Transition from Middle to High School

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Transition from Middle to High School

• Vivian Snyder, CTAE Career Development
• vsnyder_at_doe.k12.ga.us
• 404-657-8331

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Goal..

• Participants will understand the critical nature
  of creating, implementing and evaluating an
  effective transitional process for students
  moving from middle school to high school.
• NOTE This presentation does not include the
  critical academic preparation students need to be
  successful at the high school level of learning.

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Objectives

• To understand the rationale for effective
  transitional planning
• To understand the basic steps in creating a
  transitional program/plan

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Transitiondefined as

• a PROCESS during which institutional and social
  factors influence which students educational
  careers are positively or negatively affected by
  this movement between organizations
• Schiller (1999, pp. 216-217, Effects of feeder
  patterns on students transition to high school.
  Sociology of Education)

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Rationale

• More students fail the 9th grade than any other
  grade level. What is your 9th grade retention
  rate? Do you share that with your middle school
  staff?
• Georgia has one of the highest drop-out rates in
  the nation. What is your drop-out rate? Does
  your high school share that information?
• Adolescence is a confusing time for students due
  to the many emotional and physical changes that
  occur at this age. They need our help to achieve
  in ALL domains of development personal/social
  development, academic development and career
  development.
• Transition has always been important to middle
  school educators however, it is obvious better
  and/or more effective processes are needed. Does
  your middle and high school have an identified
  transition process?
• 8th grade in middle school is NOTHING like 9th
  grade in high school. How do your middle school
  students know the differences?

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• This issue has been recognized by the National
  Association of Secondary School Principals
  (NASSP), the National Middle School Association
  (NMSA), and the Carnegie Council on Adolescent
  Development who have acknowledged the need for
  educators to address the gap. Does your school
  have a transition team to address middle to high
  school then high school to postsecondary?
• Transition is a predictor of future success in
  the 9th grade.
• (Morgan and Hertzog, 1997) Do middle schools
  keep this data to determine the impact of their
  efforts?
• Middle school students and their
  parents/guardians need more information about
  high school and careers so they can make more
  informed decisions about the classes they choose
  at the high school level. How many pathways
  completers graduate? Do enrolling 9th graders
  have a career goal based. Advisement is
  legislated in the middle school resulting in an
  identified Individual Graduation Plan (IGP)
  BRIDGE BILL

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WHEN

• Transition to high school is a systematic,
  developmental PROCESS that starts in the spring
  of 6th grade then moves to the 7th, to the 8th,
  into the 9th (then starts transition to
  postsecondary).

Systematic a planned PROCESS, not a one-time
EVENT! Developmental grade level specific
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Effective programs include

• Building a sense of community between the two
  levels. How?
• Responding to the needs and concerns of students,
  parents/guardians and staff. How?
• Providing appropriate, developmental strategies
  to facilitate the transition process no later
  than the spring of the 6th grade. How?

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Provide parents and students with information
about the high school

• Small-group sessions with high school counselors
  at the middle school
• High school teachers trade places with 8th grade
  teachers for one day
• Develop pen pal program between 8th and 9th grade
  students through Language Arts classes
• Summer bridge program for 8th graders
• Web site devoted to providing information to
  incoming students a three-ring notebook about
  high school for 8th graders
• Strong teacher-as-advisor program or mentoring
  program beginning in the 6th grade utilizing
  career information systems

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• Develop opportunities for students and parents to
  receive information regarding high school
  programs and procedures web site, parent
  workshops, newsletters, emails, brochures, career
  fairs, teacher-as-advisor activities senior led
  seminars for 8th graders peer mentoring for
  freshmen
• Student Survival Guide developed by 9th graders
  for incoming freshmen
• Freshmen start classes a day earlier than other
  students to get to know the faculty and the
  logistics of the school day
• Create a transitional portfolio to include
  Self-Awareness, Exploration and Planning
  utilizing GCIS, 411 or Career Cruising

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Provide opportunities for peer interaction and
social support

• Passes or invitations to social/athletic events
  at the high school (supervised)
• High school tours conducted by current 9th grade
  students
• New comers festival a few weeks before school
  starts
• Assigning buddies to incoming 9th grade classes
• Separating lunch schedule by grade level to
  decrease interaction with older students
• Small group sessions with counselors about
  personal/social issues
• Strong teacher-as-advisor program or mentoring
  program to focus on personal/social issues,
  academic issues, and career development
• A summer bridge program regarding going to
  high school or everything you wanted to know
  about high school
• Provide peer tutoring/peer mentoring using high
  school students as mentors or tutors

