EIGHTH GRADE TRANSITION PROGRAMS
How can my school make sure all of our students are prepared for the challenges of high school?
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For many students at-risk for dropout, the transition from eighth to ninth grade is a critical point in their academic careers. Adolescent students moving from a middle school to a high school are not only under the stress of a newly organized school system where students are responsible for their own education more than they have been in the past, but they are also under the stress of emotional, physical, and social influences in their lives as they begin to live more independent lives away from their parents. Transition programs that middle and high schools put together can be a benefit to these students and can provide the support students need to successfully bridge the gap between middle and high school.
Photo from: Rowden, V. (2010, May 21). Hazardous passage for at-risk youth | Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2010/05/21/hazardous_passage_for_atrisk_youth.html
Middle School to High School Transition Programs
FairfaxCountySchools. (2015, August 24). High School Transition Program. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d0IOp7k0gI
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Middle to high school transition “programs range from one-time informational assemblies for incoming students to comprehensive monthly meetings, . . . informational parent meetings, student shadowing programs, panel discussions, and high school course advising sessions”. - Cohen and Smerdon, 2009, p. 180
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The Talent Development High School Model
In The Talent Development High School Model students are placed into small groups within the larger high school. These schools-within-a-school allow students to make better and stronger connections with teachers, which can increase their engagement with school. Ninth grade students become part of a Success Academy where students work with teams of core teachers in extended class periods to help get them caught up and on track academically.
Click the link below to find more specific details about how The Talent Development High School Model can transform your high school and give students who are at-risk for dropout a second chance at success! |
MDRCNews. (2011, September 08). Making Progress Toward Graduation: Evidence from the Talent Development High School Project. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TE5Jut_fjw
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