An unprecedented national study of middle grade students, gathering information about the development and learning that occur during early adolescence.
Up until 1988 most NCES longitudinal studies provided data only on high school learning and high school graduation. NELS:88 was an attempt to move into the lower grades and add data about the early adolescent years of learning in the U.S. That study began at 8th grade and its students were followed every two years until high school graduation. The ECLS-K in 1998 expanded NCES�s longitudinal data even further by providing information about the earliest years of a child�s education. That study began in kindergarten and followed students through 8th grade. MGLS:2017 filled the gap of pre-adolescent learning tracking by measuring students at 6th grade and following them until 8th grade. The ECLS-K:2011 ended with a 5th grade round in 2016, that while not directly linking with the MGLS:2017�s 6th grade may shed some light on the transition to the middle grades. Likewise, the HS&B:22�s 9th grade, while somewhat discontinuous from the MGLS�s 2020 8th grade data collection, used the same reading and a linked mathematics assessment. In this way we see repeated instances of measurement at the 8th grade in NCES longitudinal studies, all coming from different perspectives but perhaps sharing some interesting commonalities. These might also be loosely compared to NAEP 8th grade cross-sectional results. The user is encouraged to explore all the ways that MGLS:2017 works on its own to spotlight the learning and developmental trajectories and where it can work with other datasets to add dimension to our understanding of the pre-adolescent and early adolescent student.
A key goal of the study was to better understand the supports students need for academic success, high school readiness, and positive life development such as high school graduation, college and career readiness, healthy lifestyles of all students. The study tracked the progress that a national sample of students made in reading and mathematics and their developmental trajectories as they transitioned from elementary to high school and identified factors in their school, classroom, home, and out-of-home experiences that may help to explain differences in achievement and development, and that may contribute to academic success and other outcomes both during the middle grade years and beyond.
Data Collection Rounds: Spring 2018, Spring 2020.
Population of Inference: U.S. 6th graders in brick-and-mortar schools in fall 2017.
Key sample strata: Race/ethnicity, school type (i.e., public or private), and census region where the school is located.
Key constructs: Mathematics, reading, socioemotional development, executive function, and family and school context.
Respondent types: Student, parent, teacher, school administrator, and school environment observation.
Data restrictions: Data only available as R&D restricted-use products due to low precision for certain key subgroups.
See Survey Design for details.
MGLS:2017 was originally designed to administer the 6th grade round the year following the ECLS-K:2011�s 5th grade spring 2015 data collection. Circumstances shifted the MGLS base year by two years such that the data collection occurred in the spring of 2018. The MGLS:2017 follow-up 8th grade data collection in Spring 2020 was originally to be followed in the fall by the HS&B:20 9th grade data collection. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in the HS&B:20 base year to 2022, thus the revised title HS&B:22. The goal, which in the end was only loosely met, was to get an approximation of a synthetic cohort connecting all three studies.
MGLS:2017 employed a multi-stage sampling design with schools selected in the first stage and students within schools selected in the second stage. In the first stage of sampling, public and private schools that offered instruction in sixth grade were stratified by school type (public, Catholic, other private), nine Census regions (New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, Mountain, and Pacific), and estimated prevalence (high/low) of students with autism or emotional disturbance. Schools were then selected, within sampling stratum, with probability proportional to a composite measure of size. In the second stage of sampling, students enrolled in sixth grade and ungraded students ages 11-13 whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicated a primary classification of autism, emotional disturbance, or a specific learning disability were selected within each sampled school using simple random sampling within student sampling strata within schools. The domains were ordered such that if a student was counted in a domain, they were not included in later domains in the list. The domain order was students who 1) had autism, 2) had an emotional disturbance, 3) had a specific learning disability, 4) were Asian and not Hispanic, 5) were Hispanic, 6) were Black, and 7) were of any other race.
Direct Cognitive Assessments
The mathematics assessment measured student progress in the elements leading to 9th grade algebra readiness. These are four mathematics domains: number system, ratios and proportional relationships, expressions and equations, and functions.
The reading assessment emphasizes reading informational text that is purpose-driven and assessing a wide range of comprehension skills. Foundational reading skills include word recognition and decoding, vocabulary, morphology, sentence comprehension, reading efficiency, and basic reading comprehension of passages. Higher-level reading comprehension integrates all these skills into the ability to think critically about a text.
Executive function permits individuals to self-regulate, engage in purposeful and goal-directed behaviors, and conduct themselves in a socially appropriate manner. MGLS:2017 included measures of cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory.
Student Survey
The student survey data augment the information collected from the mathematics, reading, and executive function assessments to provide a deeper understanding of the social and contextual factors related to students� academic and non-academic circumstances and outcomes. Among the socioemotional constructs covered were growth mindset, math self-efficacy, subjective task value related to math, school belongingness, peer social support, teacher support, conscientiousness, optimism, sensation-seeking, and academic engagement.
