What To Do While in High School
Advice From College Students with Disabilities
Virginia College Quest Website
Transitioning from grade to grade or school to school can be and often is a concern for both students and parents. These concerns are founded, as transition can be difficult and challenging.
Include both skills training and social-emotional learning
Include parents in meaningful and important ways
Include early “buddy,” “pen-pal,” or “big-brother” programs
Have multiple (3-6) planned activities and elements
Recognize that a wide range of anxieties exist and plan activities to help alleviate them
Monthly workshops for 5th and 6th grade teachers on:
Indicators for at-risk
Reading
Pre-adolescents: developmental characteristics
Outdoor education, team-building for 5th graders led by 6th grade students and teachers
Pen-pals, e-pals
Buddy programs
Thematic, service-learning projects combining 5th graders and 6th graders (community service)
Parent leadership
Parents of 9th grade students give presentation to parents of 8th grade students
Parent-led workshops on a variety of relevant topics including homework help, conflict resolution, adolescence
“Shadow a 9th Grader” program
Middle School newsletters to 5th grade households (from January on)…High School newsletters to 8th grade students (from January on)….
“Reference” forms from 5th grade teachers with academic and non-academic elements
Transition “teams” of cross-school teachers
Counselor-to-counselor meetings and communication
Pre-transition parent conferences with teachers from both schools
Long-term commitment from both/all schools
Planning is extensive and on-going
Programs allow students to “test the waters”
Lunchrooms (6th and 9th)
Lockers and gymnasiums
Hallways and traveling from place to place
Sample assignments and academic expectations
Frequent communication between schools on plans, programs and curriculum
Programs are assessed
Does your program:
Include parents, teachers and administrators from both the feeder school and the receiving school
Allow students and parents to learn about academic expectations
Provide both academic and social support for new students
Include PE and related arts teachers
Allow students to learn appropriate behavioral and social skills
Allow students multiple experiences and opportunities to
Eat in the new lunchroom
Try out lockers
Meet with academic teachers
Travel hallways and move around the building
Meet and interact with other students
Talk regularly (face-to-face, pen-pals, e-pals) with other students
For students with organizational and Meta-cognitive weaknesses
Help with understanding and keeping up with block scheduling
Remembering locker numbers, passwords, combinations, etc.
Keeping up with materials and assignments from multiple teachers
Self-monitoring progress and success
Dealing with unstructured times
Social Skills Weaknesses
Reading social cues
Managing interactions with multiple teachers
Developing out-of-class friendships
Handling more complex peer relationships
Participating in whole class and small group instruction
Academic Achievement Difficulties
Embarrassment and stigma
Learned helplessness
Giving up
Stress and anxiety
Difficulty with more complex reading assignments
Difficulty with departmental teaching
Cognitive shifts from class to clas
Dealing with amount of homework
IEP teams (both sending and receiving teachers) plan for transitions
8th graders may need unit on self-advocacy
Communication between teachers is the key to success
Rules, expectations, homework, consequences, and hallway behaviors…the current teacher needs to know all this!
Planning should begin early (in the fall for the next fall)
Support and resources should be available…work with PTAs from both the feeding and receiving schools to develop programs
Administrative support and motivation is necessary for success
Links and resources to assist with digital accessibility for students: bit.ly/RCPSaccessibility
Information provided by Chuck Watson
University of Evansville
School of Education
Graves 305
Evansville, IN 47722
812-479-2004