Revised: 4.15.08

Canton High School

April 21, 2008

Freshman Transition Goal

To better help freshman students transition from the middle school environment to the high school environment thus helping to improve their personal and academic success. Canton High School has incorporated “Freshman Transition” into our 2007-08 & 2008-09 School Improvement Plan.

Explanation of How This Idea Came About

During a second semester faculty meeting in the spring of 2007, administration presented a list of concerns related to student behavior and academic success that they felt needed to be addressed by CHS faculty and staff. After a lengthy discussion of these concerns, the administration asked for volunteers from the faculty and staff to spearhead a committee to evaluate and develop suggested improvements of how these concerns could be addressed.

Over the course of the semester, the committee met several times to develop a faculty/staff survey. In this survey, faculty and staff were to rank order what they felt were the most important concerns discussed at the second semester faculty meeting. In addition to the original concerns, administration asked the committee to include a question on the survey pertaining to their thoughts and feelings about the possibility of a closed lunch period for students with freshman status.

With a high percentage of both faculty and staff responding favorably to the idea of closed lunch, the Freshman Status Closed Lunch Period was developed. We have continued to refine the proposal during the 2007/08 school year to include other ideas to enhance freshman transition into the high school program.

Freshman Transition Proposal 2008/2009

Beginning 1^st semester, Fall 2008, the lunch period will be closed to all freshman status students. All freshman students will be supervised and stay on campus for the lunch period. Freshman students demonstrating a successful transition into the high school program can earn the privilege of leaving campus during their lunch period for the second semester. Students who achieve the qualifications listed below will be permitted to leave the high school campus during their lunch period.

Freshman students will have to meet the following requirements before earning an open campus lunch for the second semester. The open campus privilege will serve as an incentive to freshman students who might otherwise not be motivated to make a positive high school transition. 9^th grade students will be expected to:

o Pass all classes with a “C” or better (2.00 GPA or higher)

o Demonstrate an attendance rate of 93% or greater (School Average)

o Have a disciplinary record with no suspensions

43.6% of the 2007/08 freshman class would qualify for the open campus this school year.

Homeroom Schedule

In addition to the closed lunch proposal for freshman, the high school will implement a homeroom period to better facilitate teacher-student mentoring. Students will be assigned to the same homeroom teacher all four years of high school. Homeroom teachers will be encouraged to build student/parent relationships. It is our hope that teachers become an even more important point of contact to CHS.

During the first week of the 2008/09 school year, we will run a homeroom bell schedule each day. The homeroom period will be used as a week long, high school orientation for freshman students. Each day during the homeroom session, freshman homeroom mentors will build relationships with their homeroom students and assist them with any concerns they may have as they begin their high school career. After the first week of school, homeroom mentors will meet with their students once a week.

Expansion Of CHS Student Assistance Program

CHS will expand its Student Assistance Team from 4 to 7 members. In order to permit SAP members time to organize and meet with students, teachers, and parents, SAP team members will not be assigned a homeroom. They will utilize the homeroom time to meet as a group and organize the SAP program as well as meet with students on their caseloads. Over seventy students were referred to the CHS SAP team from the Class of 2011. This number is in addition to the 15 to 20 students who were already on the SAP team’s caseload.

Freshman Orientation Night

Freshman and their parents will be invited to attend Canton High School the evening prior to the opening of school. The Administration will introduce the teaching staff of Canton High School. The general meeting is intended as an opportunity to overview the high school program and procedures for parents. Immediately following the general session, all staff members will be in their classrooms to make themselves available to students. Students will have the opportunity to explore the building, walk through their class schedule and meet their teachers.

Behavorial Concerns:

During the 2007/08 school year, the following behaviors have occurred during open campus lunch period:

• Attendance: Students are late coming back from lunch ; students deciding not to come back at all.
• Safety: Fights off school grounds; bullying of other students
• Risky student behavior : Smoking, drinking, retail theft, littering, loitering, inappropriate language, harassment of older citizens, & off campus food fights at local businesses.

The list of concerns also include vehicular and pedestrian issues, disturbances, disorderly conduct, tobacco and illicit drug use, littering, unwanted people on or near school grounds and the ability of students to bring contraband into the school is a serious concern to high school staff.

