The 8th grade to 9th grade transition checklist schools should build with students

A schedule is not a transition plan

Students can know where first period is and still enter ninth grade unsure about expectations, support, identity and direction. Transition planning should help them carry forward what they know about themselves.

Six things worth carrying into ninth grade

Build the checklist around strengths, learning habits, support people, career interests, meaningful work or projects, and one concrete goal for the first grading period.

The student should be able to explain the plan in their own words instead of merely having adults complete it around them.

Make the handoff a bridge instead of a reset

When schools can responsibly carry selected, consented information forward, receiving educators start with context instead of a blank page. ONWARDology's Launch direction is designed to connect eventually with Onward180 through that kind of deliberate handoff.