Impact of School Transitions in the Middle Years: Eighth Grade Academic Competence in a National Sample

Introduction: School transitions are critical periods for intervention to promote youth achievement and reduce maladjustment. Although school transitions in 6th or 7th grade occur at the same time as significant, often disruptive, developmental shifts, this period receives less attention in prevention and policy than earlier or later transitions. The middle grade transition literature is theory-rich and policy-relevant. However, gaps remain. Few studies use methods that permit causal estimates of the impact of school transitions on youth. National samples are rare, limiting external validity. Rigorous studies with population-based samples focus on standardized test scores, neglecting other academic outcomes critical to school success. In this study, we capitalize on a national longitudinal dataset to determine via causal analysis the effect of middle grade transitions on 8th grade academic competence and interest. The goal is to inform education policy and prevention to increase the likelihood that young people experience positive adjustment across the middle years.

Method: Participants are 5,754 students followed from k-8th grade in a national sample (ECLS-K). Dependent variables are measured with 8th grade student reports of academic competence and interest (reading, math). Covariates measured in 5th grade include achievement test scores, demographic and family information, and school structure and composition. We estimate the causal effect of a school transition in 6th or 7th grade in contrast to no transition on 8th grade students’ academic competence. To do so, we first conduct regression analyses to test hypotheses in a correlational framework. Then, we use a propensity score matching procedure, which reduces selection bias by matching individuals from each group to one another based on observed covariates, to test hypotheses in a causal framework.

Results: Results from preliminary regression analysis indicate that, above and beyond child, family, and school covariates, 8th graders in k-8 schools reported higher reading competence and interest than students who experienced a school transition in 6th or 7th grade (b = .07, β = .04, p < .05). School size, but not school transition in the middle years, significantly contributed to 8th grade math competence and interest beyond covariates (b = -.03, β = -.03, p < .05). Propensity score matching analysis is underway to examine the causal effect of the school transition in 6th or 7th grade on students' academic competence and interest in 8th grade.

Conclusions: Findings may inform education policies and practices regarding the grade spans and structures of middle grade schools. We will discuss implications of findings for intervention to support young adolescents who experience school transitions in the middle years.