceleration as part of a middle school target the learning needs
of fifth graders (4) Guidance: the guidance services and advisory
programs at a middle school provide assistance to students on a
personal level, either individual or in a small group setting (5)
The developmental nature of middle school programming: middle school
programs, such as exploratory, flexible scheduling, and varied instructional
methods accommodate characteristics of young adolescents and target
their needs (6) Teachers: students benefit from teachers working
together, planning activities, groupings, and advising students
as a team, as compared to the traditional isolation of elementary
classroom teachers."
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