From being the oldest on the campus to being a new fish in a big sea, transitioning from intermediate school to high school isn’t an easy move to make for most students. On their first day of school, freshmen are often intimidated by the new, large campus, making it to class on time, the pressure of fitting in and last but certainly not least—upperclassmen.

But for Pasadena ISD freshmen, this year’s first day of school meant they had the hallways—and teachers—all to themselves, as they started school one day before the rest of the students.

An early start for freshmen is part of the district’s Expectation Graduation initiative, which was implemented at some of the high school campuses last year. Expectation Graduation is a plan that seeks to create successful high school experiences for students through rigor, relevance and building relationships. The emphasis focuses personalized instruction around students’ interests, learning styles and aptitudes through a variety of small learning community approaches.

So instead of getting lost in the bustle of a new world, freshmen had the opportunity to become familiar with their campus, procedures and teachers without the stress of a full building on their first day of school.

South Houston High School’s principal Steve Fullen said the first day for freshmen is twofold as it not only allows students to familiarize themselves with the campus in the absence of upperclassmen, but allows the staff to begin building relationships with the new students as well.

“Everything we know tells us students perform to a higher standard when they know their teachers are genuinely interested in them,” Fullen said. “Having them here a day early allows us to pamper them some and give the extra attention they need to gain a sense of excitement about their high school career.”

All five high school campuses had first day orientations planned for their students with fun team building activities and pep rallies. The students also spent time in each of their classes with their teachers and in the lunch room learning rules and procedures. Students also had the opportunity to learn about all the organizations/clubs and to sign up for the ones they were interested in.

This was the first year Pasadena High School implemented the initiative, and the school’s principal Chris Bolyard said he is really excited due to the success of the program last year at other Pasadena ISD high schools.

“Each of our class periods had a specific lesson or activity designed to be fun and engaging while orienting our new students to the building and the programs at Pasadena High School,” said Bolyard. “It’s important for our freshmen to feel welcome and begin to develop relationships with our faculty. First impressions are important, so we put a lot of effort into making sure they have as many positive interactions with the staff as possible.”

Freshmen are broken into about six teams of anywhere between 100 and 150 students, depending on the campus. Each team is led by four core subject area teachers including science, social studies, math and English. The core teachers have a common planning period so they collaborate in a cross-curricular fashion, as well as discuss issues or conference with students. The students’ core classes are held in one area of the building.

“Expectation Graduation is designed to ensure each freshman student is well-known by at least four adults on the campus,” Pasadena Memorial High School principal Billye Smith said. “The four teachers are responsible for monitoring their students’ grades and attendance, as well as student participation in clubs, student organizations and extracurricular activities. We intervene at the first sign of a struggle—whether it is academic or social. Our goal is to ensure each student’s academic, social and emotional success, thereby preparing them for three more successful years.”

Classroom, homework and exam procedures are the same for each of the core teachers in a team to maintain consistency for students from classroom to classroom.

“Experiencing consistency in every class is important for students,” said Smith. “As rules and/or procedures change from class to class (teacher to teacher), students may inadvertently make a mistake and either loses points for something as simple as a heading on a paper or does something that appears as disobedient to the teacher. The student may not have done this intentionally, but the student’s grade and/or relationship with the teacher may suffer. Just like consistent rules and procedures help students feel confident about behavior expectations, so do consistent teaching strategies.”

Through Expectation Graduation, students will have a designated tutorial/homework period each day to give every student access to extra help with their teacher during the regular school day. Students who are earning a C or below will be monitored carefully and individualized plans will be implemented to ensure grades are improved.

“The idea behind Expectation Graduation is that a student’s lack of success at the freshman level and their failure to receive their credits causes them to fall behind academically and eventually give up,” said Sam Rayburn High School’s principal Robert Stock. “We are in hopes of increasing the overall graduation rate by assisting students at a very crucial period in their life and guiding them through academic, disciplinary and social issues they may have.”

Ninth grade students will also be encouraged to take all the Pre-AP classes they can handle including geometry, biology, English and world geography. Speech and Health are also no longer required at the freshman level.

“High school students are entering a critical time in their lives that will lay the foundation for their future, and we have to build better relationships with them as they enter the ninth grade,” said Pasadena ISD Superintendent Kirk Lewis. “Breaking the school down into smaller learning communities will help build that relationship. Students have to do the work, and we have to provide a quality and focused instructional program that is real and relevant to their needs because in the end, both the student and staff bear responsibility for learning. We must hold high standards and provide the teaching and re-teaching necessary for students to grasp higher level concepts. The students will respond to that challenge if they know we care and will do everything we can to make them successful.”