The Middle School Experience

The present study examined the relation between middle school transitions and achievement gaps in math and science between adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD). An abundance of research indicates that motivation and achievement decline during the early adolescent years, and that this decline is often attributable to the transition from elementary to middle grade schools during early adolescence. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, it was found that, on average, there was a strong gap in achievement between the two groups of early adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine school effects on these achievement gaps. Results indicated that although there were achievement gaps in math and science between adolescents with LD and non-LD adolescents, this gap was greatly reduced for adolescents who did not make a school transition until at least the ninth grade. It is proposed that the policies and practices of typical middle-grade schools are particularly incompatible with the educational and psychological needs of young adolescents with LD.