Helping Struggling Students
One thing the No Child Left Behind Act has going for it is the clarity and purpose expressed in its name. In ringing simplicity, the act declares that every child in every school will learn and achieve at high levels.
A challenge in meeting that goal, though, is not every student learns in the same way or at the same rate. Some students are a whiz at math while others struggle. Some students read and write effortlessly while others labor.
For any subject, students start in different places and learn at different paces. When student struggles go beyond assistance that a classroom teacher can offer, how do schools provide help? When students fall behind, how do schools help them catch up?
If a student is not learning, schools and school districts must have plans and programs ready to respond. Below are thumbnail sketches of some of the programs Putnam City provides at the secondary level to help struggling students:
Summer Bridge
In this new program, classes are offered as intervention for academically at-risk 5th and 8th graders in transition to middle school and high school. The classes are intended to help them build reading and math skills.
Freshman Academy
Freshman Academy is a program started at Putnam City High School during the 2004-2005 school year. The program identified 100 incoming 9th-grade students who were at greatest risk for failure, then provided targeted academic and emotional support. As a result, grade point averages for students in the Freshman Academy averaged about one full point higher than their 8th-grade grade point average. Discipline referrals for Freshman Academy students were lower in number and in severity than when they were in grade 8. During the 2005-2006 school year, a Freshman Academy is in place both at Putnam City High and Putnam City West High School.
Support Class
During the 2005-2006 school year, the support class will be required for selected students who scored in the limited knowledge or unsatisfactory range on the 8th grade reading and/or math criterion referenced test. The class is a concentrated effort to eliminate gaps in student literacy and math skills and to provide students with direct assistance in mastering course content and completing assignments. Students take the support class in conjunction with English I and Algebra I classes.
Tutoring
Each high school offers tutoring before and after school four days a week. With extra help, students may pick up skills and concepts to succeed.
Flexible Friday
During the 2005-2006 school year, each Friday at 3 p.m. at Putnam City High School, students who have Ds or Fs in a class or who have failed to turn in assignments will meet with teachers for 45 minutes of extra help. Students who are making As, Bs or Cs and have no missed assignments have the option to leave school, 45 minutes before the regular end-of-school time.
Fifth Block
Remediation courses are available to students who have failed core subjects. Fifth-block classes gives students the opportunity to master material and successfully complete classes so they don’t become credit deficient and fall behind their graduating class. The courses offered vary with each high school. Fifth Block is offered at each high school at the end of the day. The curriculum is independent and self-paced.
SOAR (Student of Academic Recovery)
This district tuition program is offered for two hours each Monday through Thursday evening at Putnam City Academy. Seniors who are deficient two credits are eligible to retake failed courses. Students must obtain a counselor’s referral and credit check before acceptance. Curriculum is self-paced and competency-based. The cost is $90 per ½ credit. Scholarships may be available through a student’s home high school. Enrollment is open throughout the year, beginning in September. Early enrollment is encouraged to secure credit recovery for graduation.
Correspondence Courses
For students who need to catch up on credits and would benefit from a different approach to learning, Putnam City accepts up to two full credits earned through correspondence courses offered through the University of Oklahoma and American School. Information about the courses is available through school counseling offices, and applications must be approved through the student’s counselor. Coursework is sent back and forth through the mail. The final test must be taken in the counseling office. There is a cost which varies per subject.
High School Online
Much like the correspondence courses, students may catch up on credits through online classes. Students enroll in the University of Oklahoma’s High School Online program through the counseling office of their home high school. Students access the course materials online, submit assignments, receive feedback, and then take proctored exams. The university charges tuition and other fees.
Summer School
Summer school has long been a way for students to deepen understanding of an area and make up credits when they have failed a core subject. The district offers two sessions of summer each summer. Students must enroll through the counseling office.
Middle School Alternative Track
Putnam City’s middle school alternative classes are designed to support students that have been unsuccessful in a traditional school setting yet are committed to reaching their educational goals. The target population is at-risk due to factors such as low academic functioning, truancy, lack of interest and motivation involving school work, behavior difficulties and life crises.
Putnam City Academy
Putnam City Academy, the district’s alternative high school, is designed to serve students who have not fared well in traditional classroom settings and schools. Often for these students, issues of loss or other difficulties outside of school have led to difficulties in school. The Academy offers smaller class sizes, more support services (counseling, support groups, day care, etc.) and more personal attention. Students must be referred to Putnam City Academy through their high school. The Academy’s role is both dropout prevention and dropout recovery. The Academy typically has 125 to 150 students.
Project Hope
Francis Tuttle, in cooperation with Crescent, Deer Creek, Millwood, Putnam City, Western Heights and Edmond school districts, offers an alternative educational program to students who have dropped out of school. The purpose of Project HOPE is to offer an alternative pathway for students to achieve career goals. Students are enrolled in approximately three hours of vocational instruction and three hours of academic instruction at Francis Tuttle. Credits are issued by the students’ home schools. Project Hope classes are offered at both north and south campuses of Francis Tuttle.
Project Strive
Project STRIVE is a Putnam City program designed to provide supportive environments for middle school and high school students whose behavior or poor academic readiness is interfering with their ability to be successful in a regular school setting. Innovative curriculum, counseling and social skills are an integral part of everyday learning. Often, these students return to and are successful in their regular neighborhood schools. Home instruction, credit recovery and an evening program are elements of Project Strive.