Professional Learning Activities
Recommendation Six
Transitions that Promote Success in the
Middle Grades
"Students making the transition into middle level schools need to receive assistance
prior to, during, and after the move so that their social, psychological, and
academic well-being is not compromised.”1
This Professional Learning Activity (PLA) is provided to assist in implementing Recommendation 6—Transitions at your school. We encourage you to use the Self-Assessment Guide as well as the ideas and examples provided, as catalysts for discussion and to help you customize plans for your unique needs.
Recommendation 6—Transitions is one of 12 integrated recommendations intended to foster middle grades excellence. Recommendation 6 focuses on the critical component of transitions from elementary school to middle grades and from middle grades to high school.
Each PLA consists of four segments:
Acquaint: Familiarize yourself with the Recommendation
- Review the Recommendation and its major components.
Assess: Evaluate how your school stacks up in terms of implementing the basic components of the Recommendation
- Use the Self-Assessment Guide to evaluate and recognize areas of strength, identify gaps, and find opportunities for improvement
- Discuss and decide areas to target
Access: See what others have done; review research
- Review text and read featured spotlights for ideas that other schools have used to further their implementation of the Recommendation
- Find out through research why this Recommendation is important
Adapt: Create and implement your own plan; evaluate results
- Incorporate your ideas into a customized action plan to meet your school needs
- Determine how well the plan is working
Proceed to Acquaint
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Footnote
1Schumacher, Donna, “The Transition to Middle School” (Outside Source). ERIC Digest EDO-PS-98-6 (1998).