Learning to write is a sequential process, and by the ninth grade your child is expected to have traveled a good length of the writing spectrum. Writing skills are essential to your child's success in the classroom in high school, college and beyond.

Writing skills are crucial when applying to applying to private high schools or specialized public high school programs. Beyond high school, your student will have to be more than comfortable with the basics of writing and composition if they wish to attend college. Regardless of your child's interests, their writing skills are essential to communication in the work place. Writing is an essential skill in every part of life.

To give you an idea of where your ninth grader should be and what lies ahead for him, Dr. Mel Levine, author of the book 'Developmental Variation and Learning Disorders,' has compiled lists to help parents assess their children's writing abilities.

Prior to Entering 9th Grade:

High school teachers expect more from their students. If you child establishes their presence in the classroom early, maintains confidence, builds good relationships with their teachers, and knows where and when to ask for help, they'll be able to excel and build the composition skills needed to express themselves.

According to Dr. Levine, by the end of middle school children should experience the following changes and improvements in their writing:

• An increase in the ability to use writing to express a viewpoint.
• Increased ability to use writing to aid in thinking, problem solving, and remembering.
• Increased ability to synthesize ideas from different sources.
• Writing at a level that exceeds that of their own speech.
• Extensive use of transitions like 'finally' and 'for example'.

Upon Entering the 9th Grade and Beyond

Ensure that your ninth grader is at a level of writing appropriate for their age so they'll be ready for the challenges that lay ahead. In his book, Dr. Levine lists what you can expect your child to learn about writing in their first years of high school:

• They will learn to use a writing style appropriate to the subject.
• They will become more creative with her writing.
• They will learn to use sentences of that vary in length and complexity.
• They will write with increasingly sophisticated vocabulary.
• They will develop their own writing style.

Knowing where your child should be upon entering the ninth grade and knowing what to expect upon entering high school ensures that your student will be able to understand, appreciate, and utilize advanced writing skills in a number of settings and environments for the rest of their life. Try to remember the important role that writing and composition plays in a child's comfort and confidence with school work and their future successes in life!