Ninth-graders with lagging grades are hardly unique to Anne Arundel County.

A middle-school slump has been repeatedly observed in American public schools, even in systems that have made vast progress boosting the performance of elementary school children. The impetus given to younger kids somehow seems to dribble away by the time they reach middle school, with dismal results that are obvious when they become high school freshmen.

But however common the problem, the extent of poor performance reflected in last year's figures for county ninth-graders just isn't acceptable, and parents and school officials know it. Some 33.2...