Bridging The Transition From Middle School To High School

Abstract

This study is a records review of students (N = 1122) enrolled in a suburban Northeastern United States high school, in which, the researcher documented student grades, number of behavioral incidents, and days absent during their eighth and ninth grade years at ten-week intervals. Four cohorts of freshmen were selected for this study in order to identify trends that occurred over the transition from middle school to high school. The school selected for this study implemented Peer Mentoring, 9th Grade Teams, and a Freshman Orientation to aid the transition into high school. The following research analyzes whether there are significant changes observed as students adjust to the often challenging transition into high school. Descriptive statistics test analyses were run to determine the average eighth and ninth grade GPA, attendance, rates, and behavioral incidents for each cohort. In addition, an independent samples t-test was run in order to compare any significant results between the 2012 cohort and the past three cohorts. Significant findings were observed in the 2012 cohort, who experienced the lowest absence rates of all cohorts studied.