Parents, take note of your child's transition from middle school to high school

The months of May and June every year, see a lot of graduation ceremonies in schools, colleges, and universities around the world. Happy smiles on the faces of some graduates during the ceremonies could be very deceiving. Not all the graduates are leaving such ceremonies with the desirable diplomas and certificates!

Some graduates from high schools, colleges, and universities will have to go back to complete the requisite credits in order to obtain their diplomas and certificates. They have either slackened during the school year to achieve all the necessary credits or have failed in their examinations. Their transition from one level of the educational system to another level has not been smooth!

I concentrate here on the transition from middle (elementary) school to high (secondary) school and what parents ought to do to ensure their students (children) success from the elementary/middle school to high/secondary school level.

I must state here that, ‘no one is better qualified to help you navigate your way to succeed in your endeavors than yourself! You must learn from your failures and make use of available resources to achieve SUCCESS!’ Brookview Middle School in Toronto has this as its motto: SUCCESS HAS U IN IT. I couldn’t agree more with this motto!

Success

A popular definition of success is ‘being able to live your life in your own way, doing only those things that you want to do, with the people/things that you choose, in the situations you desire.’

According to Brian Tracy in his work, ‘The Power of Self-Discipline-No Excuses!’, “when you begin to define what ‘success’ means to you, you can immediately see things that you should be doing more of or less of in order to begin creating your ideal life. And the biggest thing that holds you back from moving in the direction of your dream is usually your favourite excuses and lack of self-discipline. “ Thus, you can succeed if you choose to succeed!

Promoted, transferred, or retained?

As an elementary school teacher, I drew parents’ attention to the June report cards that students bring home. The last statement in the Learning Skills comment box on the report card clearly spells out the appropriate placement of the student in the next classes or school. According to the directions from school boards, for students accessing the current grade level curriculum, the placement statements should read:

1. Name of the student is promoted to Grade X

2. Name of the student is transferring to Grade X

3. Name of the student is retained in grade X

For the students with a Modified Individual Education Plan (IEP), the placement should read:

1. Based upon achievement on the IEP, the name of the student is promoted. The name of the student’s placement is Grade X

2. Based upon achievement on the IEP, the name of the student, is transferred. Name of student, placement is Grade X

3. Based on achievement on the IEP, the name of the student, is retained. The name of the student’s placement is Grade X

The good news for parents to follow up or pay particular attention to their children who are either promoted or transferred ‘at risk’ to the next level is that program interventions or support recommendations should be made for such students. These recommendations should be recorded on a Student Portfolio Support Form and communicated to the parents, students and receiving teacher/school.

I, therefore, encourage all parents whose children are either promoted or transferred at risk’ from Grade 8 (Middle School) to Grade 9 (High School) to follow up with their High Schools to ensure that the necessary support is put in place to enable their children to succeed, student, by school board policy, has the right to attend the school of their choice in the designated attendance area.