Katherine Baker and Bhavna Narula (2012), The Connected Adolescent: transitioning to middle school state, “ that adolescents who feel connected to school perceive the adults there to be caring are more likely to be academically and socially engaged.” Adolescents, who feel connected to school, are more likely to be more academically successful (Baker & Narula, 2012). Baker and Narula (2012), Identified three focus area critical to fostering student connectedness to school: transitions to middle school, student support systems, and program elements that include an effective anti-bullying effort. The research is clear, the transition from elementary to middle school is the period of time students feel less attached to school, and their perception of caring adults drops significantly (Search Institute, 2006). One of the ways that students develop a connection to at least one adult, is through an advisory program. Middle school advisory programs connect a group of 15-20 students to one teacher, who plays the role of an advisor. The role of the advisor is to support and advocate as they navigate the unique demands of middle school, as well as work with teachers to support student success. In order for an advisory program to be effective, students have the same academic advisor through all of the grade levels (Baker & Narula, 2012). Activities conducted in the advisory period aim to address students’ concerns, strengthen the student-staff bond.
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The role of the advisor includes preparing students for their student-let portfolio conference. Student-let portfolio conference is an opportunity for students to meet with their advisor, and their parents to discuss academic, social and personal progress. It is an opportunity to engage parents and provide students and opportunity to reflect on their progress and share any concerns and successes each quarter. The student support team, can be an ambassador program as discussed previously or can be the form of student leadership roles. This can part of the roles of the student council representatives, in which students plan and carry out spirit activities such as spirit weeks, lunchtime games and dances. The idea is to plan activities that foster engagement and connectedness throughout the school year. The transition to middle school should begin prior to the school year, by creating early connection to school for students and families. Provide opportunity for rising sixth graders to interact with some of the eighth graders, their advisor, and new principal. This is done during the spring of the previous school year, by visiting each feeder elementary school to talk to fifth-graders. Part of the purpose of this meeting is to dispel myths middle school. Prior to the beginning of the six grade, student come in for a week of student orientation, are divided into their advisory groups, meet with their new teachers in rotations. During this week, students are to work on community –building activities, benchmark assessments, and get an introduction to student leadership-groups (Baker & Narula, 2012). Next, a look at studies in early predicators of school performance during transitional periods in order to implement appropriate intervention programs to assist students’ academics and social successes. In a longitudinal study by Diane Malaspina and Sara Rimm-Kaufman (2008) it followed 265 students from kindergarten through seventh grade in order to examine social and academic predictors of school performance at two normative school transitions. One of the questions they addressed, are there students’ performance over time, especially at school transition points? “The study examines the nature of changes in school performance at transition points, the degree to which these changes are more or less dramatic for different subgroups of students, to an extent to which early social and academic competence predict performance immediately following school-to-school transitions (Melaspina & Rimm-Kaufman, 2008). Research in this study pointed to the stability and instability in students’ school experience. Transitions are significant in that they produce discontinuities in students’ academic and social performance. Part of the research examines the transition from elementary to middle school, …show more content…
Other factors contributing to the decline in achievement, may be due to the students’ fears, such as attending a larger school, being lost, getting to class on time, lunchrooms and bathrooms. There is a drastic decline in parent involvement in middle school grades, which negatively impacts student achievement. Increase in parent involvement is a factor in the successful academic transitions in middle
The role of the advisor includes preparing students for their student-let portfolio conference. Student-let portfolio conference is an opportunity for students to meet with their advisor, and their parents to discuss academic, social and personal progress. It is an opportunity to engage parents and provide students and opportunity to reflect on their progress and share any concerns and successes each quarter. The student support team, can be an ambassador program as discussed previously or can be the form of student leadership roles. This can part of the roles of the student council representatives, in which students plan and carry out spirit activities such as spirit weeks, lunchtime games and dances. The idea is to plan activities that foster engagement and connectedness throughout the school year. The transition to middle school should begin prior to the school year, by creating early connection to school for students and families. Provide opportunity for rising sixth graders to interact with some of the eighth graders, their advisor, and new principal. This is done during the spring of the previous school year, by visiting each feeder elementary school to talk to fifth-graders. Part of the purpose of this meeting is to dispel myths middle school. Prior to the beginning of the six grade, student come in for a week of student orientation, are divided into their advisory groups, meet with their new teachers in rotations. During this week, students are to work on community –building activities, benchmark assessments, and get an introduction to student leadership-groups (Baker & Narula, 2012). Next, a look at studies in early predicators of school performance during transitional periods in order to implement appropriate intervention programs to assist students’ academics and social successes. In a longitudinal study by Diane Malaspina and Sara Rimm-Kaufman (2008) it followed 265 students from kindergarten through seventh grade in order to examine social and academic predictors of school performance at two normative school transitions. One of the questions they addressed, are there students’ performance over time, especially at school transition points? “The study examines the nature of changes in school performance at transition points, the degree to which these changes are more or less dramatic for different subgroups of students, to an extent to which early social and academic competence predict performance immediately following school-to-school transitions (Melaspina & Rimm-Kaufman, 2008). Research in this study pointed to the stability and instability in students’ school experience. Transitions are significant in that they produce discontinuities in students’ academic and social performance. Part of the research examines the transition from elementary to middle school, …show more content…
Other factors contributing to the decline in achievement, may be due to the students’ fears, such as attending a larger school, being lost, getting to class on time, lunchrooms and bathrooms. There is a drastic decline in parent involvement in middle school grades, which negatively impacts student achievement. Increase in parent involvement is a factor in the successful academic transitions in middle