Middle Level Curriculum: A Work in Progress

September 1994 - Revised June 1995

The Position Paper of National Middle School Association

We believe learning experiences for young adolescents should:

• address their varied intellectual, physical, social, emotional and moral development
• help them make sense of themselves and the world about them
• be highly integrated and connected to life
• include their questions, needs, developmental issues and ideas
• involve them in rich and significant knowledge about the world
• open doors to new ideas that evoke curiosity, the desire to explore, and, at times, awe and wonder
• challenge students and encourage them to take maximum advantage of educational opportunities
• develop caring, responsible, and ethical citizens who practice democratic principles

Further, we advocate learning experiences which:

• value the dignity and diversity of all individuals
• allow students to learn and express themselves in a variety of ways
• use the full range of communication skills and technologies in purposeful contexts
• engage students in problem solving through a variety of relevant experiential learning opportunities
• involve students in meaningful service which encourages them to make a difference in the world around them
• involve students in setting goals, planning, and assessing their own learning
• include continuous, authentic, and appropriate assessment of students' progress in academic achievement and the
• acquisition of desired behavioral attributes

Such learning experiences, which must be accessible to all students, require environments in which:

• challenging content in partnership with appropriate learning strategies becomes the key to significant learning
• students and staff are safe, cared for, understood, trusted, and respected
• each young adolescent can experience success
• faculty is empowered and supported in creating developmentally responsive curriculum and instructional approaches
• staff are positive role models
• the family is actively involved in students' educational endeavors
• the learning community expands beyond the school

Because of these convictions, we believe the following conditions should be evident:

• all areas of knowledge and skill are viewed as important and are integrated throughout the student's school experience
• students explore integrated themes which engage them in serious and rigorous study
• curriculum is developed by careful and continuing study of students, social trends and issues, and research-supported school practices
• flexible learning groups are based upon students' needs and interests
• active collaborative, self-directed learning is used
• a variety of educational materials, resources, and instructional strategies are used
• staff development promotes and supports developmentally responsive practices
• the staff is organized in ways that encourage ongoing collaboration
• all staff help plan and participate in long-term professional growth opportunities

Because of these convictions, we believe the following conditions should be phased out:

• the curriculum consists of separate subjects and skills taught and tested in isolation from one another
• content is judged to be more important than the process by which it is learned
• students are labeled and tracked into rigid ability groups
• lecturing, rote learning, and drill are used excessively
• textbooks and worksheets dominate
• faculty is organized by departments
• staff development efforts are short term and non-productive