Why the Transition Process Matters for Students of All Ages

There is a wide range of transition plans from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school that can be seen in every school district. However, these plans have varying levels of success in regards to supporting every need that a student may have. Throughout my time as an Education major I have had the opportunity to view a diverse assortment of transition plans and have heard from the teachers involved how the students have done in transitioning into their new schools.

Research Says...

Moving is a stressful time for anybody, regardless of their age, so it is no surprise that middle school students also have a difficult time coping with changing schools. Some students experience a strong overwhelming feeling when in a new environment, therefore, it is helpful to provide students as many opportunities to become familiar with the new school as possible. The Shoffner and Williamson article provide a plethora of examples of things schools could do in order to support students such as: opportunities for incoming students to interact with current students and staff, multiple chances to tour the school, attempt their locker, and meet with their faculty advisor, if they have one.

Another aspect of support that schools should offer during the transition period, according to Koppang, is social and emotional support. In one scenario, a survey was distributed among all incoming middle school students where they were asked to determine how concerned they were about various middle school related topics. At the first orientation, students were split into small groups and the items that were deemed most concerning from the survey were discussed with students by both adults and current middle school students. During these small group sessions, students were separated from their parents and it was clear that students felt much more comfortable asking questions about the topics that were giving them anxiety.

How do Positive (or Negative) Transition Experiences Affect Students: A Personal Example 

Ensuring that the transition process is simple and supportive for students should be at the top of a school’s priority list. In my experience, a well down transition program can promote a student's success in ways that they could not receive from elsewhere. The reason I feel so strongly about the transition process is because through my personal participation in a variety of schools transition programs either as an active participant or an observer I have come to the conclusion that students at both the elementary and middle school level need a high level of support during times of transitioning between schools. The transition situations that I have experienced are similar to those found in the Shoffner and Williamson article. During my transition from eighth grade to high school my school hosted a picnic complete with some of our future teachers as well as “peer helpers” that were juniors or seniors. For me, this was a beneficial experience because on my first day in the high school there were multiple smiling faces that were there to welcome the new ninth graders and assist them with whatever they needed. My school district recently removed this picnic and changed the way in which fifth graders begin middle school.

During my senior year of high school I was provided the opportunity to intern in our middle school where I had the experience of watching students transition. The eighth graders had very little support in preparing for their move to the high school and the incoming sixth graders struggled to acclimate to their new environment that was much different than their previous elementary school. In terms of grades, I watched sixth graders struggle for the first few months and once the sixth graders had adjusted, the anxiety of moving to high school began to affect the eighth graders and their grades began to plummet along with their attitudes and outlook on their futures. While I know I cannot make any changes alone, I strongly believe that there are a host of programs and activities that schools could implement to help create more positive experiences for students.

What do Positive Transition Programs look like in Action?

Transition plans can look very different in action depending on the school a student is attending. Shoffner and Williamson have created a three part plan to help ease transitions for students which includes a prior to transition, during the summer, and during the school year stage.

Prior to the Transition:

1. Conduct a study group including a variety of teams and/or teachers to evaluate and potentially redesign the program.
2. Utilize school counselors and administrators talents by having them visit the incoming students to provide them with information about their new school.
1. Counselors can also spend time meeting with each student to answer any questions or concerns while also developing a personal relationship with each student.
3. Collaborate with students and teachers to develop an “Introduction to Middle and/or High School” program.
4. Plan meeting with parents of the incoming students.
1. Work to build relationships with these parents through informational mailings and phone calls.
5. Work to ensure that both students and parents are comfortable in their new environment.
6. Hold a spring open house for incoming students and parents.
7. Build connections between incoming students and current students. This can be done through the use of pen pals and student shadow days.

During the Summer:

1. Provide information for the upcoming school year early.
2. Inform students of their teacher/team assignments prior to the end of the previous school year.
3. Create a buddy system with older students. Allow eighth graders to act as “big brothers” or “big sisters.” The younger students benefit from knowing someone while the older students feel a sense of pride of being a mentor.
4. Provide time for students and parents to meet building faculty and teachers at a summer open house.

During the School Year:

1. Provide students time to become aquainted with their new building, locker, and class schedule. Request that for the first few weeks older students act as guides for the incoming students.
2. Design parent education programs to aid parents in continuing to support their child throughout their time in education.
3. Provide classroom advisory lessons on topics such as peer pressure, study skills, and bullying to help teachers in combating these common issues in middle and high school.
4. Include opportunities for school counselors to work with first-year students to address any problems they may have during and after the transition period. Ensure that counselors and administrators visit first-year classrooms during the first few weeks of school to interact with students.
5. Repeat the process by requesting feedback from teachers and students on the transition program and make necessary adjustments.

Below is a video that highlights some common issues in transitioning from middle to high school and how students in Boston Public Schools worked to smooth the process.

Conclusion:

Creating a successful transition program will require the involvement of all faculty and staff within both the student's current school and their future school. However, the benefit that the students, teachers, and families will receive will be well worth it. As stated above, a student's success in their new school can be determined by how positive of an experience their transition into their new school was.

The link to my Annotated Bibliography that includes all of the sources I used for this post can be found here.