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A Ninth Grader…..

Too old to do what a child does,

too young to do what an adult

does, so they do what nobody

else would do.

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Grade 9 is a critical time in students’ lives. Often, it is the last opportunity for schools to help students catch up.

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Using Data for Decision Making

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Why Are Data Important?

Replace hunches with facts Enable us to tackle root causes

instead of symptoms Enable us to determine if we are

accurately tracking effects Assist in understanding the impact of

various efforts

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Ninth-graders are retained at an alarming rate.

“The ninth grade has become the

holding tank for the high schools.”

Jay Hertzog, Slippery Rock Univ.

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Percentages of students retained at grade nine are 4 to 6 times higher than the percentages retained in kindergarten through grade eight.

A study that included 400 Georgia schools found that the retention rate for most 9th graders was 20% but that some schools had

rates as high as 45%.

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What Data Should We Collect and Analyze?

o Promotion/retention percentages

o Failure rates in core academic classes

o Completion Rate

o Norm-referenced and state tests

o Attendance at extra help sessions

o Postsecondary data--enrollment in remedial courses, employers’ exam passage rates

o Surveys (staff, parents, students, graduates, community)

o Focus Groupso Interviews

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What does your data tell you?

Are there achievement gaps among racial/ethnic groups?

Is there an achievement gap between males and females?

Are there achievement gaps between your data and data from the district, the state, the nation and high-scoring sites that are similar to you?

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Which data need to be addressed?(P.2-3 IN PLANNER)

Select one piece of data (or group of data) that you want to address with your ninth-grade students.

Within your team, discuss strategies that could be implemented to improve this (these) data.

Select one strategy that you( the school) could implement that could have a positive impact within a relatively short time span.

Develop a plan for implementing this strategy for the entire ninth grade.

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What Type of Organizational Structure Is Best for the Ninth Grade?

Complete Pages 4-5 in your Planner.

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What About the Curriculum?

It should be rigorous.

It should be relevant.

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Four Corners Activity

“All 9th grade core academic classes should be heterogeneously grouped. Ability grouping should be eliminated in the 9th grade.”

Go to the corner that most closely represents your view point on the above statement.

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Recommended Academic Core for All Students

Four credits in college-prep/honors English Four mathematics credits – Algebra I,

geometry, Algebra II and above ; Three science credits at the college-prep level;

four credits with a block schedule Three years of college-prep social studies; four

credits with a block schedule Career or academic concentration Mathematics the senior year

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2004 Average Score for Students Fully Completing the Recommended Curriculum Regardless of

Performance

All Sites Site

Yes(21%)

No(79%)

Yes No

English (reading test) 294 274

Mathematics 319 295

Science 313 287

p. 41

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2004 Average Scores for Students Completing Recommended Curriculum Areas

All Sites Site

Yes No Yes No

English 286 272

Mathematics 314 288

Science 300 279

pp. 39, 40

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Completing 9th- Grade Academic English Courses

All Sites Site 2004

Site Goal 2006

HSTW Goal 2006

% Average Score

Basic

English 9

12 260 85%

General English 9

52 273 85%

Academic English 9

43 286 85%

HSTW Goal 279 85%

P 51

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Completing Academic English Courses

All Sites Site 2004

Site Goal 2006

HSTW Goal 2006

% Average Score

Academic English 9

43 286 85%

Academic English 10

44 286 85%

Academic English 11

42 286 85%

Academic English 12

49 290 85%

HSTW Goal 279 85%pp. 51-52

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Completing Math Courses

All Sites Site 2004

Site Goal 2006

% Average Score

Algebra before grade 9

42 307

CP Algebra I 63 303

Basic Alg. I 31 290

Pre-Alg 22 286

HSTW Goal 297

pp. 66, 68

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Completing Science Courses

All Sites Site 2004

Site Goal 2006

% Average Score

CP or Adv. Biology 36 302

General Biology 49 287

Basic Biology 6 274

Adv. Phys. Sc. 19 297

General Phys. Sc. 30 284

Basic Phys. Sc. 7 274

HSTW Goal 299

P 80

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Did you know:

All students do better in college preparatory classes than they do in low level classes.

All teachers should be encouraged to obtain AP certification and/or gifted certification.

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“The pedagogy of gifted education focuses on the broad range of higher level thinking skills, creative and practical thinking and the ability to apply knowledge to real life experiences…All students can benefit from that type of pedagogy.”

Dr. Joseph Renzulli, Director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, “Gifted

Education as a Whole School Model”

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Within your teams, (P. 6 IN PLANNER)

Assess your current efforts on challenging academic studies for ninth graders.

Are all 9th grade courses heterogeneously grouped. If not, which course would you attempt first? What steps would you take to eliminate the lower levels? How would you present this idea to the faculty?

