Transition to High School

More students fail ninth grade than any other year in school. And while the reasons for this failure are complex, involving eligibility for work, the over-age status of students who have been retained in earlier grades, and the social disruptions that may occur when students are moved from a neighborhood school to a more distant institution, researchers have found that at least a portion of this failure can be attributed to the abrupt transition from the middle school to the high school environment.
 

However, when middle school students take part in high school transition programs with a variety of different articulation activities, and when high schools made special provisions to "receive" their ninth graders, significantly fewer students are retained in their freshman year. (Kerr, 2002). Effective, comprehensive transition programs include activities that provide students and parents with current information about the new school, provide students with social support and opportunities for peer interaction during the transition, provide opportunities for meaningful parent involvement, and bring middle school and high school personnel together to learn about one another's curriculum, special programs, requirements and expectations.

Clearly, school leaders can ease students' transition into high school by implementing transition programs that address the needs of students and their parents and facilitate communication between middle school and high school teachers and support staff. But what are the critical elements of each part of this program? What practices have been most closely associated with student success and overall school performance for incoming students?

Fortunately, professional literature provides a rich array of information, resources and practical examples for school leaders. This large body of information can be distilled to several critical points, each of which can be explored in greater depth by accessing the internet links at the conclusion of this article.

What are the Key Components and Activities for Transition Programs?

•Provide parents and students with essential information about the new school. The primary purpose of these activities should be to familiarize students with the physical facility, the expectations and the routines of the new school. At the same time, however, it is essential that the information be framed in such a way so that it is credible, directly related to the concerns of parents and students, and provided in accessible ways. Among the most common practices are:

1. High school tours help orient students to the building, especially if they are led by students who are currently enrolled in the school and who have been trained to answer questions that arise about programs, activities, safety and other important issues.

2. Small-group sessions with high school counselors allow students to plan their individual programs and become acquainted with the "student advocacy" personnel in the new school.

3. High school teachers trading places with 8th grade teachers for one day allows students to become acquainted with their new teachers and learn about the program and expectations for 9th grade.

4. Pen pal (or e-pal) relationships among students with common interests (e.g., Band, Student Council, honors, athletes and other groups that are common to both levels) encourage students to ask questions about these programs as well as the school in general.

5. Summer camp for rising 9th graders may strengthen academic skills and orient students to new opportunities for participation and growth.

6. Inviting eighth graders to supervised social/athletic events at high school introduces rising 9th graders to school events and, if they are assigned a host for the event, assures a familiar face in the fall term.

7. Newsletters and websites dedicated to providing information to incoming students can be personalized for groups with special interests, and can even provide an interactive forum for questions and answers about the school.

8. Willing parents of 9th graders who serve as ambassadors and communicate with incoming parents helps reassure newcomers and quell harmful rumors.

•Provide opportunities for peer interaction and social support. Attending a new school can be absolutely terrifying. Everything is new: the people, the expectations, the setting, the culture (or "the way we do things around here"), and the social hierarchies. Just as a visitor to strange culture benefits from the assistance of an "insider"-- someone who knows the ropes -- so too do incoming 9th graders benefit from positive and helpful relationships with students already at the school. These strategies have been shown to help build these essential relationships:

1. An open house for 8th graders, hosted by current ninth graders, introduces the students to one another and cultivates a sense of mentorship among the older students.

2. Supervised attendance by incoming 8th graders at 9th grade social functions permits new students to be integrated into the social life of the school.

3. A "newcomers festival" a few weeks before school starts allows incoming students, all of whom are in the same boat, to form acquaintances that will support them in the new environment.

4. Assigning "buddies" to incoming 9th graders is like providing a guide in a foreign land.

5. Separating lunch schedules by grade levels decreases interaction with older students and may provide a chance for students to relax among their age-mates or receive special programs or counseling.

6. Scheduling regular open hours with counselors encourages students to drop in to discuss problems or concerns; counselor’s visits to 9th grade classes can serve as an invitation to stop by and visit.

7. A "Ninth Grade Only" phone line to an assistant principal or counselor enables parents to have easy access to assistance should social problems arise for their child.

