elementary school, with nearly 3/4 of 5th graders (74%) reporting high levels of engagement. But similar surveys have shown a gradual and steady decline in engagement for older students, with approximately 1/2 of students in middle school reporting high levels of engagement. (8) Student transitions from elementary school to the middle grades and to secondary school are often complicated by poor curriculum alignment, inadequate counseling services, and unsatisfactory sharing of student performance and academic achievement data between grades. (9) Middle grades improvement strategies should be tailored based on a variety of performance indicators and data, so that— (A) educators can create and implement successful school improvement strategies to address the needs of the middle grades