When we talk about education, we generally talk about it in three contexts: primary, secondary, and tertiary (commonly used international term for post-secondary education).  Left out of the discussion is middle school education, which is lumped at one or the other end of the primary-secondary spectrum.

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) recently shined a bright light on middle school education in a report on reading skills.  Some highlights from the report:

• While national testing has found gains in reading at the elementary level, the numbers are stagnant at the middle school level and declining at the high school level.
• Unlike speaking skills, which develop naturally, advanced reading skills do not.
• Success in reading is critical to later academic and workplace success.
• Developing students’ reading comprehension skills in all subjects should be a priority for middle schools.

First Lady Gayle Manchin was a member of the committee that issued this report.

To assist students who are falling behind in reading and math at the middle school level, the West Virginia Legislature recently passed legislation to create and fund critical skills instructional programs for eighth graders (and third graders).