6th grade is a turning point. For most students in Los Angeles Unified, they begin their middle school career in 6th grade. For most students, it is the first time they will have multiple teachers, separate periods, electives, and a much larger school environment.
But not for all LAUSD students. Some 6th graders stay in Elementary School. Last year, there were 101 elementary schools that extended up to 6th grade.
There is a reason for this.
About 10 years ago, the district started a concerted movement to keep 6th graders in their elementary schools one year longer. The main reason: data – the elementary schools had better scores than the middle schools. One Daily Breeze article from 2010 noted “Most of the [elementary] schools post significantly higher scores on the state’s testing-based Academic Performance Index than the middle schools into which they feed.”
So I have a simple question – do the elementary schools do a better job with 6th grade than middle schools?
On average, middle schools and elementary schools perform exactly the same in math. They perform almost exactly the same in English.
Let’s go a step further.
What about if we compare middle schools to their respective local elementary schools. Do we see benefits of staying in elementary school then?
Sixth graders in middle schools perform 4.5% better in math than 6th graders in their local elementary school. And they perform only 1% worse than their local elementary school’s sixth grade in English.
Here are some middle schools that have significantly outperformed their elementary school’s 6th grade program in math:
- Thomas Starr King Middle School outperforms Mayberry, Elysian Heights and Lockwood by more than 28 percent.
- El Sereno Middle School outperforms Huntington Drive, Murchison and El Sereno Elementary by 25 percent.
- Washington Irving Middle School outperforms Los Feliz, Glenfeliz and Fletcher Drive by 19 percent.
- Luther Burbank Middle School outperforms Aldama and Buchannan by 17 percent.
However, there was more to the decision to relocate 6th grade to elementary than just data. It also had to do with the entire concept of middle school – which many parents view as a scary place. Board Member Richard Vladovic, who endorsed the move to elementary, said that keeping 6th graders in elementary school “gives us another shot to work with them in that small environment. And it gives parents a little bit more times to spend with their kids. Once you get into a middle school, they’re overly influenced by peers.”
But, as a middle school teacher, let me present the other side of that argument.
Middle schools have a lot to offer that elementary schools do not. We have teachers that are specialized in subjects, just at the point where the subjects get more complex. We have a stronger system of electives, brought to you by economies of scale. And we have a deeper emphasis on science and history, which is often glossed over in elementary school.
I think it is time to reconsider 6th graders being held back in elementary school. It doesn’t need to be at every school – but there are clearly some middle schools that are much more successful than their local commentaries. And if they are having success – why not bring that success to more students?
Fantastic post again!
I did not know that there were options in LAUSD. Our local district’s middle schools scores are depressed vs. many of the elementary schools that appear to be feeders, however, I believe it has a lot to do with motivated parents opting for other options, such as charters, or moving to other districts, when their kids become middle schoolers. This then leaves a smaller, and usually less “achieving” set of students matriculating to middle school. Do you think this also happens in LAUSD?
I’m surprised and delighted that you maintain and accelerate learning in some of your middle schools.
Keep up the good work!
I think 6th graders would be better served in elementary. Too many low performing 6th graders are that way because they’re also immature. They can’t handle lockers, they can’t handle moving from class to class, even if it’s fewer changes than the 7th and 8th graders make. High achievers might need something different, but here again, it’s LAUSD, every child must achieve at the same pace, the same level, as every other child.
In response to the last 2 posts,
” ….I believe it has a lot to do with motivated parents opting for other options, such as charters, or moving to other districts, when their kids become middle schoolers.This then leaves a smaller, and usually less “achieving” set of students matriculating to middle school. Do you think this also happens in LAUSD?”
Answer: Yes. I would add that “motivated” parents opt for Magnet from elementary as well. And students who fall behind in elementary face more complex cognitive challenges in middle/high school, which translates into low/depressed test scores (+ grades, graduation rates) for the traditional schools.
“High achievers might need something different, but here again, it’s LAUSD, every child must achieve at the same pace, the same level, as every other child.”
Answer: LAUSD is the epitome of doing the exact opposite. I would challenge you to find a district with more Magnet, Charter, and even “Honors” options within the traditional schools than LAUSD. Welcome to ancient Rome! Young child, are you a plebeian or a patrician? LAUSD also conflates “high-achievers” with students who are at grade-level (i.e. right where they should be). There is very slim chance that a truly high-achieving LAUSD student is actually working at the “same pace, the same level, as every other child.” Odds are that students who are just reading at grade-level (or even 1 full grade below) are being treated to some sort of alternate/enriched curriculum.
Should we be striving to rebuild ancient Rome?
I want to go here. I come from holmes elementry schools