Many students with disabilities entering the 9th grade express concern about getting lost in the larger high school environment, being picked on by older students, and having more challenging academic classes. The transition from middle-to-high school process for students with disabilities at Westminster High School in suburban Los Angeles is a…

This "snapshot" illustrates how one school is managing to make a positive difference for ninth graders. It describes the Ninth Grade Success Academy, a school-within-a-school at Thomas A. Edison High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which has a number of features specifically designed to help ninth-graders make successful…

A program was developed in the Norwalk, Connecticut schools to smooth student transition between elementary, intermediate, and high schools. It includes spring orientation activities and staggered opening of school in September to give each new class full staff attention on the first day of school. (SJL)

A variety of uses of College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests has emerged, including rewarding high school seniors for competence in English and excellence in other subjects, college and university community outreach and public relations, encouraging college aspirations, student recruitment, and integration with freshman orientation. (MSE)

New 9th graders reflect on the worries they had as middle school students about moving into high school. They also suggest ways of easing the transition and providing support in 9th grade. Teens want teachers to connect middle school students regularly with high school students, give them more responsibility in middle school, and focus on…