The Affect of the Implementation of a Ninth Grade Academy Program on Student Achievement and Behavior

To combat high school transition issues, Waterloo High school implemented a Ninth Grade Academy program during the 2007-2008 school year. A number of schools across the United States are implementing similar programs, citing strong evidence from professional literature that supports such programs. Several teaching and management strategies were implemented, based on suggested strategies from the literature. To assess the success of the program, the researcher compared second marking period grades in Regents level Earth Science from the 2007-2008 school year to those from 2006-2007. The researcher also compared the number of discipline referrals and detentions during the second marking period for the two school years. The researcher found that academic achievement improved, while discipline referrals and detentions increased for the 2007-2008 school year. Informal discussions with faculty and staff revealed that the adults felt that the program showed promise, but were at times frustrated with the new system, and needed more training to feel comfortable and effective