Anchorage Daily News

If a student loses his interest in school in ninth grade, he's not likely to get it back in 10th -- unless he gets a little help or inspiration.

That freshman year is pivotal for a student at risk of giving up on school.

That's one of the conclusions of a five-year study by the Anchorage School District that tracked the high school records of the 4,365 students in the eighth-grade class of 2003-04.

The study put some hard numbers to what teachers and administrators already know, but also had a few surprises, at least for those of us not directly involved in the schools.

For example, a majority of the 541 students who dropped out for keeps before graduation in 2008 passed the High School Graduation Qualifying Examination subtests in reading, writing and math. A majority of the dropouts were proficient in reading and writing in eighth-grade benchmark assessment tests, and a majority rated proficient in ninth-grade and 10th-grade benchmark tests in reading.

The lesson there? Often it's not lack of ability that leads to dropping out; it's disengagement, a point made by both schools Superintendent Carol Comeau and Laurel Vorachek, director of assessment and evaluation for the district and a former school counselor.

Other findings of the study quantified the obvious.

Of ninth-graders who attended school less than 80 percent of the time, only 16.2 percent went on to graduate, compared with 87.7 percent of their better-attending peers. A ninth-grader with two semester F's is 6.5 times more likely to drop out than a student who receives one F or none. A ninth-grader who earns less than five credits is 9.5 times more likely to drop out than a student who earns five or better (5.5 is considered on track for graduation).

These flags are bright red, and the district is paying attention.

Anchorage high schools have graduation coaches who concentrate on ninth-graders. Each coach tracks 60 students for attendance, academic performance and any problems she may be having, from learning disabilities to family troubles to mastering English. The coach works with parents and teachers to get students the help they need.

Also, versions of the "Freshman Academy" program started at Service High several years ago are up at every Anchorage high school. The idea is to keep ninth-graders together and on campus in that first, transitional year.

Mike Henry, the district's head of high schools, said the district also is looking at different ways to accommodate students. One example is the "extended year," a 10-day grace period at the end of the school year that allows students to finish one project or assignment they need to pass a course.

"I can't tell you how much parents love that," he said.

Another is a lesson learned from summer school. Students tackle intense, short courses for credit and say that five weeks at three hours a day works better for them than 18 weeks during the regular school year. The light is closer because the tunnel is shorter.

Both Henry and Comeau also spoke of offering more online, self-paced courses to students, which let them handle job or family schedules more easily.

And Comeau stressed the need to keep a healthy menu of extracurricular activities -- what she calls co-curricular activities -- like sports, arts, music, theater and clubs to keep students engaged. These aren't frills. Sometimes they make the difference between a student dropping out and finding a reason to stay in school -- and a healthy connection to the community.

The district is on the right track in concentrating on ninth-graders in the track to graduation. The straight and narrow can't be as rigid as it used to be, but it still leads to a high school diploma and a better life after graduation.

BOTTOM LINE: Catch wayward students while they're young -- it pays off for a long time after school days.

ADVERTISEMENT