Fostering Protective Factors in the
Grade 8 Transition to Secondary
School
The Struggle
• The transition to secondary school comes at a
critical point in adolescent development and has
potential long term effects.
• Students who are unsuccessful in grade 9 are
more likely to struggle throughout school and as
young adults.
• Grade 9 students struggle significantly with peer
interaction, teacher interaction, attendance,
mental health issues, bullying and falling
academic performance, putting them “at-risk.”
At-Risk
As identified in the Early
School Leavers Study
(2005), an at-risk youth is
one who is unlikely to
successfully progress
towards graduation with
the skills and selfconfidence necessary to
have meaningful options in
the areas of work, leisure,
culture, civic affairs, and
relationships (cited in
Tilleczek & Ferguson, 2007).
Nested Transitions
Tilleczek (2010) suggests the
transition from elementary to
secondary school is best
described as a series of “nested
transitions”:
• From childhood to
adulthood (physical and
cognitive development);
• Along pathways to success
through schools,
communities and families;
• From elementary to
secondary school within
these larger transitions.
The Paradox
Want more independence
and autonomy.
Elementary School
Need more support
to navigate changes.
Secondary School
Self-esteem hangs in the balance
• Self-esteem is the integrated sum of selfworth and self-competence.
• Self-worth is strongly influenced by quality of
relationships with others and the judgements
we make about how we are living up to
expectations.
• Self-competence is related to our belief in
our own coping skills.
(Mruk, 1999 cited in Jindal-Snape & Miller, 2008).
Jindal-Snape & Miller (2008) summarize a number of
resilience and risk factors in their exploration of
transition using resilience and self-esteem theories.
Resilience
Factors
Self-esteem
Locus of control
social skills
temperament
personal
awareness
empathy
parenting style
parent
relationship
academic
performance
friend network
Risk
Factors
5 Areas Key to Transition
• Decreasing the number of problems in child’s
life,
• Thinking of life as a developmental pathway,
• Providing a secure base of attachments,
• Fostering self-esteem, and
• Facilitating self-efficacy by involvement in
planning and preparation
(Jindal-Snape & Miller, 2008).
Literature Review
• other comprehensive
literature reviews
• studies involving 1:1
interviews/written feedback
• longitudinal surveys
• meta studies in which
survey data was
complemented by school
data
Recommendations
• Foster school attachment.
• Provide opportunities to form and reinforce positive
relationships with peers.
• Create opportunities for relationship building and
mentoring by senior students and caring adults.
• Decrease anticipation stress of adolescents (and
families) by providing accurate information about
expectations, school structure, and strategies.
• Increase feelings of competency by providing
opportunities to achieve success and practice skills
• Collaborate with families to support adolescents.
• First week of school; seniors go Wed, gr. 9s Thu/Fri.
• Senior mentors meet grade 9s at camp and give out CCSS
t-shirts, the unofficial camp uniform
• Grade 9s and student and teacher mentors participate in
a variety of activities, each followed by a debriefing
session
ice breakers
GLO
motivational &
problem solving activities
high & low ropes challenges
• Highlight: motivational speech by Stu Saunders
The Goals of the Activities
• Team building
• Goal setting
• Forming relationships with
peers, seniors and staff
• Leadership
• Personal development and
awareness
• Understanding “High school
is what you make of it”
• Inclusive community building
• Embrace diversity
• Peer support
• Cultivating sense of belonging
What we experienced …
• Staff
• Senior mentors
• Grade 9s
What happened later …
• Continued positive relationships between grade 9s
and the staff and seniors who attended the camp
• Lots of CCSS t-shirts in the halls
• Dramatic reduction in the course failure rate
between first semester this year and last for grade 9
students. (Only 19 grade 9 students failed courses at
the end of semester 1, vs. 44 previous year.)
• Reduction number of suspension days for grade 9
students.
• Substantial drop in truancy rate for gr. 9s in semester
1 over the previous year. (Reduced by half.)
