JUST CHILLIN' ON THE QUAD: Middle Grades Students in College

Exposing students to real life college experiences while they are still in middle school may seem like an odd or even outrageous idea, yet when we consider the profound and lasting impact of student achievement and learning at this age, it becomes imperative to begin to think of ways to engage students in authentic, relevant learning. According to the National Middle School Association ([now the Association for Middle Level Education], 2010), students in the middle grades need active learning that is challenging, exploratory, and hands on. As most schools in the United States take up the challenge of implementing Common Core State Standards, it is important to recognize and understand how the standards are anchored in college and career readiness skills. More importantly, middle grades students themselves need to understand how college readiness is central to their learning. The idea of college can become a reality for middle grades students when they are exposed to a college campus and engaged in authentic learning that is challenging and stimulating. This kind of early college exposure is particularly critical for high-need students in urban areas.This article synthesizes 5 years of research related to one urban school's seventh grade students' understandings of college and college life following participation in a week-long college experience called Immersion. College is often simply referred to as Immersion by students and staff, and will be abbreviated as such in this paper. is an example of a developmentally appropriate and responsive program that highlights a unique collaboration between an urban area college and an urban middle school. This article describes what students reported learning through their college experiences and explains what the findings might mean for these students as they move through high school and beyond.REVIEW OF RESEARCH: COLLEGE READINESS IN URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOLSThe middle level years are a critical time for ensuring future success in college and careers. Being ready for college means having key knowledge, skills and dispositions to take on college life and work; although these areas of readiness inform and influence each other (Conley, 2012; Tinto, 1998), most of the literature on readiness focuses on key cognitive skills and academic knowledge as measures of readiness, even for middle school students. For example, a research study from American College Testing (2008) reported that students who do not meet crucial benchmarks in reading and math by the time they leave eighth grade are likely to fall further behind academically as they progress through high school. One of the key insights to emerge from American College Testing's research was the recommendation that educators focus on programs that improve students' college and career readiness skills in the middle school years in order to improve posthigh school educational and career opportunities. In a more recent report from American College Testing (2012), Radunzel and Noble tracked the relationship between college readiness factors and college success and provided documentation to support the importance of monitoring students' college readiness from Grade 8 through high school.The issue of college readiness related to academics is especially important for students of color in urban areas who continue to be underrepresented at colleges and university: Many of these students have little access to the kinds of challenging courses needed for high school and college (Tierney, Colyar, & Corwin, 2003; Venezia, Kirst, & Antonio, 2003), including critically important courses in higher level math and science (Trusty, Spenser, & Carney, 2005). Lack of access to these courses creates unequal opportunities. Many students of color fall behind in middle school and continue to fall further behind in high school (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2012; Balfanz, 2009; Balfanz, Bridgeland, Moore, & Fox, 2010). …