Freshman GPAs rise first quarter

Ineligibility among freshmen in the first marking period decreased to ten percent this year from last year's 13 percent, contributing to a rise in the overall freshman grade point average (GPA) to its highest level in five years.

According to statistics compiled by Joseph Bellino, the student information management system coordinator, freshmen had an average GPA of 2.71 in the first quarter, one-tenth higher than the average first marking period freshman GPA last year.

Ninth grade administrator Patricia Hurley is pleased to see positive signs of student achievement. "I think it's great that they are doing so well," she said.

According to Hurley, freshman failure continues to be the main focus of the administration year after year. Although the failure rates have decreased recently, Hurley believes the ten percent failure rate is still too high.

Freshman GPAs were analyzed according to the grades of 877 ninth grade students in English, social studies, science, math, foreign language, fine arts, technology education and physical education classes. The statistics show that this year's freshmen performed better in every subject area than last year's freshmen.

According to Bellino, the overall changes in failure percentages reflect the performance of honors and regular classes and would not be skewed by the presence of the CAP and Magnet programs because those students continue to produce the same statistics year after year.

Although overall GPAs rose in English and social studies, scores in those subjects were the lowest of all subjects. Freshmen this year had average GPAs of 2.39 in English and 2.34 in social studies compared to GPAs of 3.27 in fine arts and 2.79 in foreign language classes.

Ninth grade administrator Richard Wilson attributes the higher freshman grades in part to the administration's initiatives to help freshmen academically, which include double-period algebra classes, increased communication between teachers and students and letters sent to struggling students.

According to Linda Wolf, who oversees the ninth grade transition, programs such as Blair Leadership Academic Success Training (BLAST), now in its third year, and BLAST Scholars, a pilot program this year, were created to help students adjust to high school.

Freshman Travis Cox, a participant in BLAST Scholars, feels that his participation in the program helped improve his grades in the first marking period. "I think that if I hadn't been in the program, studying for tests and doing homework would have been a lot harder. My mentor has helped improve my grades," he said.

In hope of sustaining higher grades second quarter, Wilson said, administrators are implementing new elements to the ninth grade curriculum to encourage students to succeed.

According to Wilson, one element is rewarding students who do well in classes through programs such as the Math Student of the Month and the Ladder of Success, which gives pins and recognition to students for certain achievements.

In addition, certain students will be paired with "good friends," who are faculty members that the students can talk to on a regular basis, Hurley said.

Struggling students will also be referred to a new Fundamental Friday program which, according to Hurley, will conduct seminars that concentrate on different topics each week, including time management and test taking skills.

The addition of new guidance counselor Charlain Bailey has also decreased the number of students under each counselor, resulting in more contact between students and counselors, said Hurley.