Transition from Elementary School to High School.

By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview Middle School, Toronto

June, every year, sees 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 or 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 leather to another level has not been smooth!
In this brief write-up, I would like to concentrate on the transition from Middle (Elementary) School to High (Secondary) School and what parents could do to ensure their children (students’) success at the High School level. I must state here that, ‘no one is better qualified to help you navigate your future 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 the more!
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 who 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 dreams is usually your favorite 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 draw 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 class 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 student is promoted to Grade X
2. Name of student is transferred to Grade X
3. Name of student is retained in Grade X
For students with a modified Individual Education Plan (IEP), the placement statements should read:
1. Based upon achievement on the IEP, Name of student is promoted. Name of student’s placement is Grade X
2. Based upon achievement on the IEP, Name of student is transferred. Name of student’s placement is Grade X
3. Based upon achievement on the IEP, Name of student is retained. Name of student’s placement is Grade X
The good news for parents to follow or pay particular attention to their children (students) 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 Profile support Form and communicated to the parents, students and receiving teacher/school!
I therefore encourage all parents whose children (students) are either promoted or transferred ‘at risk’ from Grade 8 (Elementary School) to Grade 9 (High School) to follow up with their High Schools to ensure that the necessary support are put in place to enable their children (students) succeed. A student, by school board policy, has the right to attend the school of his or her choice in the designated attendance area.