Steps to Success

A 9th grade course designed around Decision Skills

9th Grade On-Track Outcomes

Steps to Success is a semester course where every 9th grader learns Decision Skills while adjusting to high school and improves 9th grade on-track outcomes like credits earned and GPA that are shown to increase graduation rate.

Even upon graduating high school, many students may still be lacking in real-world life skills. Study habits and academics are important, but so is knowing how to be resilient and navigate in the adult world. Steps to Success is a semester long course for every 9th grader with practical steps towards improving 9th grade on-track outcomes like credits earned, GPA, attendance, discipline issues, and graduation rates.

Given skills for Decision Quality, students will use decision-making strategies to make informed decisions about high school and beyond. The primary areas addressed in the Steps to Success program are:

Personal Best

Through opportunities for goal setting, reflection, team building, time management, and technology and social media awareness, students will use strategies to become self-managers academically, socially, and personally.

Academic Success

Given instruction and strategies, students will build skills for self-monitoring and self-advocacy by assessing academic success through GPA calculations and grade checks, by goal-setting, and by building good study habits and communication skills.

Career Exploration

Through opportunities to meet with speakers in different professions, visits to colleges/universities, and through research, students will identify three or more careers that align with who they want to be and what their measure of success is at graduation and beyond.​

Program Benefits:

  • Freshmen establish a strong and more confident foundation for high school.
  • Students learn self-efficacy and self-moderated behavior
  • Students are encouraged to engage in school academic and social activities
  • Students learn fundamental life skills to take beyond high school
  • Students learn processes to handle their new empowerment in new small, medium, and large responsibilities
  • Student chances for success are improved
  • Students add depth to college and career readiness using a Decision Skills lens

How it works:

  • We train teachers in our Decision Skills content.
  • We provide program curriculum and materials.
  • We recommend how to effectively deliver the lessons in context of your existing content.
  • We provide ongoing support.

Steps to Success Workbook Cover