This petition requests the Mount Ayr Community School District leave the sixth grade in the elementary. Given that this plan will affect all future sixth graders and not just the families of the current fifth grade students, we feel that all concerned citizens in our school district should have the chance to hear the plan and weigh in. 

We have strong reservations about the current plan to move the 6th grade into the 7th-12th grade building for a multitude of reasons.  The letter that was sent out to the parents of all current fifth and sixth graders noted two benefits of moving the sixth grade up: (1) a few new electives for the sixth graders, at the expense of recess, and (2) the administrative convenience of the move.  We do not believe these benefits will outweigh the documented academic and behavioral challenges sixth graders face when moving to a middle school.  The poorer outcomes combined with the loss of recess and increased negative peer pressure only exacerbate the challenges.  Notably, research shows that these challenges are heightened for sixth graders and that, while still challenging to navigate as seventh graders, the additional year of maturity and growth that seventh graders have lessens the negative impacts.  (Rockoff 2010; Schwartz 2011)  

The transition from elementary to middle school is a significant step for children.  Studies on grade configuration show that students who remain in elementary schools through sixth grade show higher levels of academic achievement compared to those who make the move earlier.  In contrast, students have higher rates of behavioral problems in school when they move to a new building in sixth grade versus having an extra year to mature.  Both the academic losses and higher rates of behavioral problems persist on into high school.  (Malone 2020; Cook 2008)  Additionally, we have concerns about increased exposure to bullying, cyber-bullying, and peer pressure for our sixth graders while they are less mature and less capable of navigating those social interactions at the same time that their peers in school jump from 4 to 11-year-olds to 11 to 18-year-olds.

We believe our sixth graders will benefit more from continuing to have a daily recess than any potential benefit from taking additional electives not currently offered in sixth grade.  Parents of MACS fifth and sixth graders have noted struggles our kids have sitting still, staying focused, and lacking the maturity to maneuver more independently in the middle school.  These challenges will surely be magnified with the loss of an important outlet for their energy.  The CDC stresses the importance of recess for children’s health and well-being and notes the benefits of recess are shown to improve academic performance and behavior.  (CDC 2019)  Research on sixth graders specifically has shown recess helps them develop important social and emotional skills, such as conflict resolution, communication, and self-regulation—in addition to the physical health benefits. (Pellegrini 2005; Jarrett 1998)  

Of lesser importance but worth noting, sixth grade is grouped with elementary sports in our area.  After school practices would have sixth graders walking back down to the elementary.  At times, fifth and sixth grades are combined to make teams.  It is great having 2 grades of band in the elementary to show the fifth graders how far they will come in just one year.  Like the seventh and eighth graders form bonds in their time together in school and extra-curricular activities, it is also nice to have the fifth and sixth graders in the elementary together and forming bonds as they are often grouped together for extra-curriculars as well.  

In the 1980s, there was a push to move 6th grades into newly formed middle schools.  At the time and without many middle schools to study, there was not scientific evidence supporting this new, well-intentioned concept.  (Augustine 2004)  Since then, there has been enormous interest in the plight of middle schoolers.  In the last decade, school systems have gradually begun moving sixth grades back into the elementary schools where they benefit from being in a more nurturing, supportive environment with more supervision and less independence than they would have in middle school.  We did not find any empirical evidence showing negative outcomes for keeping sixth graders in an elementary.  Why shake things up when we have an award-winning elementary school, no evidence suggesting any detriment to leaving sixth grade in the elementary, and well-documented evidence showing worse long-term outcomes for sixth graders who switch to a middle school setting?

We strongly urge the MACSD to reconsider moving the sixth grade out of the elementary school.  Let's prioritize our children's academic success, physical and mental well-being, and focus on the fundamentals of reading, English, science and math over administrative convenience and extra electives.  

If you are a registered voter in the Mount Ayr Community School District, please consider signing this petition if you would like our sixth graders to remain in our elementary and believe our elementary is the best setting for their optimal development and academic success.  Per Iowa Code section 279.8B, if 76 registered voters sign the petition (10% of the last school board election), we can have the proposal to leave the sixth grade in the elementary put on the school board agenda and be given an opportunity for public comment at the meeting. 

REFERENCES

Augustine, Catherine H., Jaana Juvonen, Vi-Nhuan Le, Tessa Kaganoff, and Louay Constant, Problems and Promise of the American Middle School. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2004. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB8025.html

Cook, P. J., MacCoun, R., Muschkin, C., & Vigdor, J. (2008). The negative impacts of starting middle school in sixth grade. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27(1), 104-121. doi: 10.1002/pam.20314

Jarrett, O. S., Maxwell, D. M., Dickerson, C., Hoge, P., Davies, G., & Yetley, A. (1998). Impact of recess on classroom behavior: Group effects and individual differences. Journal of School Health, 68(9), 380-385. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1998.tb01263.x

Malone, M., Cornell, D. G., & Shukla, K. (2020). Grade configuration is associated with school-level standardized test pass rates for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(2), 289-305. doi: 10.1080/09243453.2019.1654526

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Recess and physical activity among elementary school children. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/pdf/recess_data_brief_cdc_logo_final_191106.pdf

Pellegrini, A. D., & Bohn, C. M. (2005). The role of recess in children's cognitive performance. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 4(3), 142-149. doi: 10.1016/j.tine.2015.06.002

Rockoff, J. E., & Lockwood, B. B. (2010). Stuck in the Middle. Education Next, 10(4) https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/stuck-middle/docview/1237827927/se-2

Schwartz, A. E., & Gorman, K. S. (2011). Do top dogs rule in middle school? Evidence on bullying, safety, and belonging. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 30(1), 129-154. doi: 10.1002/pam.20547