Middle-to-High-School Transition
Practical Strategies to Consider

By Abner Oakes, Senior Program Associate and Winsome Waite, Ph.D., Senior Program Associate

With increasing alarm at the number of high school dropouts across the United States (Dynarski et al., 2008), educators are seeking ways to help students stay in school, graduate, and move on to meaningful and productive careers. Recent research points out that a smooth transition to ninth grade can contribute to students’ success in high school and beyond. This newsletter draws from several recent reports to discuss the issue of middle-to-high-school transition and also provides examples of successful transition practices.

The Transition to Middle School 

This Digest presents a brief overview of some of the issues involved in the transition from elementary to middle school and provides suggestions for transition programs and activities. The term "middle level schools" includes all middle grade and junior high school configurations.

Academic Effects of After-School Programs

Research has substantiated educators' concerns that children who are unsupervised during the after-school hours can suffer an array of negative developmental outcomes, especially when those children come from high-risk circumstances.

Developmental Stages and Milestones of Child Development

Often, special milestones mark children's accomplishments, such as walking in infancy and entering school in early childhood, and these milestones can help mark children's movement inside and between developmental stages. Children build new skills and developments on top of old skills and developments from stage to stage; each stage is cumulative.

Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High School: Promising District Initiatives in Coaching and Planning

Resources

More information about the Graduation Coach Initiative can be found here

More information about the Freshman Initiative can be found here

Transition Tough Between Middle School and High School

Posted on 29 October 2010.

Breanne Johnson

Staff Writer

The transition from eighth grade to freshman year can be difficult; there are new academic expectations, and the ages of fellow students now range from 14 to 18. Socially, freshmen are at the bottom of the totem pole. Academically, they often struggle. Mentally, they are intimidated.

Middle-to-High School Transition | Ninth Grade | Research on this Topic

Helping Middle School Students Make The Transition Into High School

On Target--Transition from Middle School into High School

Nancy B. Mizelle & Judith L. Irvin

Developing an Effective Transition Program for Students Entering Middle School or High School

Kathleen M. Cauley & Donna Jovanovich

Access to Excellence: Assignment to Honors English Classes in the Transition From Middle to High School 

 Adam Gamoran   University of Wisconsin–Madison

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