Discuss the feasibility of having all of your teachers obtain either AP certification or gifted certification. What steps would you take to make this happen? How would you present this idea to the faculty?

Georgia CRN (www.georgiaCRN.org)

GCIS (www.gcic.peachnet.edu)

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Other Important Considerations for the 9th Grade Curricula

Extra Help Middle Grades to High School

Transition Habits of Success Parental Involvement

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Why Extra Help?

o reduce the failure rate

o increase the high school graduation rate

o encourage students to “stretch” themselves

o convince parents that the school cares

o achieving high standards builds students’ confidence

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A System of Extra Help

Develop a system of support to continue from grades seven through ten.

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Strategies for Extra Help

Connect extra help and time to clear expectations.

Develop criteria for placement into and out of required extra-help programs.

Tied to work students doing as a normal part of the school routine

Supplement; don’t repeat Use multiple strategies Pick up the pace Personalize

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What Works in Extra Help?

o Identify students earlyo Provide Frequent and Regular Extra Helpo Make it easy to access, sometimes

requiredo Set Goals (school level, teacher level,

student level)o Develop Relationships over timeo Use Volunteers and technology o Provide examples of high quality worko Provide guidelines that help students

produce quality worko Have students redo work until it meets

standards

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Extra Help is NOT:

o remedial classes

o pullout sessions

o just “slowing things down”

o endless drill sheets

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Extra-help Suggestions

Extended school day—before and after school Saturday Academy Study teams Summer program Mastery learning Peer Tutoring On-line Tutoring and Computer-Assisted

Tutoring

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Extra Help During the School Day

o Modified Schedules for Reteaching Opportunities

o Double Dosing

o Scheduling A Support Class

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A catch-up system for unprepared entering ninth-graders:

1st semester: a language arts course that stresses high-interest

teen reading, writing and grammar. a math course that stresses arithmetic and

pre-algebra a support class a social studies course taught at the college-prep

level

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2nd semester: College-prep ninth-grade English College-prep Algebra I College-Prep Science A computer course and support class that are offered

on alternating days

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Other Suggestions:

College-Prep English taught all year

Mastery Algebra

Habits of Success

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Habits of Success:

Reading Strategies: All Schools

I write down questions while reading.

7%

I have individual folders for each class.

57%

I outline and take notes from the textbook.

25%

I study for tests with a partner. 12%

I use a daily planner or agenda book.

19%

I know when projects are due. 60%

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Implementation Issues

How do you identify students who need extra help?

How do you require students to attend? How do you get parents’ commitment? How will extra help be delivered? Who will teach it? How will the strategy or strategies be matched to

student needs?

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Within you teams, (p.13 in planner)

Assess your current efforts on providing extra help.

Discuss the implementation issues listed on the previous slide.

Are you providing a variety of extra help opportunities?

Are they successful? (How do you know?)

What can your school do to strengthen extra help opportunities?

What special services do you have to work with incoming ninth-grade students who are at risk?

Should additional services be offered? If so, what kind of services?

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Successful Transitions:Middle Grades to High School

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Goals of Middle Grades - High School Transition

o Leave grade eight ready for college-prep Algebra and English.

o Pass ninth-grade courses.

o Complete Algebra I, geometry or Algebra II, two-years college-prep English and science by end of grade 10.

o Pass state exams.

o Attend school regularly.

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Strategies for TransitionSummer Bridge

o four- to six-week program for entering ninth-graders who need further study to succeed in high school

o focus on reading, mathematics, computer and study skills

o include career education components

o include high-interest, challenging activities

o strongest teachers teach this program

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Other Suggestions:

Provide upper classmen to work with incoming ninth graders as mentors.

Provide extensive orientations that include setting up a personal learning plan.

Provide field trips to local community colleges and technical schools and/or have speakers talk with students from these schools.

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Most Important!

Talk to the Feeder Middle Grades Schools OFTEN!!!!!

Administrators

Counselors

Teachers

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GET YOUR PARENTS INVOLVED

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Planning for the Future is very important

What are your child’s plans after graduation?

Is he/she taking the right courses to make those plans a reality?

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We need informed parents who will help their students make the right choices.

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20 20

60

20

4535

20

65

15

010203040506070

College Skilled Unskilled

1950

1991

2005

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor

Educational Requirements

85% of jobs will require DIPLOMA PLUS

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Transcript Study:

The single biggest predictor of college success is quality and intensity of high school curriculum.

Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S. Department of Education.

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Explain the Importance of A Demanding and Challenging Curriculum

Provide specific expectations of what students should know and be able to do to be successful in each of the core 9th grade subjects.

