The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017�18 (MGLS:2017)

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.

Student

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.

Other respondents

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.

The sixth-grade round of the MGLS:2017 Main Study (MS1)

570 schools

13,300 students

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)

760 schools

13,500 students

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.

Student

MS1 and MS2 Hearts and Flowers Executive Function Task Instructions

MS2 Spatial 2-back Task Instructions

MS1 Student Survey

MS2 Student Survey

Other respondents

All other MGLS explanatory material is included in the various restricted-use licenses such as:

MGLS:2017 Restricted Access Use Data Files (RUF)

• MGLS:2017 School Codebook 1.0 for mgls_school.txt (NCES 2023-131)
• MGLS:2017 Student Codebook 1.0 for mgls_student.txt (NCES 2023-131)

User�s Manual for the MGLS:2017 Data File, Restricted-Use Version

• User�s Manual for the MGLS:2017 Data File, Restricted-Use Version (NCES 2023-013)
• Appendix A MGLS:2017 Psychometric Report (NCES 2023-013)
• MGLS Guide to Scales (NCES 2023-013)
• MGLS:2017 Field Tests Report (NCES 2023-013)

Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017�18 (MGLS:2017) Assessment Item Level File (ILF)

• Assessment Item Level File (ILF), Restricted Use Only Read Me (NCES 2023-015)
• MGLS Math and Reading Items User Guide (NCES 2023-015)