The current study expands on these research studies and the broader literature base because it suggests that sophisticated self-regulatory behaviors may not be necessary in all achievement contexts, and that these behaviors begin to demonstrate a stronger relationship with math achievement as contextual demands and expectations increase. Along these lines, it is important for school administrators and teachers to be aware of the contextual and curriculum shifts that occur in their respective schools and to identify the specific settings and developmental periods in which self-regulation and motivation processes become highly predictive of students' academic performance. In this study, seventh-grade students clearly exhibited a more maladaptive regulatory profile than their younger peers even though these processes were more predictive of their math achievement. Similarly, strong efforts to make learning intrinsically interesting or enjoyable for students should be an important focus of middle school administrators and teachers because these processes have important implications for the choices students make about becoming strategically and cognitively engaged in their learning (Midgley & Edelin, 1998; Reeve & Jang, 2006; Urdan & Midgley, 2003). Over the past couple of decades, several developmental and motivation researchers have advocated for reforming educational practices in middle school settings to include greater emphasis on mastery goal structures, de-emphasizing normative-based comparisons and providing students with more choice and autonomy during learning activities and classroom instruction (Ames, 1992; Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Midgley & Edelin, 1998). These ecologically sensitive initiatives are important because they correlate with increases in student academic performance and engagement in school (Reeve & Jang, 2006; Urdan & Midgley, 2003).