SOURCE:
National Middle School Association. (1992). "This We Believe", Columbus, OH: Author.

Middle Grade Student Characteristics

Intellectual Development

Middle Grade students:

1)	display a wide range of individual intellectual development as their minds experience transition from the concrete-manipulatory stage to the capacity for abstract thought. This transition ultimately makes possible: Propositional thought Consideration of ideas contrary to fact Reasoning with hypothesis involving two or more variables Appreciation for the elegance of mathematical logic expressed in symbols Insight into the nuances of poetic metaphor and musical notation Analysis of the power of a political ideology Ability to project thought into the future, to anticipate, and to formulate goals Insight into the sources of previously unquestioned attitudes, behaviors, values Interpretation of larger concepts and generalizations of traditional wisdom expressed through sayings, axioms, and aphorisms
2)	are intensely curious;
3)	prefer active over passive learning experiences; favor interaction with peers during learning activities;
4)	exhibit a strong willingness to learn things they consider to be useful; enjoy using skills to solve real life problems;
5)	are ego-centric; argue to convince others; exhibit independent, critical thought;
6)	consider academic goals as a secondary level of priority; personal - social concerns dominate thoughts and activities;
7)	experience the phenomenon of meta-cognition - the ability to know what one knows and does not know;
8)	are intellectually at-risk; face decisions that have the potential to affect major academic values with life long consequences.

Physical Development

Middle Grade students:

1)	experience accelerated physical development marked by increases in weight, height, heart size, lung capacity, and muscular strength;
2)	boys and girls mature at varying rates of speed. Girls tend to be taller for the first two years of early adolescence and are ordinarily more physically developed;
3)	experience bone growth faster than muscle development; uneven muscle/bone development results in lack of coordination and awkwardness; bones may lack protection of covering muscles and supporting tendons;
4)	reflect a wide range of individual differences which begin to appear in prepubertal and pubertal stages of development. Boys tend to lag behind girls. There are marked individual differences in physical development for boys and girls. The age of greatest variability in physiological development and size occurs at about age thirteen;
5)	experience biological development five years sooner than adolescents of the last century; the average age of menarche has dropped from seventeen to twelve years of age;
6)	face responsibility for sexual behavior before full emotional and social maturity has occurred;
7)	show changes in body contour including temporarily large noses, protruding ears, long arms; have posture problems;
8)	are often disturbed by body changes: Girls are anxious about physical changes that accompany sexual maturation; Boys are anxious about receding chins, cowlicks, dimples, and change in their voices;
9)	experience fluctuations in basal metabolism which can cause extreme restlessness at times and equally extreme listlessness at other moments;
10)	have ravenous appetites and peculiar tastes; may overtax digestive system with large quantities of improper foods;
11)	lack physical health; have poor levels of endurance, strength, and flexibility; as a group are fatter and unhealthier;
12)	are physically at-risk; major causes of death are homicide, suicide, accident, and leukemia.

Psychological Development

Middle Grade students:

1)	are often erratic and inconsistent in their behaviors; anxiety and fear are contrasted with periods of bravado; feelings shift between superiority and inferiority;
2)	have chemical and hormonal imbalances which often trigger emotions that are frightening, poorly understood, may regress to more childish behaviors patterns at this point;
3)	are easily offended and are sensitive to criticism of personal shortcomings;
4)	tend to exaggerate simple occurrences and believe that personal problems, experiences and feelings are unique to themselves;
5)	are moody, restless; often feel self-conscious and alienated; lack self esteem; are introspective;
6)	are searching for adult identity and acceptance even in the midst of intense peer group relationships;
7)	are vulnerable to naive opinions, one sided arguments;
8)	are searching to form a conscious sense of individual uniqueness - "Who am I?"
9)	have emerging sense of humor based upon increased intellectual ability to see abstract relationships; appreciate the "double entendre";
10)	are basically optimistic, hopeful;
11)	are psychologically at-risk; at no other point in human development is an individual likely to encounter so much diversity in relation to oneself and others.