• Provide opportunities for parent involvement. One of the most essential elements of student success, but one of the most challenging to secure at the high school level, is parent support. Much research has shown that this support is particularly critical during the transition year, so, if time and resources are limited, they are best spent at the 9th grade level.

1. Actively seek parent volunteers and involve volunteers in the day-to-day activities of the school. This effort helps reduce the adult-student ratio in the building and provides opportunities for informal mentoring.

2. Develop a Ninth Grade Newsletter that parents begin to receive when their child is in the second half of the 8th grade and continues throughout the ninth grade. Focus on topics of special concern for "transitioning" parents.

3. Provide refrigerator magnets or key chains with counselors’ and administrators’ names, phone and e-mail contact information.

4. Arrange for quarterly phone calls by teachers, counselors, or advisors so that parents feel included in the school community and fully informed about their child’s progress.

5. Have a staff member simulate an attempt to contact the school to assure that lines of communication are indeed open. Have that staff member report on the experience at a faculty meeting.

6. Create learning opportunities for parents to engage in with their children, such as computer literacy or college planning.

• Provide opportunities for communication between middle and high school teachers and support staff. Often, students are confused by the new demands, new programs and new requirements of their first year in high school. Frequent and regular communication between the middle and high school staff allow them to align programs and expectations so that students are prepared for the high school experience.

1. Create a "transition" team of teachers, counselors, parents and students from the middle and high schools that meets regularly to identify issues and propose transition activities and improvements.

2. Invite teachers from the middle school to visit team or department meetings at the high school (and vice versa) on a regular basis.

3. Schedule an annual joint faculty meeting with feeder schools to identify common concerns and opportunities.

4. Create departmental "liaison" positions, in which high school teacher Ms. A. stays in touch with middle school teacher Mr. B. on a regular basis.

• Provide academic support for incoming ninth graders. Among the reasons for 9th grade failure are weak skills and lack of academic preparation for the more demanding program of the high school. A key contributor to this failure is the student’s inattention to their own academic performance and the long delay in identifying "students in trouble" in large high school settings. These problems can be mediated by raising everyone’s awareness about the progress of each 9th grade student and intervening before students fall too far behind. These approaches can help:

1. Create a support class that meets on a regular basis for all 9th graders and which addresses transition issues, counseling, academic expectations, and academic progress.

2. Assign each incoming 9th grader an adult advocate/advisor/mentor who assists the student with transition and attends to each student's academic progress and social adjustment.

3. Create tutorials and other academic support activities, using teachers, adult volunteers and older students to help struggling 9th graders.

There are so many conflicting demands for the time of high school leaders, but few efforts pay off as highly as does an effective transition for ninth graders. Getting incoming students off to a strong start helps to assure their continued success throughout the remaining years of their high school experience. These programs are best seen as investments in the future not only for individual students, but for the overall performance of the school as well.

Reference

Kerr, Kerri (Summer, 2002). An examination of approaches to promote ninth grade success in Maryland public high schools. Educational Research Service Spectrum. (Online: http://www.ers.org/spectrum/sum02a.htm).

Internet or Online References:

• Boston Public Schools, Schools to Career Web Site
Provides limited information about transition programs for the Boston Public School system. Contact information is included.
http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/stc/transitions.htm


•Transition to High Schools: What Parents Need to Know
From the Parent Information Network, this article contains both useful information and links to other very helpful resources, including how to structure home visits.
http://npin.org/pnews/2001/pnew901/int901d.html

• Connecting Entrance and Departure:
The transition to ninth grade and high school dropout.
This comprehensive research report details the effects of transition on high school dropout behavior, and documents practices designed to reduce transition-related dropouts.
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/dropouts/neild.pdf

• The Ninth Grade Academy at Montclair High School
A complete description of the transition planning and activities of a comprehensive high school.

•The Ninth Grade Success Academy
A description of the success academy for ninth graders at Central High School in Newark, NJ.
http://www.nps.k12.nj.us/central/niinthgradesuccessacademy.htm


•Helping Middle School Students Make the Transition to High School
An excellent introductory article. This one would be a good discussion starter at a faculty meeting or planning committee.
http://www.kidsource.com/education/middlehigh.html

Prepared by J. Howard Johnston and Lucinda L. Johnston