MMGW Publications
A New Mission for the Middle Grades
Preparing Students for a Changing World
Report of the SREB Middle Grades Commission
The report of the SREB Middle Grades Commission issues an urgent call for states to improve achievement in the middle grades so students are ready for success in rigorous high school courses and better prepared to graduate and proceed to college or technical training. A New Mission for the Middle Grades offers a comprehensive roadmap for change,
Engaging Students in Deeper Learning Through Powerful Literacy and Mathematics Assignments
Too many students graduate high school without the foundational literacy and math skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and careers. This can change if students are exposed to literacy and math practices that expose them to the types of grade-level assignments that will advance their achievement and prepare them for college and careers.
SREB offers professional development to teachers in powerful literacy and math practices that produce positive results. Read about survey results of more than 37,000 students.
Middle Grades: Quality Teaching Equals Higher Student Achievement
Research Brief
This report highlights indicators that reveal a significant relationship between students’ responses on the MMGW Student Survey and their subsequent achievement in one or more content areas. The data indicate students who experience high-quality instructional practices and engage in challenging assignments tend to score higher on state achievement exams in reading, mathematics and science.
Improved Middle Grades Schools for Improved High School Readiness:
Ten Best Practices in the Middle Grades
SREB compares 10 middle grades schools that made significant progress in improving reading, mathematics and science achievement with 10 middle grades schools that failed to make progress over a two-year period, in order to discern what actions resulted in the greater improvement. The report identifies the 10 best practices from the most-improved middle grades schools.
Skills for a Lifetime:
Teaching Students the Habits of Success
Based on more than two decades of SREB research and experience, this book outlines the specific tools for building the major characteristics — or habits of success — that all students need in high school, postsecondary studies, advanced training and careers. With creative teacher tools, lesson ideas and guidance from educators with proven success in this effort, the book offers schools and districts a comprehensive framework for helping more students become independent, successful learners.
We Know What Works in the Middle Grades
Smart District Leadership Can Make It Happen
In this report, SREB compares schools in the MMGW initiative that have more fully implemented the MMGW research-based design with others that have been defined as low-implementation schools. The report shows clear differences in the achievement levels and academic success of these two groups of schools. The report also shows that dynamic, sustainable middle grades reform is far more likely to occur when district leaders, principal leaders and teacher leaders are all committed to the same improvement goals and means of achieving them.
Establishing Benchmarks of Progress for Middle Grades Sites
Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) expects schools to show continuous progress in implementing classroom practices and improving student achievement. This document helps verify improvement in student achievement and determine if 85 percent of students in all student groups are meeting the MMGW Goals in reading, mathematics and science.