vestment in the transition, it’s critical that there are processes in place to assist with the dissemination of information for transition. Leadership teams could consider the fol-


lowing activities as examples: • Schedule several orientation nights at


the receiving high school for parents and incoming students to attend and learn more about the school. Consider scheduling at least one orientation session during the day for parents who work a night shift. • Conduct tours of the high school cam-


pus for students and parents in the spring and fall. • Provide incoming freshmen and their


parents with accurate information about how to succeed in high school. • Send email blasts with appropriate tran-


sition-related information. • Have middle school students “shadow”


an older student through their day at the high school. • Have parents of high school students


available to talk to parents of incoming mid- dle school students about expectations.


2.


Supporting social success.While middle school culture tends to


focus on all students being the same, in high school there are increasing opportuni- ties for students to express themselves and more opportunities for students to “fit in” to their particular social niche. As this change is occurring from middle school to high school culture, it may prove to be challeng- ing for students. Supporting social success will help. Teams could consider the following to


support social development during this transition: • Match incoming freshmen students to


senior students as a buddy system to negoti- ate the campus during the first week. • Have eighth grade students shadow a


ninth grade student for a day. • Create a tutorial or advisory period for


ninth-graders only. • Assign incoming students an adult


mentor or advisor. 3.


Supporting academic success. Above everything, the most im-


portant purpose of transition is to prepare • Provide all freshmen a class on the cul-


ture of high school, to include such skills as note-taking, time management, study skills, participation in athletics, and career explo- ration. • Identify students at risk for academic


failure prior to the transition and provide them with additional academic supports. • Closely monitor the academic success of


the students during the first year of transi- tion to high school and provide additional support at the first signs of academic failure. • Have high standards for both academics


and behavior for entering students. • Provide additional tutoring or other in-


terventions to students. • Offer a summer orientation program to


incoming freshmen to become familiar with the campus and understand high school cul- ture. • Begin a graduation plan and career op-


tions plan early in the freshman year. • Monitor academic preparation of stu- dents from the middle school.


better prepare students for high school life. • Prepare a comprehensive transition


plan between school sites district-wide. • Develop a transition team between the


feeder middle school and the high school. • Provide staff time to collaborate. • Facilitate site and program visits be-


tween the middle and high school staff. • Invite high school staff to attend profes-


sional learning community meetings at the middle school.


Orientation for special education students Special education students need a dis-


tinctive orientation to high school. Schedule matriculation meetings to prepare the way for incoming students with Individual- ized Education Programs. These meetings should be held for the middle school and high school special education staff, and be seen as a case conference for staff, as op- posed to an IEP meeting for a parent. The intent is for the staff between the feeder and receiving school to openly share informa- tion that will assist in a successful transi-


May/June 2012 23


middle school students for the academic demands of high school. Middle school stu- dents need to attend high school with the academic skills to be successful. This begins with preparation in middle school. Here are some ways that leadership teams


can support academic success: • Assign all freshmen to common core classes or a school-within-a-school model.


• Educate middle school teachers regard- ing the demands of high school.


4.


Collaboration. It’s important that middle school staff collaborates


with high school staff to make student transitions successful. Whether formal or informal, this time allows staff to share information on students and programs and


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40