High school transition programs help freshmen adjust

SUFFOLK

In one classroom, teacher Mary Highsmith told a crop of rising ninth-graders to review their notes frequently and keep an organized binder. Elsewhere, LaToya Jackson asked another group of students to think about how they spend their time.

The school year was almost three weeks away that morning, but about half of Lakeland High School's freshman class was there as part of a program offered in Suffolk since 2006. The goal is to ease the transition from middle to high school, and administrators hope it's a formula for success.

All three public high schools in Suffolk, as well as schools in other local cities, offer freshman transition programs. They're designed to ease student anxiety and provide a layer of support, said Phyllis Sharpe, the division's coordinator of high school instruction.

Educators call ninth grade a time when students face increasing peer pressure and are more likely to fail a grade. In turn, those who fail during freshman year are more likely to quit school altogether.

In Virginia, school divisions reported 11 percent fewer 10th-graders in fall 2007 than in the previous year's ninth-grade classes, according to state Department of Education statistics. Enrollment shrinks when students move, drop out or fail the ninth-grade.

In the fall of 2006, Suffolk had 1,366 ninth-graders. The next year, there were 1,078 sophomores, a 21 percent decline. And that was an improvement over previous years.

Last fall, Nansemond River High School saw a slight increase in the percentage of students failing to move from ninth to 10th grade, according to state figures. However, at 3.4 percent, it's the lowest in the division.

Both King's Fork High School and Lakeland experienced a decrease in student loss from ninth to 10th grade.

Officials at Lakeland, which has the most comprehensive of the division's freshman transition plans, said they've seen other positive changes, too. Last school year, average daily attendance for ninth-

graders was 95 percent, up from 90 percent, said Principal Thomas Whitley.

Severe discipline referrals that result in long-term suspensions are down 32 percent for freshmen, he said. Overall, referrals are down 19 percent.

"It's just an A-plus, an overall improvement," Whitley said.

This August, about 160 students out of an expected freshman class of 325 attended Lakeland's five-day transition program. Shayvonne Parker opted to participate so she wouldn't be nervous on her first day of high school.

"I thought it would be a nice way to meet people and learn how to get to my classes," the 14-year-old said.

The week kicked off with parents and students touring the school, viewing bus schedules and learning the rules. Over the next three days, the students rotated between classrooms, where they took short assessments and learned how to compose notes, handle homework and use graphing calculators. They were given a schedule and had six minutes to change classes, similar to the regular school year.

The final day focused on spirit-building and included a dance, basketball games and barbecue. The goal was to have fun and foster a sense of belonging, said Elihu King, a Lakeland math teacher.

"The first day these kids come to the school, they are terrified," King said. "... By the time they leave, they're ready for school to start."

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com