The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference exists in the TNReady scores of Tennessee students who attend a kindergarten through eighth grade school (K-8) as compared to students who attend a middle school (6-8 grades). The results of the 2018-2019 TNReady, the state adopted standardized achievement test for Tennessee, were used as the data for the study. The relationship between grade configuration and the percent of students who scored on track or mastered in English language arts and math was analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Further disaggregating by specific grade levels, grade configuration and TNReady achievement data was analyzed to note the impact in English language arts and math in each grade. When a significant difference was discovered, the data was further analyzed with an analysis of variance to determine if a significant difference existed in gender and grade configuration.

This study examined the impact of grade span configuration on the academic achievement of sixth grade students in Florida public schools. Grade configuration (PK-6, PK-8, and 6-8) was the independent variable. Academic achievement, the dependent variable, was measured using 2009 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading and Mathematics mean scale scores and the percentage of students making annual learning gains from 2008 to 2009. School socioeconomic status (SES) was used as a covariate to equalize the effect of poverty on achievement. Random samples of schools were drawn from the population of all Florida public schools with sixth grades in 2009, and from Florida's 2009 Academically High Performing School Districts. Findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference in achievement based on grade level configuration in reading and mathematics for all schools and for schools in Academically High Performing Districts. In all cases, the PK-6 configuration was statistically significantly higher than 6-8, with varied significance between PK-6 and PK-8, and PK-8 and 6-8. The strongest practical significance for all schools was found for learning gains in mathematics, with 26% of the variance in mean learning gain percentages accounted for by grade configuration when controlling for SES. Recommendations were made that future studies address differentiating grade configurations by instructional models and other factors that could impact achievement. The degree and the fidelity to which the middle school concept is implemented in 6-8 schools should be accounted for before making conclusions about the impact of configuration on academic achievement of students in that configuration.

This study evaluated through an analysis of baseline data whether Stockton Unified School District's board decision to transition from middle school settings to K-8 settings result in: increased student achievement as measured by performance on the California Standards Tests (CSTs) in English language arts and Mathematics, and decreased problem behaviors as measured through the number of suspensions at the 7th grade level in its first year of implementation for the 2006-2007 school year. Four former middle schools and thirty nine K-8 elementary school's achievement and suspension data comprised the purposeful sample for this one shot case study. Former middle school populations averaged 684 to 747 students per school while the average number of 7th grade students attending the newly formed K-8s averaged 85 students per site. Categorical variables were controlled for ethnicity, gender, second language learner, socioeconomically deprived and school wide. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to create a time analysis of 7th grade student performance and behavior as measured by number of suspensions through the use of time trend analysis over a four year period 2002-2003 through 2005-2006. In order to find performance and suspension levels for each categorical variable, scores were derived as the difference between each categorical variable and the growth rate of White (the omitted category). Chow Test (1960) was applied to test for change in setting from the middle school to K-8. Results determined no significant growth in academic achievement in English language arts or mathematics for any subgroup following the move to a K-8 setting. Second language learners demonstrated a statistically significant drop at -6.8 percent from Far Below Basic in English language arts over the four year period of attending a middle school setting. No other subgroup showed any statistical significance in performance over time when compared to the growth of their White constituents. Statistical significant findings were found for number of suspensions for all subgroups over time and with the move to a K-8 setting for Hispanic, Black and Asian males and females. Implications for educators and future research are discussed.