Middle schools in Anne Arundel County would go from four classes per day to six shorter ones next year under a new plan set forth by Superintendent Kevin Maxwell.

The plan is part of an effort to improve academic performance in middle schools, a transition period between elementary and high schools when students’ grades often fall. The proposed change comes after two years of work by a county Middle School Task Force, which included various members of the schools and community, and on the heels of a state Middle School Steering Committee report that made 16 recommendations to improve middle schools.