Ninth-grade academies help students adjust to high school
By Carol Chmelynski
11/25/03 -- Because the ninth grade is such a tough year for many students, some districts have created special academies or other programs to provide special attention to students in the first year of high school.
Studies have shown that students in the ninth grade have the highest number of discipline incidents and retentions and are most likely to drop out.
Houston County (Ga.) High School created a special program for ninth graders six years ago to help them succeed in making the transition from middle school to high school, says Principal Mike Hall.
At the time, more than 60 percent of the discipline referrals at the 2,200-student were for ninth graders. Since the school was created six years ago, Hall says, discipline incidents are down 55 percent and retentions decreased 46 percent.
For the first five years, the academy was housed in a separate wing of the high school. This year, it's in a separate building.
The school offers an elective class called High School 101, which covers time management, decision-making skills, study skills, test-taking strategies, learning styles, social tolerance, computer research skills, and career alignment.
Most ninth graders move to a larger school where they are expected to adapt to a variety of instructional styles and conform to a different set of rules and expectations, including a tougher grading standard. Ninth graders often get overwhelmed by all the changes in a large, anonymous -- and sometimes alienating -- high school. At the same time, parents tend to become less involved in their children's education.
Some school leaders hope to shelter students from some of these changes by offering a more nurturing ninth-grade academy where they can gain self-confidence and important social and academic skills.
"Educators have used ninth-grade academies for about a decade to focus on the unique problems facing freshmen," says Wesley Pugh, formerly a senior program director for the Talent Development High School reform model in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia school system began using freshmen academies in several schools about three years ago as part of the Talent Development initiative. Since then, suspensions have decreased by 41 percent, and arrests have been cut in half at those schools, according to a Talent Development report.
This is the first year that all of Philadelphia's 54 high schools have ninth-grade academies, says district spokesperson Amy Guerin. "These students receive a double dose of English and math instruction and get extra help on how to study on the high school level and how to digest material."
The objective is to prepare these kids to succeed in high school, she says. "When you look at when kids tend to drop out of school, it's the end of ninth grade."
Chattanooga Central High School in Harrison, Tenn., began a ninth-grade academy last year to create "a nurturing program that would enable ninth graders to acclimate to high school with less pressure from older students," says ninth-grade counselor Nancy Prince.
The program also was aimed at providing opportunities for teachers to interact more with students to identify their needs and help them learn.
"Suspensions dropped significantly from 29.4 percent to 17.8 percent during the first year of the academy," Prince says. And because of a focus on reading, "a significant number of students have been brought up to grade level in reading."
Also in it's second year is the ninth-grade academy at Albany (N.Y.) High School. Here, freshmen have the entire third floor to themselves.
"In a comprehensive high school this large -- 2,600 students -- kids can get lost in the shuffle. Keeping the freshmen together helps kids from becoming lost and helps teachers better know their students," says Academy Principal Anthony Clement.
Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C., first experimented with a ninth-grade academy in the 1999-2000 school year with 100 students who were deemed most in need of extra help.
Retention and discipline problems decreased while academic achievement improved, so the school expanded the program to the entire ninth grade, says curriculum coordinator Francine Scott. The only ninth graders exempt are those enrolled in the school's early college program.
Teachers at Dudley's ninth-grade academy get special training at North Carolina A&T State University. Teachers collaborate with one another regularly, conferring on student problems and progress.
Students receive double classes of English and math and learn study skills and other tips for surviving ninth grade. Tutors are available for math and reading.
Ninth graders are physically separated from upperclassmen in their own wing. "Being a little more restrictive in a smaller learning community is helpful to some ninth graders," Scott says. "They have limited movement, less distractions, and they're far more focused."
"Ninth-grade academies are increasing, but my concern is that it's sometimes done for the wrong reasons, such as overcrowding" or because there's an old school available, says Jay Hertzog, dean of education at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
A study on the issue co-authored by Hertzog concluded that "transition is a process, not an event."
"Ninth-grade academies are absolutely a good idea, but they have to be done right," Hertzog says. "They are most successful when ninth graders attend school in a separate part of their future high school with a team of teachers dedicated to working with ninth graders only."
He says a key element in a successful ninth-grade academy is a transition committee of parents of eighth and ninth graders, teachers, administrators, and students. "You can't template a successful transition -- what works for one group, might not work for another."
"Data is out there that shows if we can get kids to the 10th grade, they will probably graduate from high school," he says. "Ninth grade is the critical year. The academy approach seems to be working in the schools that have tried it. And the beauty of it is the cost is minimal."
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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. |