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Office of Shared Accountability Reports

Evaluation of Implementation of Middle School Advanced Courses

Description:

To evaluate implementation of advanced courses in middle schools, this study utilized multiple data collection methods to triangulate information gathered from classroom observations, student surveys, and teacher surveys. The data collection and analysis examined three key, rigorous instructional practices: focus on big ideas, critical thinking, and student-centered instruction in three courses (i.e., Advanced English 7, Investigations in Science 6, and Advanced World Studies 7) with a sample of 11 schools. The analytical results showed the extent to which the key, rigorous instructional practices in all courses were implemented as well as teachers' and students' experiences with the implementation.

Recommendations:

  • Increase implementation of key, rigorous instructional practices for all courses and also of key, content-specific instructional practices, through professional development and other supports
  • Provide guidance on student grouping and enrollment in the advanced courses.
  • Continue to provide resources and materials for teachers and encourage more users.
  • Focus attention on Investigations in Science 6 (IS6).

    File Name: Evaluation of Implementation of advanced courses in middle school_FINAL.pdf (1.3MB PDF)