1) According to the article, which of the following statements is not true
about ninth graders?
a. They have the lowest grade point average.
b. They have the most missed classes.
c. They have the more advantages than upper classman.
d. They have the majority of failing grades.
e. They have more misbehavior referrals than any other high-school grade level.

2) The article states “Ninth grade has increasingly become a ‘“bottleneck’” for students.” A joint report from Princeton University and the Brookings Institution found “in 1970, there were 3 percent fewer tenth graders than ninth graders; by 2000, that share had risen to 11 percent.”

a. Describe what is meant by the term “bottleneck.”

b. What information can you infer from the Princeton/Brookings findings?

3) List 3 of the reported “development angst” ninth graders experience.
a.
b.
c.

4) Which of the following words is an antonym for stigmatized?
a. Branded
b. Slurred
c. Nominated
d. Denounced

5) Educators are honing in on three indicators—attendance, behavior, and course performance—that are believed to be the most accurate measurements of a student’s likelihood to either quit school or move on.
What criteria would you use to measure a student’s likelihood of success? Why?

6. Why would encouraging students to participate in after-school activities, athletics, and the arts improve the drop out rate for students in their first year of high school?

7. Diane Ravitch, believes “If the focus were really on the students, people would be thinking creatively about how to help them instead of thinking if them as data points." How would you generate a plan to ensure all ninth graders were successful?