School Programs Focused On Reducing Dropouts

Sunday, August 26th 2007, 7:05 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma school officials hope that new programs designed to help ninth-graders transition from middle school to high school will help reduce the state's dropout rate.

Educators say a student's freshman year sets the foundation for a high school career. That is why it is important to give ninth-graders the resources they need to succeed, they say.

Freshmen at Edmond Santa Fe High School are paired with upperclassmen to make sure they have the support they need during their first year of high school, Principal Jason Brown said.

``We can't assume they'll adapt to high school life,'' he said.

Brown said the freshmen meet with their mentors for eight consecutive days at the beginning of the school year and then once a week the rest of the year.

``We want the upperclassmen to mentor the freshmen in regards to homework, preparation for class and decision making,'' Brown said.

The Edmond School District is turning to freshman academies to try to cut the number of ninth-graders who drop out.

The idea is to teach the schools' freshmen students in an area separate from upperclassmen.

Students take core classes in the freshman academies, and the ninth-grade principal and counselor have their offices in the academies.

Brown said the freshman teachers have a common planning period so they are able to meet and discuss the various ways to help the freshmen class succeed academically.

The high school will begin construction of a $9.1 million freshman academy building in October, Brown said.

Construction began in 2006 on a $7.3 million freshman academy at Edmond Memorial High School. Students and teachers will start using the academy next semester. An $8.6 million freshman academy is planned at Edmond North High School.

For the first time this year, freshmen in the Midwest City-Del City School District were moved into high school, said Katherine Ridenour Hughes, assistant superintendent for curriculum.

In the past, ninth-graders attended the districts' five junior high schools. They were moved to comply with the state's Achieving Classroom Excellence Act, Hughes said. The bill requires freshmen to have a four-year college preparatory plan.

Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering in the Oklahoma City School District has several intervention plans to make sure ninth-grade students succeed in the areas of academics, attendance and discipline, Principal Brian Staples said.

``If there is an area to intervene, we make every effort to try and do it,'' he said.

Students who are falling behind with their class work attend lunch tutoring programs or ZAP! -- Zeros Aren't Permitted, Staples said.

Students must maintain a 95 percent attendance rate, and parents are contacted to verify the reason for every absence.

The Norman School District conducted a summer program in June for incoming freshman to prepare them for high school math and reading courses.

About 50 freshmen participated, working to improve their math and reading skills. They also learned study and note-taking skills.

The students were chosen based on how they scored on math and reading tests, said Bryan Young, assistant principal at Norman North High School.

``They get a lot more individual instruction, and it's easier for them to focus on areas they need help in,'' Young said. ``We want our freshmen to have every opportunity to be successful, and it needs to start the freshman year.''