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Provide opportunities for parent involvement

• Actively seek parent volunteers at both levels to
  assist in the classrooms, career centers,
  supervision on field trips, special events
• Develop a 9th grade newsletter that parents begin
  to receive when their child is in the second
  semester of the 8th grade
• Frequent communication with parents/guardians
• Spring conference at the end of the 8th grade
  year to determine high school classes and
  approval of the Individual Graduation Plan
  (Passing the Torch)
• Parent workshops regarding high school programs,
  career development, high school procedures,
  athletic eligibility, high school curriculum,
  extracurricular activities, college admission
  criteria
• Freshmen Orientation discussion session with
  panel of high school students
• Create a parent brochure on Moving to High
  School to help relieve parent anxieties

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Provide opportunities for communication between
middle and high school teachers and support staff

• Create a transition team of teachers, counselors,
  parents and students from the middle and high
  school that meets regularly to identify issues
  and propose transition activities and
  improvements based on annual evaluations
• Teachers trade spaces-8th to 9th, 9th to 8th
• Teacher shadowing
• Annual joint faculty meeting to identify common
  concerns and opportunities
• Vertical teaming and vertical alignment of
  curriculum
• Professional development on the development of
  young adolescents to high school teachers

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How?

• Establish a transition protocol that can be
  easily replicated and updated annually with
  little effort.
• Establish a timeline (6th-8th grade) for the
  transition process---light in the 6th and 7th
  then heavy at the 8th grade however, keep it
  developmental and be sure students and parents
  understand the term transition ALWAYS make
  reference to going to high school or the Class
  of XXXX.

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• Schedule meetings between collaborative groups
  from sending and receiving schools and
  discussions for adults and students about the
  issues (vertical teaming vertical curriculum
  alignment especially 8th grade)
• Assess the human and financial resources
  available to support the transition process.
• Create your process, determine your evaluation
  and keep your data.
• Debrief and update annually.

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New Student Advisement Rule

• JEA/IGA 8/10/2011 160-4-8-.09

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What Drives the Advisement WORK?
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• The individual graduation plan will include
• (1) Include rigorous academic core subjects and
  focused course work in mathematics and science or
  in humanities, fine arts, and foreign language or
  sequenced career pathway course work
• (2) Incorporate provisions of a student's
  Individualized Education Program (IEP), where
  applicable
• (3) Align educational and broad career goals and
  a student's course of study
• (4) Be based on the student's selected academic
  and career focus area as approved by the
  student's parent or guardian
• (5) Include experience based, career oriented
  learning experiences which may include, but not
  be limited to, internships, apprenticeships,
  mentoring, co-op education, and service learning
• (6) Include opportunities for postsecondary
  studies through articulation, dual enrollment,
  and joint enrollment
• (7) Be flexible to allow change in the course of
  study but be sufficiently structured to meet
  graduation requirements and qualify the student
  for admission to postsecondary education and
• (8) Be approved by the student and the student's
  parent or guardian with guidance from the
  student's school counselor or teacher adviser.
• An individual graduation plan shall be reviewed
  annually, and revised, if appropriate, upon
  approval by the student and the student's parent
  or guardian with guidance from the student's
  school counselor or teacher adviser. An
  individual graduation plan may be changed at any
  time throughout a student's high school career
  upon approval.

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Questions and Comments
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Transition Resources
Akos, Patrick, Queen, J. Allen, Lineberry,
Christopher PROMOTING A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO
MIDDLE SCHOOL http//www.betterhighschools.com/sum
merinst/SI2007TransitionsIntoHighSchool.asphttp/
/www.principals.org/portals/0/content/55626.pdf A
Voice From the Middlehttp//www.nmsa.org/Research
/ResearchSummaries/TransitionfromMStoHS/tabid/1087
/Default.aspx http//www.centerforcsri.org/index.
php?optioncom_contenttaskviewid669Itemid5
Georgia Bridge Bill-Georgia General Assembly
http//www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/sum/hb4
00.htm