Considerations for Middle School Transitions.

1. “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. Change is not the
same as transition. Change is situational: the new site, the new boss, the
new team roles, the new policy. Transition is the psychological process
people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is
external, transition is internal”
-William Bridges from Managing Transitions

2. •Transitions cause students anxiety which can
challenge their coping skills.
•More students fail ninth grade than any other grade of
school  in Oakland ~48%.
•Poor and minority students are TWICE as likely as
others to be retained.
•Among 14- and 15-year-olds who struggle with basic
reading and math skills, 20% drop out of school within
two years.
•Students with extensive transitions programs have
significantly lower failure and dropout rates.

3. •Becomes more self-aware/self-conscious. (social factor)
•Thinking becomes more critical, complex. (Organizational factor)
•Looks for acceptance more from peers, less from
adults. (social factor)
•Needs independence, yet still rely on adults for
support. (motivational/physical factor)
•Takes more foolish risks to align with peers and avoid
embarrassment. (Social factor)

4. •Social Factors
•Organizational Factors
•Motivational Factors
•Physical Factors
•Puberty

5. Students’ perception of the quality of
school life declines as the progress from
elementary to secondary school, with
the largest decline occurring during the
transition to a middle school (Diemert, 1992).

6. •Social
•Academic
•Procedural

7. The top needs identified by transitioning middle
school students were:
Boys had 11 top concerns: 6 were social, 2
were academic, and 2 were procedural.
Girls had 10 top concerns: 5 were social, 2
were academic, and 3 were procedural.

8. In middle schools, it is important to emphasize
mastery and improvement, rather than relative ability
and social comparison.
Working in groups, focusing on effort and
improvement, and being given choices all support a
more positive task-focused goal structure.
--Anderman & Midgley, 1996

9. •Students greatest concerns:
•Amount of homework
•Class difficulty
•Organizational Issues (Getting lost, lockers, schedule, resources)
•Students look forward to:
•Making new friends (possibility of a new identity)
•Having more freedom
•Attending school events

10. •Parents greatest concerns:
•Peer pressure academically and socially
•Parents identified academic ability as important to
making it in school
•Time management
•Ability to stay on task
•Social skills
•Behavior

11. •Teachers believe students transitioning are concerned
about:
•Pressure to perform well in class
•Handling much more challenging courses
•Difficulty making new friends
-Akos and Galassi, 2004

12. Effective and comprehensive Transitions
Programs help:
•Build a sense of community
•Respond to the needs and concerns of students
•Provide appropriate, faceted approaches to facilitate
the transition process.

13. •In the spring semester, hold a High School
Curriculum Night for 8th Grade Parents
•Invite High School Counselors to meet with 8th
graders and if possible have 8th graders visit the high
school and shadow a student.
•Make 8th grade students aware of social and
organizational expectations, assignments and A-G
requirements.

14. •Provide students and families with a wealth of
information about the academic, social, and
organization of the new school.
•Many other suggestions, but most are not in scope of
our program or ability; i.e. swapping teachers for a day.
•At Edna Brewer last year, one of the clinical therapists
held a program called RISE Up for 6th grade parents

15. •Hold parent workshops to inform parents of the
requirements of the next level and how they can help
•Actively seek parent volunteers and involve volunteers
in the day-to-day activities of the school/program
•Develop a Transitions Newsletter that parents receive
in the first half of 6th grade and second half of 8th
grade.
•Minimum of Quarterly phone calls, emails, or face-to-
face contact with each parent/caregiver.

16. Effective Transitions Programs:
• Address Academic Needs of Students
• Actively Engage the Family/Caretakers
• Provide an Introduction to the Next Level
• Make In-roads to next level staff : Elementary-
Middle-High-College
• Teach Students Organizational and Procedural
Requirements
• Are Inviting and Build a Sense of Community
• Are Invested in Motivating Students

17. “The success or failure experienced during the
transitions [to and from middle school] can be a
turning point in the social and academic lives of
students.”
-Schiller, 1999