The Importance of the Ninth Grade on High School Graduation Rates and Student Success in High School

The Ninth-Grade Problem Researchers target ninth grade as the make or break year for completing high school. It is during the ninth-grade year that many students for the first time have to earn passing grades in core courses (Fulk, 2003). Satisfactiory completion of core courses is often required for graduation from high school, and these core courses are typically some of the toughest and most rigorous academic classes a student has to take in high school (Smith, Akos, Lim, & Wiley, 2008). Furthermore, the rising use of standardized examinations to measure school performance, and exit examinations required to earn a diploma, add to the difficulty and importance of doing well in high school (Schemo, 2004). As a result of the increased demands of high school, the statistics generated from freshman year are concerning. Ninth-graders have the lowest grade point average, the most missed classes, the majority of failing grades, and more misbehavior referrals than any other high school grade level (Fritzer & Herbst, 1996). The ninth grade also has the highest enrollment rate in high schools. This is mainly due to the fact that approximately 22% of students repeat ninth-grade classes (Fritzer & Herbst, 1996). This number, however, can be even larger in some places, especially large comprehensive urban high schools. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that up to 40% of ninth-grade students in cities with the highest dropout rates repeat the ninth grade, but only 10% to 15% of those repeaters go on to graduate (Kennelly & Monrad, 2007). According to NCES, the average freshmen graduation rate for 2001-2002 is 72.6 %, but is as low as 57.9 % in states such as South Carolina (Seastrom, et al., 2005). This means that there can be more than double the amount of students in ninth grade as compared to twelfth grade (Useem, Neild, & Morrison, 2001). That is why the ninth-grade year has become such a focal point of educational reform. Increased Graduation Requirements States that have felt the pressure to compete globally have raised their graduation requirements. Students moving into the ninth grade are the first to experience the effect of any increase in state-mandated high school graduation requirements. For many ninth-graders, such rigorous requirements are a noticeable change from middle school expectations (Fulk, 2003). One such example, Michigan, has recently reverted to a new Michigan Merit Curriculum. The "new" requirements are first imposed on the ninth-grade class of 2007, which is scheduled to graduate in 2011. According to these new requirements, all students must complete four credits in specific math and English language arts classes and three credits in science and social studies. Other non-core class credits must be earned in physical education and health, visual performing and applied arts, and a language other than English (Michigan Merit Curriculm, 2008). According to the Michigan Department of Education, this curriculum is developed, "to prepare Michigan's students with the knowledge and skills needed for jobs in the 21st century" (Michigan Merit Curriculm, 2008). The graduating class of 2011 in Michigan schools will face a tough challenge trying to meet these new state requirements. Statistically, and regardless of new requirements, not all incoming freshmen will graduate in four or even five years of high school, and even more daunting, some will not graduate at all (Wheelock & Miao, 2005). This is distressing considering that it is practically impossible for individuals lacking a high school diploma to find employment that pays more than minimum wage (Neild, et al., 2007). The Transition to Ninth Grade Challenging graduation requirements are only one of the many issues that ninth grade students have to overcome. There has been a lot of research done to pinpoint exactly why students have so much trouble during the ninth-grade year, and most research points to one overarching problem, the transition from eighth grade to ninth grade. …