Include non-core subject teachers in Freshman Success work and consider expanding the Freshman OnTrack metric to count non-core failures¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report recommends extending freshman success strategies, which have focused on core courses, to all subjects. It states that "Non-core courses are as crucial for freshman success and longer-term success as core courses" and that schools "could include teachers in the non-core subject areas in Freshman Success meetings." It also proposes expanding the Freshman OnTrack metric to include non-core failures, noting around 600 students per year were on-track despite at least two semester Fs and graduated at only 56 percent. The strategy targets high school freshman-success teams and aims to reduce grade declines and course failure across the transition.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Freshman Success teams currently composed mainly of core-subject teachers would need to add non-core subject-area teachers

Constraints¶

• The report notes non-core grading may reflect teachers' expectations about compliance and behavior, and that further research could explore grading practices and teacher bias

Target Learners¶

• first-time ninth-grade students in urban public high schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• maintaining or improving course performance and credit accumulation across the transition to high school
• reducing ninth-grade course failure in all subject areas

Claims¶

• GPA declines in arts and PE/health greatly exceeded declines in core subjects between eighth and ninth grade [+W]
• The first two semester course failures in ninth grade are associated with a 30 percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Seeskin, A., Nagaoka, J., & Mahaffie, S. (2018). Hidden risk: Changes in GPA across the transition to high school. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/hidden-risk-changes-gpa-across-transition-high-school