I think different schools are different. At our middle school, there are GT classes, standard classes, and special education classes so no real differentiation as far as the teaching within an individual class. However, kids can and do certainly differentiate themselves by performing more extensive research and creating a more sophisticated paper or multi-media product.
I would not be too worried with the teacher not announcing to the parents which of the three in-class groups she assigned their kids. By 6th grade, it would be very strange for the kids not to be able to figure out their own assigned group and many likely can figure out the assigned group of every other kid.
At our middle school, EF is huge but that is partly because the level of instruction is substantially higher than it was back in elementary school, at least in the GT classes for sure.
Don't panic yet. Middle school is a huge transition for all the kids and it is surprising to see how much their EF develops as a result of the challenges they tackle successfully without their parents. I think that is the point. Most kids rise to the challenge before the end of 6th grade while others figure it out sometime in 7th grade. It is my understanding that the school does focus their attention on the relatively few remaining kids who don't succeed and parental involvement would be welcome for those kids, but only after the kids show they can't succeed on their own.
Of course, if your DD has an IEP or sometimes even a 504, some allowances will be made, particularly if she struggles. Your DD may surprise you so let her take the lead at least for a little bit.
