Ninth grade is the watershed at which single course failures begin putting kids at a deficiency for credits needed to graduate. For too many, it sets the stage for eventual dropout; dropouts also are higher in ninth grade than in any other.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia view ninth grade as the most problematic in terms of student retention, said Dr. Hertzog, one of the nation’s foremost researchers on the transition between middle school and high school.

Districts and communities may debate the merits of the middle school model, or the grade levels to cluster in a building.  But Dr. Hertzog said that academic problems associated with ninth grade don’t go away even when districts tinker with grade-level groupings within schools. He pointed to research showing that “wherever the ninth grade is housed is where the dropout rate is the highest.”

Dr. Hertzog, pictured above, described the developmental challenges students face as they transition to high school and called on Forum attendees to offer single words that best characterize students about to begin ninth grade. Their descriptors ranged from unruly, hyper and shy to irresponsible, scared and confused.

Dr. Hertzog said teachers attempting to prepare middle school students for the big move to high school often inadvertently exacerbate the doubts and anxiety that mark adolescence. Often students are told in eighth grade that they “aren’t going to get away with” the same study habits, attitudes or behaviors once they reach high school, Hertzog said. As a result, students often are more apprehensive, he said.

In a major study and survey in Georgia, Dr. Hertzog found that “bullying” ranked as the number one concern of students moving into high school. Just behind it was “mean teachers.” Interviews, however, revealed that in worrying over the prospect of “mean teachers” students were simply expecting ones who would assign more homework than they’d had in middle school.

Hertzog said many districts are trying to ease the transition to high school in ways that could help prevent dropouts. Some are establishing freshman academies, or schools within schools to make the transition smoother. Others are holding “move up” and other orientation experiences, adopting mentoring programs or assigning special teams of teachers to help ninth graders, among other measures.

Hertzog said some of the innovations have proved worthwhile. But he also encouraged districts to design ways of evaluating interventions to make sure they work.


Dr. Olga Welch, Dean of Duquesne University's School of Education, Dr. Jay Hertzog, Dean of Slippery Rock University's School of Education and Dr. Linda L. Croushore, Executive Director of The Consortium for Public Education.