The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the reconfiguration of a middle school to a K-8 building and its impact on the eighth grade students and their performance on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) test using a method of inquiry design. This study addresses (a) the change agents and how to handle them and (b) identifies the components and ramifications of change. Interviews, observations, and the review of material culture were used to conduct the study. The data gathered was compiled in the narrative with information being shown as tables, charts and graphs. The data gathered show that students who attend a K-8 school performed better than student attending a middle school. Standardized test scores of K-8 students were better than those of middle school students.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the reconfiguration of a middle school to a K-8 building and its impact on the eighth grade students and their performance on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) test using a method of inquiry design. This study addresses (a) the change agents and how to handle them and (b) identifies the components and ramifications of change. Interviews, observations, and the review of material culture were used to conduct the study. The data gathered was compiled in the narrative with information being shown as tables, charts and graphs. The data gathered show that students who attend a K-8 school performed better than student attending a middle school. Standardized test scores of K-8 students were better than those of middle school students.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hull, Samuel C."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in Educational Leadership","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Educational Services and Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Hurley, Dennis"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-04-07T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-04-07T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:04Z","subjects":["Middle schools--Administration; School improvement programs; School management and organization","Educational Leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1166","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Hurley, Dennis"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hull, Samuel C."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-04-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Services and Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Middle schools--Administration; School improvement programs; School management and organization","Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1166"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the reconfiguration of a middle school to a K-8 building and its impact on the eighth grade students and their performance on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) test using a method of inquiry design. This study addresses (a) the change agents and how to handle them and (b) identifies the components and ramifications of change. Interviews, observations, and the review of material culture were used to conduct the study. The data gathered was compiled in the narrative with information being shown as tables, charts and graphs. The data gathered show that students who attend a K-8 school performed better than student attending a middle school. Standardized test scores of K-8 students were better than those of middle school students.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["K-8 reconfiguration of a middle school and its impact on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Hurley, Dennis"],"dc:creator":["Hull, Samuel C."],"dc:date.available":["2016-04-25T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the reconfiguration of a middle school to a K-8 building and its impact on the eighth grade students and their performance on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) test using a method of inquiry design. This study addresses (a) the change agents and how to handle them and (b) identifies the components and ramifications of change. Interviews, observations, and the review of material culture were used to conduct the study. The data gathered was compiled in the narrative with information being shown as tables, charts and graphs. The data gathered show that students who attend a K-8 school performed better than student attending a middle school. Standardized test scores of K-8 students were better than those of middle school students.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1166"],"dc:subject":["Middle schools--Administration; School improvement programs; School management and organization","Educational Leadership"],"dc:title":["K-8 reconfiguration of a middle school and its impact on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Services and Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in Educational Leadership"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:04Z"}