Success in the Middle Act of 2015

Success in the Middle Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous secondary school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships of LEAs and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Priority is given to LEAs, or partnerships that include LEAs, that serve high proportions of poor children and children attending eligible schools.

"Eligible schools" are those where: (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to secondary schools with graduation rates below 65%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts.

States may make subgrants to LEAs and partnerships that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive middle school improvement plans.

Funding is provided to ED to:

• contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education;
• create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement;
• require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students;
• create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to the middle grades; and
• provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing schools serving students in the middle grades.