State testing requirements for graduation

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Meet with Parents to Review Available Test Data

Stanford 9 Iowa Test of Basic Skills Any State Tests Any District Tests Report Card Teacher Recommendation

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____ will help students prepare to meet goals by:

Work will be taught to grade-level standards. Assignments will be challenging, meaningful, and

engaging. Students will be required to redo work until it

meets standards. Students will receive extra help/time if they are not

meeting grade-level standards.

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Extra help/time will be provided:

Before School After School Saturday School At the end of the year During the summer

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WE NEED YOUR HELP

You must be willing for your children to spend additional time at school as needed to catch up.

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“Best Practices”: Strategies:

Stress personal contact with parents. Foster communication with parents. Make the parents feel welcomed; create a

warm environment for parents. Take parents’ interests and needs into

consideration when planning activities. Facilitate structural accommodations for

parental involvement. Consider the education level, language, and

culture of parents. Provide staff development to teachers.

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Questions: (p. 14 in planner)

What does your school do to educate middle grades teachers, principals, students, and parents about HSTW high school requirements?

How can you work with middle schools and parents to begin to define clearly what one needs to do to succeed in college-prep courses at the high school level?

How can you work with middle schools to identify students early to begin to put them in the right courses?

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Integration and Interdisciplinary Instruction

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

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Why integrate subject matter?

Connects classroom learning to the real world

Helps teachers expand their teaching strategies

Improves academic achievement Helps students recognize their

aptitude and interests related to career goals

Allows teachers to gain knowledge and skills from each other

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Integration Practices and Higher Achievement

Mathematics and science teachers use real-world problems.

Career/technical teachers require students to read and use mathematics.

Students complete a senior project. Students receive work-site instruction on

communications and mathematics.

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Approaches to Interdisciplinary Instruction

Short-term projects Long-term projects Thematic projects Academies

Ninth-grade Career Magnet Schools

Team teaching

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Conditions for Supporting Interdisciplinary Instruction

Common planning time Standards-based, not activity-based Create organizational structure that will support

teacher collaboration Provide large blocks of instructional time for

completion of complex tasks. Provide professional development to support

teachers. Establish clear expectations for teachers–

Collaboration by invitation does not work.

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Current Status (P. 15 in planner)

Take 5 minutes to assess your current efforts on integration and interdisciplinary instruction.

Develop an idea for a ninth-grade interdisciplinary unit that involves all core subjects that could be implemented during second semester.

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Advisement and Student Mentoring

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Guidance: What is it?

Guidance Counseling

The help all students receive from parents, teachers, counselors, and others to assist with educational and career development.

The help some students receive from credentialed professionals to overcome personal and social problems that interfere with learning.

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What is Advisement

1. A process to help each student improve his/her chances for long-term employment

2. A comprehensive plan to provide students with skills and background to make decisions about his/her education and career

3. A plan to aid students in developing self-awareness, option awareness, and decision-making skills

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Goals of a Quality Advisory Program

To create a caring school climate To monitor the academic progress of students To promote critical-thinking skills through discussion

and problem-solving activities To assist students in making responsible choices To assist students in accepting responsibility for their

own actions

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Goals of a Quality Advisory Program

To assist students in occupational exploration

To assist students in planning a sequence of courses leading to a chosen career major

To develop trusting relationships To emphasize positive student self-esteem

and personal development

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HSTW Guidance Practices and Higher Achievement

Involve/orient parents to graduation and workplace requirements.

Provide information on postsecondary education and employment.

Encourage students to take challenging English, mathematics and science courses.

Assist students in planning a program of study by the end of grade eight or nine.

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Content Areas

1) Academic development

2) Career development

3) Personal-social development

© Sue Reynolds and Peggy LaTurno Hines, 2001 May be reproduced by educators with proper citations for educational purposes.

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Activity Balance

GROUP GUIDANCE

INDIVIDUAL GUIDANCE

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

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Group Guidance

Engaging Activities

Student-Led Projects

The Adviser is seen as the “Coach”.

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Individual Guidance Activities

Goal Setting

Monitoring Progress

Active Support

Active Listening

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Relationship Activities

Informal

Time for Discussion

Trust Building

Fun

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Necessary Conditions for Successful Middle and High School Guidance Programs

Administrative commitment Teacher Involvement Time for counselors and teachers to plan guidance

activities Teacher comfort with the role adviser (e.g., professional development outlining the roles and expectations of

advisers and the characteristics/needs of adolescents)

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Student Mentoring

Have one adult who is responsible for each 9th grader to ensure that “he/she does not fall through the cracks.”

Also, consider using 12th grade students as mentors.

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Within Teams, (p. 16 in planner)

Discuss the extent to which you have an advisement or mentoring program for your 9th-grade students. Are you happy with it? Do there need to be any adjustments? If so, what? How will you make these adjustments?

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SCHOOL PLANNING TIME (p. 17 in planner)

What ideas will you take back to your school to implement? What problems will you face as you try to implement them? How will you deal with these problems?