Pilot program results very positive at North Greene
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By Carmen Ensinger
North Greene School Board members heard the results of a pilot program the district participated in last year from the Regional Office of Education (ROE) called the Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) at their November meeting.
“We agreed to be the pilot school district for this program last year,” North Greene Superintendent Jackie Kuchy said. “The ROE received a grant and they basically put student advocates in your buildings. Last year we had two people serving kids in grades 4 through 12.”
The ROE offers this program to districts within their region and the student advocates put into the schools act as mentors for students who are identified as at-risk of academic failure. The program’s goal is to enhance academic achievement by boosting attendance and graduation rates while reducing behavioral issues.
“They support the kids by making sure things get turned in and then there are some social and emotional interventions that they can do,” Kuchy said. “They are kind of their ‘person’. They have a case load and they serve those kids and meet with them weekly and check on their grades and meet with their teachers and hold them accountable for getting to school.
Students are identified as being “at-risk”; in three categories: academic, attendance and behavior. Advocates customize interventions to meet the specific needs of each student by:
Regularly meeting with students one-on-one or in small group settings.
Setting goals and tracking progress.
Monitoring academic progress and attendance to provide appropriate support.
Communicating with staff and families.
Mentoring for social/emotional or behavioral support.
Building self-advocacy skills.
Using preventative and restorative practices.
Last year, the program served 58 students in the North Greene District and statistics were presented to the board by the two advocates. Lisa Walter was the advocate for grades 4 through 8 and Drew Kirby for grades 9 through 12.
In grades 4 through 6, 87 percent of students in the program received less behavior infractions while 80 percent of students improved their attendance rate. One hundred percent of the students demonstrated growth on STAR Math and Reading Assessments.
In grades 7 through 8, 90 percent of students met or exceeded individual growth goals, while 78 percent of students improved their attendance rate. Ninety percent of the students were promoted.
At the high school level, 96 percent of students improved in their attendance rate, while 88 percent of students improved their grade point average with 100 percent of the seniors in the program graduating.
Kuchy said in the future the program might include students in lower grades.
“There is legislation right now to lower it below the fourth grade level because we do see a challenge in the primary grades as well,” she said. “I know we have some students who would benefit from the program here at North Greene.”