Social Development

Middle Grade students:

1)	experience often traumatic conflicts due to conflicting loyalties to peer groups and family;
2)	refer to peers as sources for standards and models of behaviors; media heroes and heroines are also singularly important in shaping both behavior and fashion;
3)	may be rebellious towards parents but still strongly dependent upon parental values; want to make own choices, but the authority of the family is a critical factor in ultimate decisions;
4)	are impacted by high level of mobility in society; may become anxious and disorientated when peer group ties are broken because of family relocation to other communities;
5)	are often confused and frightened by new school settings which are large and impersonal;
6)	act out unusual or drastic behavior at times; may be aggressive, daring, boisterous, argumentative;
7)	are fiercely loyal to peer group values; sometimes cruel or insensitive to those outside the peer group;
8)	want to know and feel that significant adults, including parents and teachers, love and accept them; need frequent affirmation;
9)	sense negative impact of adolescent behaviors on parents and teachers; realize thin edge between tolerance and rejection; feelings of adults rejection drive the adolescent into the relatively secure social environment of the peer group;
10)	strive to define sex role characteristics; search to establish positive social relationships with members of the same and opposite sex;
11)	experience low risk-trust relationships with adults who show lack of sensitivity to adolescent characteristics and needs;
12)	challenges authority figures; tests limits of acceptable behavior;
13)	are socially at-risk; adult values are largely shaped conceptually during adolescence; negative interactions with peers, parents, and teachers may compromise ideals and commitments.

Moral & Ethical Development

Middle Grade students:

1)	are essentially idealistic; have a strong sense of fairness in human relationships;
2)	experience thoughts and feelings of awe and wonder related to their expanding intellectual and emotional awareness;
3)	ask large, unanswerable questions about the meaning of life; do not expect absolute answers but are turned off by trivial adult responses;
4)	are reflective, analytical, and introspective about their thoughts and feelings;
5)	confront hard moral and ethical questions for which they are unprepared to cope;
6)	are at-risk in the development of moral and ethical choices and behaviors; primary dependency upon the influences of home and church for moral and ethical developments seriously compromise adolescents for whom these resources are absent; adolescents want to explore the moral and ethical issues which are confronted in the curriculum, in the media, and in the daily interactions they experience in their families and peer groups

SOURCE:
"Caught In The Middle: Educational Reform for Young Adolescents in California Schools." Developed by Superintendent Bill Honig's Middle Grade Task Force. California State Department of Education, 1987, p.p. 161- 165.

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TERMS AND DEFINITIONS OF
MYABC BOARD MEMBERS:

Association:  The Middle Years Association of British Columbia (MYABC) is the largest professional association devoted to the promotion of middle level education in the province of British Columbia. Membership is open to all interested parties (educators, parents, community members). Yearly membership is achieved through registration at the MYABC Provincial Conference (April to April) or by direct application to the Association.

Board of Directors:  The MYABC Board shall consist of no more than 12 elected officers. Roles and responsibilities have been defined.

Executive:  Consists of those officers other than Regional Representatives. (Executive members are expected to attend four MYABC Meetings per year: October, February, April and June). Executive members are expected to fulfill the roles and responsibilites as listed, as well as other duties that may be assigned.

AGM:  The Annual General Meeting for MYABC will be held each year at the Provincial Conference. Purpose of AGM is election of board officers, approval of budget, stating the Board's goals and objectives for the upcoming calendar year, etc.

MYABC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

President: (2 years)

• Provide active leadership in setting policy and direction of the Board
• Take input from the MYABC Board of Directors as well as MYABC members
• Set meeting agendas for 2 Executive and 2 Board Meetings,
• Chair meetings;
• Respond to questions, concerns, and committee/members needs,
• Assist with middle years education throughout the province,
• Promote MYABC throughout the province
• Liaise with NMSA, other Middle Year Associations
• Present MYABC Board Member and Executive at Middle Years Conference
• Write letter in conference program,
• Write article in the newsletter.
• Troubleshoot (e.g. dealing with concerns as raised by MYABC members, board members, executive, etc.)
• Attend National Middle School Conference and/or Affiliate Leaders Conferenc
  

President-Elect: (1 year)

• Candidates for this position must be a current MYABC Board Member
• Nominated at the April Meeting at the end of the first year of the President's term (in order to give time for this person to prepare for the role of President)
• Assist the president in his/her responsibilities
• Responsible for learning the full President's role
  

Past President (2 years)

• Leadership role
• Historical perspective.
• Selection process for next year's conference site.
• Conducts annual AGM.
  

