Duluth Middle School Tests National Orientation Program

By Sarah Horner, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn.

Sep. 6--Sixth-graders at Woodland Middle School won't be wasting time hunting through halls to find their lockers today.

After perusing the place Wednesday at orientation, the newcomers can beeline to their new lockers today -- the first official day back to school for the Duluth school district -- and maybe even wave at a few upperclassmen on the way.

Such a feat may seem like no big deal, but to a sixth-grader it can mean the difference between a rocky and smooth start at a new school.

"Lockers are intimidating for sixth-graders," said Bonnie Wolden, principal at Woodland Middle School. "You have to figure out how to open them, what happens if you can't. ... That can be scary if you're doing it for the first time. Lockers and locker rooms are where our sixth-graders have the most worry."

Wednesday's orientation is part of a national program Woodland is trying this year called WEB, or Where Everybody Belongs. Similar to the Link Crew program for incoming freshmen at district high schools, WEB is aimed at easing the transition between elementary school and middle school.

"The middle school environment is a completely different environment for most kids," Wolden said. "Instead of staying with the same teacher all day like they do in elementary school, they now have eight different teachers. They go from being the oldest at school to the youngest at a new school. Plus, they are mixing with kids from five different feeder schools, urban kids, rural kids, kids with different socioeconomic backgrounds; sometimes it's tough for everyone to blend together."

Students also have to learn to be more independent learners, Wolden said. Instead of teachers hounding them to turn in homework, they have to remember to turn it in themselves or ask for help when they're falling behind.

Some of those changes may contribute to the testing slump some middle schools in the district have been facing, Wolden said. Three of the district's four middle schools failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress last year. AYP measures how well schools are making progress toward federal education goals. Two middle schools failed to make AYP this year.

"That is something we still need more information on," Wolden said. "One theory is that we lose kids in the transition. They leave an elementary school with a more nurturing environment and come to a middle school that feels completely different. That is one of the reasons we try things like WEB; it's one way to help these kids feel nurtured and welcome and comfortable to access the tools they need to be successful."

At Wednesday's orientation, sixth-graders were greeted in the gymnasium by Woodland staff and eighth-grade mentors on their feet cheering. Sixth-graders were divided into groups led by the mentors and taken through icebreaker activities, a tour of the school and other tasks aimed at getting them acquainted with the building.

Eighth-graders were encouraged to give advice to the fresh faces.

"I am going to tell them to keep their planners and meet all the teachers and students and turn their homework in on time," said Taylor Stafford, an eighth-grade mentor. "I lost my planner and got behind on some homework when I first got here and I don't want that to happen to them."

Orientation was the first of many events Woodland has in place for sixth-graders. About once a month, eighth-grade mentors will meet up with sixth-graders, sometimes in classrooms to go over lessons about respect and test taking, and other times to do something fun, like bowling.

"Some kids get really scared when they come to middle school," said Scott Anderson, a sixth-grade teacher at Woodland in charge of coordinating WEB. "I'm hoping this will help kids get to know not only their classmates but all the students in the school. We don't want it to be eighth-graders versus sixth-graders and seventh-graders; we want to be one student body."

When the program is successful, it can affect students' grades, test scores, disciplinary incidents and the overall culture in a building, said Micah Jacobson, a partner with the Boomerang Project based in California. The Boomerang Project created Link Crew and WEB. So far WEB exists in schools in 27 states and two provinces.

In Minnesota, Rogers Middle School has seen a 51 percent reduction in sixth-graders receiving a D or F on report cards since implementing WEB. A middle school in Orono has seen a 50 percent reduction in disciplinary referrals, Jacobson said.

"Transitions are hard for everyone, but there are three critical things that can make it easier: feeling safe, information and relationships. ... If those things aren't in place, you can lose kids."

Lauren Packingham, a sixth-grader at Woodland, said she appreciated the chance to grab a peek of her school early.

"It's nice because I didn't really know people or know if they would like me or not, but I got to try and talk to some people today and see what they like and stuff before school starts," she said.

Alexandria Bushell, another sixth-grader, met a few new kids as well but said one tour of the school might not be enough to ensure easy passage through the building today.

"My parents say I have a really bad memory; they say I'm getting old," she said. Wolden said if WEB is successful at Woodland, it probably will spread across the district. The school is planning to compare data between sixth-graders last year with sixth-graders this year to see if WEB makes a difference.

"I'm optimistic," Wolden said. "I'm looking forward to when these sixth-graders step up to be mentors as eighth-graders; that's when we'll see the entire effect."