Information about student and family characteristics, background, and experiences was collected through parent/guardian surveys. This included questions about family involvement in their child�s education and family characteristics that are associated with academic achievement and other student outcomes. Questions were designed to gather information to supplement the information collected from students and teachers about the students� educational experiences and to learn about parents� expectations for their children�s academic attainment in high school and beyond.
The math teacher surveys collected information on the class instructional environment, teacher characteristics and working environment, and teacher ratings of individual students� attitudes and confidence in math. The teacher-level items collected information about teachers� educational background, demographics, and teaching experience, as well as school-level services and characteristics such as special programs offered by the school, school climate, and instructional leadership.
The special education teacher survey gathered information about the teacher or related service providers serving students with IEPs and services for students with disabilities. Teacher-level information included things such as teacher training, experience, and instructional practices.
Field staff completed a school environment checklist that recorded their observations regarding the condition of school facilities, grounds, and the surrounding neighborhood.
The school administrator survey gathered information about school factors that may influence student development, motivation, and learning, such as a school�s characteristics and staffing, and included items designed to capture a general description of the schools� students and the services and programs available to them. In addition, school administrators answered a set of questions about their background and experience.
See Available Files for access to these documents.
There are research and development (R&D) restricted-use data files available for MGLS:2017 that contain information collected and derived from the MS1 and MS2 data collections. Data files include a school-level file, a student-level file, and two assessment item-level files (one for each round of data collection).
A list of school and student variables can be helpful to prospective data users.
See the Overview Technical Report for a summary explanation of Sampling, Data Collection, Response Rates and Nonresponse Bias Analysis and Data Reliability as well as details about the survey instruments. The Data File Users Manual (DFUM) offers the most complete summary of MGLS:2017 and can be obtained as a restricted-access product.
BASE YEAR | GRADE: 6 WINTER/ SPRING 2018
FOLLOW-UP | GRADE: 8 WINTER/ SPRING 2020
These base year and follow-up rounds are referred to as MS1 (Main Study 1) and MS2 (Main Study 2) in the documentation.
The sixth-grade round of the MGLS:2017 Main Study (MS1)
First stage of sampling: Public and private schools were stratified by school type (public, Catholic, other private), nine Census regions (New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East
Second stage of sampling: Public and private schools were stratified by school type (public, Catholic, other private), nine Census regions (New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East
The eighth-grade round of the MGLS:2017 Main Study (MS2)
Augmentation sample: Schools and students from certain subgroups underrepresented in the Base Year were re-recruited and newly recruited for the First Follow Up. Public and private schools were stratified by school type (public, Catholic, other private),
Design Changes for the COVID-19 Pandemic: The study was suspended for two weeks and resumed on April 16th, 2020, under a new design that allowed for student participation from home.
The MGLS:2017 base-year data collection (MS1) was conducted in January through July 2018 of the 2017�18 school year, when students were in the sixth grade. The follow-up data collection (MS2) was conducted 2 years later, in January through July 2020, when most students were in eighth grade. The student data collection component, or student session, included direct assessments measuring students� mathematics achievement, reading achievement, and executive function and a student survey capturing students� attitudes and behaviors and family and school experiences.
In the base year, more than 99 percent of students who participated did so via in-school group sessions held during the school day. The assessments and student survey were web-based and self-administered on Chromebooks provided by the study in a proctored setting. Sessions were scheduled to take up to 90 minutes to complete. The small percentage of students who did not participate in the in-school group sessions completed the student session out-of-school on their own device. During the follow-up round, student data collection activities moved from a primarily in-school model to an out-of-school model midway through the collection period due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, while student sessions were conducted in schools from January through mid-June in 2018 during the base-year, in the follow-up round in-school student sessions were conducted only from January through mid-March of 2020. The remaining sessions were conducted online out-of-school from April through July. Therefore, during the follow-up round, about 30 percent of students who participated did so in the out-of-school student session.
MS1 and MS2 Hearts and Flowers Executive Function Task Instructions
MS2 Spatial 2-back Task Instructions
Parent/guardian surveys
MS1 Parent Hard-copy Mini Survey � English
MS1 Parent Hard-copy Mini Survey � Spanish
MS1 Parent Survey�Spanish Translation
MS2 Parent Hard-copy Mini Survey � English
MS2 Parent Hard-copy Mini Survey � Spanish
MS2 Parent Survey�Spanish Translation
Math teacher surveys
Special education teacher survey
MS1 Special Education Teacher Survey
MS2 Special Education Teacher Survey
School environment checklist
MS1 School Environment Checklist
MS2 School Environment Checklist
School administrator survey
All other MGLS explanatory material is included in the various restricted-use licenses such as:
MGLS:2017 Restricted Access Use Data Files (RUF)
User�s Manual for the MGLS:2017 Data File, Restricted-Use Version
Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017�18 (MGLS:2017) Assessment Item Level File (ILF)
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