• At risk students who did not go to camp still face the
most challenges
Credit Accumulation
First Camp Cohort Second Camp Cohort
Semester 1 Failure Rates
Students
Grade Total
Failed 1
2011/12
9
224
2010/11
9
222
2009/10
9
255
2008/09
9
271
2011/12
10
231
2010/11
10
254
2009/10
10
278
2008/09
10
301
Semester 2 Failure Rates
Students
Grade Total
Failed 1
2011/12
2010/11
9
225
2009/10
9
256
2008/09
9
271
2011/12
10
2010/11
10
255
2009/10
10
273
2008/09
10
302
Failed >1
11
19
44
36
16
34
57
39
Credits
Possible
Failure
9
896
3.35%
5
888
3.15%
20
1020
8.14%
19
1084
6.64%
25
924
8.88
16
1016
5.91%
21
1112
8.54%
15
1204
5.65%
Credits
Possible
Failed >1
Failure
14
16
25
15
25
23
900
1024
1084
5.56%
8.98%
8.39%
19
21
27
21
39
22
1020
1092
1208
7.06%
12.04%
6.54%
Suspensions
First Camp Cohort Second Camp Cohort
Sem 1
2011/12
2010/11
2011/12
2010/11
Grade
9
9
10
10
Total # # of Repeats Avg # of Days
9
2
3.5
16
8
3
9
1
2
24
5
3
Median # of Days
3
3
1
2
Sem 2
2011/12
2010/11
2011/12
2010/11
Grade
9
9
10
10
Total # # of Repeats Avg # of Days
Median # of Days
10
5
3
1
20
11
3
3
Attendance
First Camp Cohort Second Camp Cohort
total
year
number
%
total
days
total
days
total
days
grade students truant truant absent late excused
2012
9
2011
9
216
31
14%
450
202
48
2010
9
248
61
26%
933
409
77
2009
9
271
64
24%
771
347
99
2012
10
2011
10
243
74
30%
941
424
87
2010
10
253
98
39%
1784
568
170
2009
10
302
128
42%
1677
472
188
The CCSS Grade 9 Retreat 2011 and
2011 and Follow up
• Expanded senior mentor training and role facilitated by
The Beanstalk Project – www.thebeanstalkproject.org
• Integration of leadership/teambuilding workshops in
programming for those not attending
• Follow up motivational session mid-September by
Beanstalk Project for all grade 9s
• Afternoon workshops with the Beanstalk Project for
Shining Stars from Camp and Students who did NOT
attend camp
• Follow up video presentation by Beanstalk Project
facilitated by mentors in home rooms
What happened next …
• Increased participation
• More of the same – fewer failures, better
attendance, fewer teacher concerns
• How do we pull in the students who we
already know are at risk and refuse to
attend camp?
Looking Ahead to 2012
• Grade 8 Fantastic Fridays
• Addition of CCSS led workshops to camp
schedule, e.g., mental health awareness and
resources
• More mentor programming throughout the
school year
• Incorporation of elements of the IPP into the
follow up work with mentors and teachers
Nuts & …
• Approximately 2/3, ¾ have attended – 180
grade 9s, 20 senior students, 18 staff
• Grade 9s pay $100 each with poverty
intervention and contests for bursaries
• Senior students and staff do not pay
• Seniors help facilitate activities and
supervise cabins; many offer high school
101 in cabin
• Singing, skits etc. are encouraged at camp
fire
… Bolts
• Teacher participation is voluntary and includes
admin, guidance, co-op, EAs as needed
• Teachers with grade 9 classes either go to
camp, do on-calls for others who go to camp,
or provide/supervise program for students
who do not attend camp
• Everyone needs to bring sleeping bag, pillow,
towels, flashlight, cold and wet weather gear –
we play rain or shine!
Facilities: www.ylcc.com
• YLCC Orillia can accommodate approx. 300 overnight,
Pigeon Lake approx. 120; cabins with bunks and
mattress sleep up to 20; common washroom facility
• YLCC Camp counsellor ratio is approx. 1:15 with more
staff on hand; all fully trained and safety certified
• All meals provided; nut free
• Facilitated activities run from 7:30 flagpole to 11pm
• Facilities include high and low ropes, rock wall, fixed
and non-fixed initiatives, grassy fields, wooded area,
camp fire ring, beach & kayaks
• Separate teacher cabins w/washroom sleep up to 12
• Special needs can be accommodated
Promotion
• Promotion during January
feeder school visits and
Grade 8 Parent Night
• Posters and permission
forms go out with draft
timetables in June
• Summer reminders through
e-mail, Synervoice
• Forms and money collected
on Orientation Day and up to
Camp Day
T-shirt Design Contest
Win your trip to camp!
Organization
• Permission forms and money collected by feeder schools and
forwarded to CCSS – NOT processed by feeder schools
• Forms and money collected on Orientation Day and up to Camp Day
• One teacher goes with senior students a day early for training
• Students assigned to cabins such that at least 2 students from any
given feeder school are in a cabin – everyone knows someone
• Students permitted to request a cabin mate if necessary – few do
• Cabins are assigned to buses
• Grade 9s report to the foyer on the morning we leave and find their
names on alpha lists which indicate cabin and bus number
• Bag checks are done as students board buses
• YLCC plans everything else!
The Bottom Line
Coyote Retreat
• Camp fees
• Bussing
• T-shirts and prizes
$16 000
3 000
1 000
The Beanstalk Project Mentoring Program 3 500
• Includes 2 x full day workshop
• 1 video module
The Last Word
Questions
Reading & Resources
www.claringtoncentralss.ca
Select Guidance,
Grade 9 Transition Model
To view complete proposal and PowerPoint
heather_newton@kprdsb.ca