If the kids were taught the basics properly in the first place; if they were failed when unable to master basics; if there were standardized testing at every grade level to track the children’s achievement; if teachers’ pay were based on achievemnet rather than seniority, then there would be no problem with middle schools (in my humble opinion).  Of course, we pay mega-bucks for education here in Ontario, but we have none of the above…

What was not discussed as a possible factor, is the teacher factor. The kids who are moving to a middle school, comes in a new environment, with new teachers, who know very little about their character, their personality, unlike students who are in schools of K-8. Teachers in K to 8, are probably passing information on their students,  to one another over the K to 8 years. Not everything is in the student file, and one would be hard press to determine student needs alone on the files and numbers.