Middle school students enrolled in K-8 schools fare better on standardized tests than those in typical middle schools, serving only grades 6-8, according to a study authored by Columbia University researchers and published this week in Education Next.

Analyzing data on New York City public school students who entered 3rd grade between 1998 and 2002, researchers Jonah Rockoff and Benjamin Lockwood (the latter was formerly a summer intern at Insideschools.org!)  found that students who remained in elementary schools with middle school grades scored, on average, seven percent higher on state tests than their peers in segregated middle schools. They also had fewer absences. The gap in achievement "grows larger over the course of the middle-school years," the study finds.

Creating small schools, and reconfiguring grade levels in schools --  K-8, K-12, and 6-12 -- has been a hallmark of the Mayor Bloomberg's school reform efforts. The number of K-8 schools in the city  increased 85% since 2002, according to Shael Suransky, the  Department of Education's deputy chancellor for performance and accountability, who was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article about the study. Still, "there are 275 standalone public middle schools versus 128 K-8 public schools, excluding charter schools," the article notes.

(In the study, students in 6-12 schools are grouped with standard middle schools that begin in grade 6.)<!--more-->

Study authors could not conclusively account for the middle school achievement gap but say it is likely related to the fact that standalone middle schools "educate far more students in each grade." And, writes  Rockoff, "what we found underscores the need for middle-school reform."

Converting every elementary school into a K-8 is clearly not an option, especially for the city's many over-crowded elementary schools.  Are K-8 or 6-12 schools a better option for the city's students? What are some of the pros and cons of standalone middle schools for adolescents? Please comment below.