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Making middle school matter: An idea with Magic Valley, Idaho roots

Rob Sauer didn’t invent the concept of middle school accountability, but he’s sure put the notion on the front burner in Idaho education.

Starting this school year, the Middle Level Credit System — a product of the Idaho State Board of Education’s Middle Level Task Force — will require seventh- and eighth-grade students to complete at least 80 percent of the class credits they take to move to the next grade.

Students won’t be able to advance a grade if they fail a full year in one subject, such as math. Those who don’t meet requirements or who are in danger of failing will receive credit-recovery opportunities to help them become eligible to advance to the next grade.

Sauer, the state deputy superintendent of public instruction and accountability and a former principal at Wendell Middle School and the Bliss School, has nurtured the idea since he joined Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna’s staff in 2007.

“Students understand that middle level doesn’t count,” Sauer said. “Now they can say, ‘I have some responsibility in this.’”

Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_a40e5624-ef75-5dcb-84c9-90d64727af7d.html

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