Secretary: (2 years)

• Take notes at all MYABC Board and Executive Meetings
• Type up meeting minutes and email or fax out.
• Send out written communication as needed (including Thank You Letters)
• Any clerical responsibilities as assigned by the President
  

Treasurer: (2 years)

• Handle all financial transactions for the Association
• Co-signing authority with paid bookkeeper (not member of Association)
• Provide an annual budget report
• Prepare projected budget for the upcoming year
• Provide guidance/direction to the Association on all financial considerations
  

Communications Officer: (2 years)

• Coordinate Awards program
• Responsible for the Middle Schools Directory
• Responsible for updating and keeping membership list and mailing list current
  

Magazine Editor: (2 years)

• Provide leadership for the Association's journal/ newsletter
• Set deadline for Journal articles from Regional Reps
• Gather articles
• Format and collate information
• Work in conjunction with printer (printer is not member of Association)
  

Web Site Coordinator: (2 years)

• Provides leadership for the Associations' website
• Gathers articles and information for website from Board members
• Works in conjunction with paid webmaster
  

Conference Chair: (1 year)

• Represent and articulate the role of MYABC as cohost with host district
• Provides liaison between the two above said groups
• Is a resource for the host district
• Conference Chair (or designate) to attend conference-planning meetings of host district, as appropriate
• Facilitate or co-facilitate preconference

TERMS AND EXPECTATIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS:

All Board Members are elected at the annual AGM. In order to run for a Board Member position, applicants must be members of MYABC (1 year membership to MYABC comes free with your MYABC conference registration).

Available MYABC positions are advertised in yA! and on our website. People interested in serving as a MYABC Board Member should contact Susan Reid at susan_reid@sd63.bc.ca

• Attend all meetings
• Fulfill listed roles and responsibilities (as well as other duties that may be assigned)
• Actively promote middle level education.
• The meeting dates for Executive and Board Meetings are determined a year in advance at the April AGM. Board Members unable to attend must inform the President in writing in advance. Two unexcused meetings or not fulfilling role responsibilities may result in removal from the Board.
• Assist with booksales and registrations at Conference

ENTITLEMENTS:

• As this is a voluntary organisation, Board Members do not receive remuneration for their services.
• Transportation (gas, flight, bus) and accommodation costs for Executive Members to attend meetings will be paid for by MYABC. Food costs and mileage costs will not be covered for Executive Members attending Board Meetings.
• Transportation (gas, flight, bus) and accommodation costs for one mandatory meeting for Regional Reps will be paid for by MYABC. The expense costs of the other meeting must be paid for by the School District of the Regional Rep. The Regional Rep must let the President know in advance if a current letter to their Superintendent is required for this purpose.
• President (or delegate) may attend the Affiliate Leaders Conference (Expenses borne by the MYABC)
• MYABC has set aside $3,000 per year to send one or more executive members to the National Middle Schools Conference. Decisions on how this money will be divided, and which Executive Members will attend the National Conference will be made at the June Executive Meeting.
• All Board Members shall receive one free registration to the Connections Provincial Conference. It is up to each individual Board Member to send in their Registration Form to the Provincial Conference. Please write "Free Registration - MYABC" at the top of this form.
• Accommodation at the conference will be on a shared-basis for a maximum of 3 nights (unless otherwise prearranged).
• As a general policy MYABC cannot be responsible for T.O.C. costs.
• Each Board Member may receive $400 for costs associated with a Middle Level Education Conference.
• Board Members may submit receipts up to $100 per year for photocopying; phone and office costs needed to fulfil their roles.
• expenses paid for by MYABC