Compiled by Sandra Berger, reprinted with permission. The full database is available from The Council for Exceptional Children, Product No. Documents are available in ERIC microfiche collections at more than 825 locations worldwide. To shed light on appropriate grouping practices for early adolescents, this article presents current data on using between-class grouping and regrouping in American schools serving this population, based on the 1988 Johns Hopkins University middle school survey.
Findings show that learning opportunities in the middle grades remain highly stratified.
A Pilot Study of Middle School Students' Comparisons of Gifted and Regular Classes. Analysis of essays comparing experiences in gifted and regular classes written by sixth grade gifted students found that many students felt teachers and peers outside the gifted class had unfair expectations of them. Other topics addressed by students included grading, group work, lack of acknowledgement for effort, treatment by peers, and teacher expectations. Impact on Gifted Students. This study investigated attitudes of educators from both the middle school movement and gifted education, by means of a survey of 400 members of relevant professional organizations.