Districts try various strategies to make senior year meaningful
By Carol Chmelynski
11/11/03 -- From more rigorous courses to individual projects and internships, school districts across the country are taking a variety of steps to keep seniors engaged in learning during the senior year of high school.
They are also warning students about the possibility that students already accepted to college could find themselves out in the cold if they slack off too much during their senior year.
The National Commission on the High School Senior Year, created by the U.S. Education Department in 2001, found "senioritis," the tendency of high school seniors to goof off once they've been accepted to college, to be a serious problem.
According to the commission, America "faces a deeply troubling future unless we transform the lost opportunity of the senior year into an integral part of students' preparation for life, citizenship, work, and future education."
A summit on the problem held at the University of New Mexico for some 80 math and English teachers from 37 high schools explored ways to eliminate senioritis and better prepare students for college.
Their conclusion was that students need more rigorous preparation, especially in math, to succeed as college freshmen. The teachers recommended that the state raise its high school requirement from three years of math to four. University officials say 54 percent of freshmen last year either dropped or failed an Intermediate Algebra course. They also suggested that students be offered more guidance counseling.
Jacqueline Robinson, a math teacher at West Mesa High School in Albuquerque, suggested the state reconsider its early dismissal policy, which allows seniors to attend school part time if they have completed most of their graduation requirements. That policy gives students an easy ride their senior year, she says, and promotes bad habits in college.
In Virginia, Gov. Mark Warner is promoting the Senior Year Plus program to combat senioritis and better prepare students for work or college.
The program allows students to earn up to 15 college credits while still in high school and covers the tuition for up to a semester's worth of courses at community colleges that students need for a specific job.
About 250 students will be able to take advantage of the program this year. Warner hopes it will be available to all interested seniors statewide by 2005.
Warner also urges schools to offer more Advanced Placement courses, including online AP courses, and dual enrollment options with local community colleges.
Student portfolios
The Bethlehem (Pa.) Area School District's strategy to get seniors more engaged in school calls for them to complete a portfolio project as a condition for graduating.
Each student's portfolio would include samples of his or her best work in high school, an essay reflecting on that work, and an audio-visual component. Each student also would have to make a 10 to 15-minute presentation to a panel of two to five teachers, says George Van Doren, coordinator of English and language arts.
Administrators have discussed the portfolio concept since 1995, Van Doren says, but last year a committee of high school teachers actually began developing guidelines. The goal is to have students demonstrate their mastery in a particular area, he says. "We want them to reflect on what they've learned and their accomplishments from kindergarten to 12th grade."
The class of 2006, this year's sophomore class, will be the first who must create a portfolio to get a diploma.
"As teachers, we know that seniors react in a certain way, so we try to keep things as interesting as we can and hold seniors accountable for what they do -- or don't do -- right up until graduation," Van Doren says.
In Seattle, guidance counselors Jennifer Hahn and Paula Koontz at Chief Sealth High School start fighting senioritis in the junior year.
During a three-day workshop, juniors are shown samples of college warning letters, hear lectures by college admissions officers, examine their transcripts, and decide what courses to take in their senior year.
Students also pose as admissions officers in role-playing exercises, which helps them discuss how they would feel about admitting a student who had slacked off in their senior year.
In 2001, Hahn and Koontz set up a bulletin board, titled "seniors with a plan," listing the colleges where students have been accepted and the scholarships they've been awarded. "This offers a lot of momentum for staying on top of things and provides motivation for underclassmen," Hahn says.
Alice Tanaka, a college counselor at Mercer Island (Wash.) Senior High School, sends e-mails every few weeks to seniors already accepted to college warning them of the dangers of slacking off, reminding them that their acceptance is conditional, and telling them to make sure they contact their college before dropping any classes in high school.
She still expects one or two students each year to receive warning letters from colleges.
In New Jersey, 11 school districts are offering seniors a host of non-traditional options to provide more substance in the 12th grade.
This fall, the Cherry Hill, N.J., school district, one of the 11, began offering seniors who have passed the state's High School Proficiency Assessment and satisfied most of the graduation requirements the option of choosing low-cost college courses, either at their high school or college campuses.
Students also can carry out independent study or community service projects, participate in internships, or enroll in a highly specialized "academy" within their high school. The idea is to help students learn about careers before having to choose a major.
Assistant Superintendent James Gallagher assured parents that the district would not force a student into any of these programs. Students also have the option of completing their senior year with a full schedule of high school courses.
Acceptance revoked
When guidance counselors warn students about staying on track during their senior year, they would do well to mention what happened to Mark James Edmonson. The student had planned to go to the University of North Carolina, but found his acceptance had been revoked after his grades plummeted during the final months of his senior year.
Edmonson had a 3.8 grade point average from his first three years at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., and scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT. But he ignored the warning in his acceptance letter from UNC stating, "your enrollment will depend on your successful completion of your current academic year."
A severe case of senioritis caused Edmonson to fail one class and end up with three C's and two D's for a senior year GPA of 1.3. After having paid a deposit, secured a dorm room, and gone to an orientation session, the university notified him July 29 that he was no longer welcome.
Edmonson and his family filed a lawsuit against the university for breach of contract, but Superior Court Judge John R. Jolly Jr. denied his motion for a preliminary injection. According to court documents, Edmonson said he tried to start a computer software company during his senior year and, as a result, missed 18 days of school.
"We don't have any data on how many students have their offers of admission rescinded but there are probably hundreds of cases each year where something like that happens," says David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "There are probably even more cases where students receive warning letters."
"College admission offices make it very clear that your acceptance is contingent on your maintaining your grades," he says. "Nearly all colleges have that disclaimer, and there's a good reason for it because they've all probably had to exercise it at some time or another."
Anne Murr, principal at Northwest Guilford, would not comment on the Edmonson case, but says that senioritis is rare at the 1,800-student high school. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, and 72 percent of the students are enrolled in honors or AP classes.
Thinking about the future
To help students make the most of their senior year, the school will hold its second annual Ethics and Leadership conference in February.
This year's theme is "Agenda 2014 -- Challenges and Opportunities in a Global World," and students in the class of 2004 will be asked to "project their lives over the next 10 years," says German teacher Gisela Hood.
Students will consider such issues as what kind of job opportunities, medical problems, and women's issues the world will face in 2014; what skills will be needed to compete in a global market economy; and what will be the role of the U.S. military.
After hearing keynote speakers and attending breakout sessions, seniors will write a research paper on various aspects of globalization.
"We feel this project will be very beneficial as our students become members of a global world," Hood says. "We involve parents, faculty, and community members to make the conference a successful event and a major highlight of our school year."
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| Reproduced with permission from the 2003 issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2003, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |