Hidden Risk: Changes in GPA Across the Transition to High School

• In Event: 28.088 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: 28.088-6 - High School: The Ninth-Grade Transition and Supports for Successful Graduation Outcomes

Abstract

A successful freshman year of high school is a critical milestone on the path to college, but many students do not receive the support they need to overcome developmental challenges they face in the transition. In this paper, we examine changes in the academic performance of Chicago Public Schools students between the eighth and ninth grades. We break down average losses in GPA by subject area, race/ethnicity, gender, and 8th grade achievement, and across high schools. We find that students’ course performance falls during the transition to high school in all subject areas and that failures in any subject area significantly reduce students’ likelihood of graduating from high school. We identify implications of these findings for practitioners and researchers.

Authors

• Jenny K. Nagaoka, University of Chicago

• Shelby Mahaffie, UChicago Consortium on School Research

• Alex Seeskin, University of Chicago