About Freshmen On Track

Almost one third of our nation’s students drop out of high school (Barton, 2005), and students that are at risk of doing so begin to show signs early in their education (Jessica B. Heppen and Susan Bowles Therriault,2006). According to recent research, 9th grade may be the last chance that we have as educators to step in and intervene. Studies show that "students are three to five times more likely to fail freshman year than any other grade”, and the impact of that on their future success is staggering (February 2011 Research Brief: Challenges of the Ninth Grade Transition, 2011). According to the Consortium on Chicago School Research, students with a “B” average at the end of their 9th grade year have a 95% chance of graduating on time. Students with a “C” average at the end of their 9th grade year have a 72% chance of graduating and if a freshman ends their first year with a “D” average, they have less than a 28% chance of four year graduation (Allensworth, E. and Easton, J.Q. 2005). 

The Illinois State Board of Education recognizes "on track" as freshmen who have passed at least five year long course credits Freshmen year and have not earned more than one semester "F" in a core class that include math, English, Science and social studies.  This blog is designed to highlight school districts that are high-performing on this metric in order to create a comprehensive list of programs and strategies schools are using to support Freshmen.

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact Kimberly Radostits at krad@ocusd.net.


Work Cited

(2011). February 2011 Research Brief: Challenges of the Ninth Grade Transition. Breakthrough Collaborative.

Allensworth, E. and Easton, J.Q. (2005). The On Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School                              Graduation. Chicago, IL: The Consortium on Chicago School Research

Barton, P. E. (2005). One-Third of a Nation: Rising Dropout Rates and Declining Opportunities. Princeton: Educational Testing Services.

Jessica B. Heppen and Susan Bowles Therriault “Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify              Potential High School Dropouts” American Institutes for Research. 2009.’

 

 



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