Accelerated middle schools program model¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 3 claims (2 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Accelerated middle schools are self-contained academic programs for middle school students one to two years behind grade level, giving them "the opportunity to cover an additional year of curriculum during their one to two years in the program" so they enter high school with age peers. They can be separate schools or schools within a traditional middle school, and make room for added core instructional time by offering relatively few electives. The three studied sites (Griffin GA, Flint MI, Newark NJ) were created in the early 1990s under the School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program; estimated annual per-student cost exceeded traditional middle schools by about $5,000 in New Jersey and $2,000 in Michigan, and was about $2,000 lower in Georgia.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Serves students who are one to two years behind grade level; requires enough instructional time in core academic subjects to cover an additional year of curriculum

Constraints¶

• Of the three studied programs, only the Accelerated Academics Academy in Michigan was still operating in 2008; the full scope of use of the model is not known

Target Learners¶

• middle school students one to two years behind grade level

Target Learning Goals¶

• catching up to grade level with age peers
• staying in school and progressing in school

Claims¶

• Effects of accelerated middle schools on dropping out varied by site: significant in Michigan, substantively important but not significant in Georgia, and null in New Jersey [~W]
• Accelerated middle schools show positive effects on progressing in school, with an average improvement index of +35 percentile points [+W]
• Accelerated middle schools show potentially positive effects on staying in school, with an average improvement index of +18 percentile points [+W]

Related Elements¶

• ALAS dropout prevention program
• Philadelphia's accelerated schools: alternative high schools serving students at high risk of dropping out

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• What Works Clearinghouse. (2008). WWC Intervention Report: Accelerated Middle Schools. U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/11