2006-07 / 2007-08 Freshman Transition Data:

• 2006/07 Freshman Academic Failures: 27.9 % failed to attain Sophomore status
• 2006/07 Lunch Period Attendance Issues: 420 lunch time tardies (9-12)

• 2007/08 Freshman Academic Failures: 40.6% failed at least one subject 1^st sem.
• 2007/08 Freshman Attendance: 270 lunch time tardies (3/31/08)
• 2007/08 Freshman Discipline Infractions: 144 detentions generated from lunch period

(as of 3/31/08)

2007-08 Attendance Data: (3/31/08)

9^th: 93.6% 10^th: 95% 11:94.5% 12^th: 93.7% School Average: 94.2%

2007- 08 Disciplinary Consequences (In-School Suspension) (3/31/08)

9^th: 41 10^th: 28 11^th: 20 12^th: 27

2007-08 Days of Suspension: (3/31/08)

9^th: 79 10^th: 74 11^th:34 12^th:44

Historical Data of CHS 9^th & 10^th Grade Students failing to earn enough credits to earn promotion

Prepared by R.Tonkin

School Year	9th Grade Repeats	10th Grade Repeats	9th Moved to 10th at Semester
1993-94	18.3	22.6	55.8
1994-95	20.2	15.2	46.7
1995-96	20.4	15.7	42.9
1996-97	22.3	16.5	51.1
1997-98	24.3	19.5	58.5
1998-99	16.4	18.3	42.1
1999-00	13.2	12.6	36.7
2000-01	18.5	15.8	38.7
2001-02	22.7	18.4	46.9
2002-03	18.4	16.8	42.9
2003-04	12.4	17.9	47.4
2004-05	15.9	9.7	62.1
2005-06	17.7	14.5	41.7
2006-07	27.4	16.5	44.4
2007-08	TBA	TBA	TBA

Supporting Reasons for Closed Campus as part of the Freshman Transition Plan

§ With new freedoms and choices, freshman students gain another year of transition and guidance from the middle school to the high school environment with supervision during unstructured time.

§ Closed campus may provide incentives to students with freshman status to earn required credits to move to sophomore status thus allowing them to move to the open campus lunch period the following school year. It is our desire that the responsible behaviors learned as a freshman are continued through the remainder of high school.

§ Closed campus lunch may increase the safety of students during unsupervised times. Examples of safety issues include fights off campus and car accidents.

§ Closed campus lunch may decrease the use of tobacco, drugs and alcohol during the lunch period.

§ Closed campus lunch may reduce peer pressure which may cause students from making unwise choices over the lunch period. Examples of poor choices made by students include skipping afternoon classes, littering on and off campus, and retail theft at local businesses.

§ Since all freshman status students will be required to stay for lunch, a closed lunch period may increase self-esteem or reduce embarrassment of students who can not afford to leave school for lunch.

§ Closed campus lunch may provide more nutritious lunch selections to students, which in turn may provide increased energy needed for afternoon classes.

§ Closed campus lunch may increase the percentage of students who will fill out and return free and reduced lunch forms.

§ By closing lunch, pressure is taken off of parents who would prefer to have their student stay on campus during lunch thus reducing the parent/child conflict.

§ Closing the lunch period may be more affordable for those parents who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch.

§ Because of close supervision, closed lunch may make students more accountable for their actions and behaviors and may also help to reinforce acceptable “adult like” behaviors needed for a successful learning environment.

Implementation Issues:

o Inadequate cafeteria seating; currently, approximately 120 cafeteria seats exist in the high school cafeteria. To meet student needs, a minimum of 275 seats need to be available. The CHS cafeteria has a seating capacity of over 500 students.

o Additional cashier stations; preferably with a barcode or student pin payment system to enhance the speed at which students move through the cafeteria lines. A student pin or barcode payment system would also better protect the identities of low income students.

o Second semester students who have demonstrated a successful transition to the high school program would be issued an identification badge to be worn during the lunch period.

o Increased supervision by faculty during the lunch period. Closed campus lunch will require the cooperation of all administration, faculty, and staff in regards to watching the doors, hallways and restrooms during passing periods before and after lunch.

o Identification of freshmen students not eligible for Open Campus lunch and keeping them on campus.