Ninth Grade Academy: A Plan for Success

Abstract

More and more school districts and leaders are developing ways to ease the transition for eighth grade students entering the ninth grade. They are addressing many of the challenges that make the move an unpleasant one as well as the challenges that ultimately contribute to academic failure. This study is intended to address the academic progress, success, and the graduation rate of students who attend and function in a secondary facility that is designed to make the transition to high school less stressful. These facilities, often referred to as “ninth grade academies,” provide a smaller learning environment for the students to minimize them being overwhelmed in their move from middle to high school (Ellerbrock & Kiefer, 2010). This qualitative study will analyze how a smaller learning environment, strong leadership, and supportive stakeholders impact the effectiveness of a ninth grade academy. Data were collected from a ninth grade academy and a high school from 2006-2007 and 2010-2011 school terms regarding academics and the graduation rate before the ninth grade academy was created, academic reinforcement, and the first graduation class that attended the ninth grade academy but has now graduated from the high school. The collected data also included individual interviews from the Principal who oversees the two schools, two vice-principals, six teachers, and five parents. Findings suggest that establishing a positive rapport and accountability were key components in the success that the ninth grade academy has promoted in increasing academic achievement, standardized test scores, and the high school graduation rate.

Ninth Grade Academy: A Plan for Success

Introduction

Many students leaving middle school going to high school find it difficult to cope with the changes in school size, academic demands, and peer relationships as well as other challenges that are presented with the transition. The challenges often times include lower grades, higher discipline referrals and absenteeism, a lack of academic motivation, and eventually dropping out of school (Cauley & Jovanovich, 2006). As an educator and a parent, I have seen and experienced plans in place to ease the transition from elementary to middle school. However, there is very little, if any, planning for students moving from middle school to high school. The Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta, Georgia (SREB, 2002) documented that: 1) more students fail the ninth grade than any other grade of school; 2) poor and minority students are twice as likely as others to be retained; 3) 20 percent of fourteen and fifteen-year olds who struggle with basic reading and math skills drop out of school within two years; and 4) a study of 56 Georgia and Florida high schools found that those with a well-organized, extensive transition program demonstrated significantly lower failure and dropout rates than those that did not. Clearly, students and schools would benefit from implementing more preparation for students transitioning from middle to high school.

For several years, school administrators have tried to find solutions to making the transition a smooth one for those students who find it difficult to function ...