In general, though, alternative education programs are developed to serve students who are unable to benefit from “traditional” school programs; this can include those with behavioral problems, those who have dropped out, or those with chronically poor attendance. Alternative schools are designed to educate students who have not been successful in regular schools, often because of behavior, disciplinary and safety concerns. North Pointe Student Creates Lasting Memories with School Television Show, Arizona Charter School Leaders, Advocates Visit Gov. Although 43 states and the District of Columbia have formal definitions of “alternative education,” there are significant variations across state borders. Even the editors at eSN get caught up in this seeming fact sometimes. Alt Ed students must take the same classes as regular education students, must cover the same curriculum, and must pass the same EOIs in order to graduate. While in Alt Ed, these same students accumulated a GPA of 2.9, they attended classes 94 percent of the time, and only 4 percent have been suspended for a total of 1,238 days—a 93 percent reduction. The department of education reports graduation rates over the span of four to seven years for each cohort of potential graduates that enter high school within a given year. Ducey and Legislators, significant variations across state borders. Counselors help them to overcome problems so that they can focus on their studies, because the school has an outstanding teaching staff who have dedicated their careers to helping struggling students learn to succeed, and because these students work very hard. It seems that we all have these alternative facts we tell ourselves instead of the truth, and education is no different. Myth #2:  Alt Ed students aren’t like the kids in my neighborhood. As the debate over a new accountability system for Arizona rages on, alternative schools across the state are facing the unknown for how their educational philosophies and outcomes will be measured in the years to come. Myth #1:  The Alternative School is where all of the bad kids have to go. These data suggest that a corresponding reduction in the number of alternative schools positively impacted the overall quality as measured by increased graduation rates. Certainly, these data can’t confirm this hypothesis but it does beg the question. What is “fake news?” How does it differ from “real” news; and how can you ensure your own writing is accurate? Since the school is always full and always has a waiting list, only those students who need the program the most and are most likely to benefit from it are accepted. If not, there’s no need to use it. Register today and receive free access to all our news and resources and the ability to customize your news by topic with My eSchool News. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Given that same cohort, though, alternative schools, on average, had graduated 49% of their students over the course of five years. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Fact #1: No one has to attend the Alternative School; it is strictly a voluntary program. Interestingly, the number of charter alternative schools has stayed relatively stable during the time period, while a reduction in the number of district alternative schools has fueled the waning trend within the sector. Rosa Parks Early Childhood Education Center Home. Our research shows two notable facts:  (1) from 2012 to 2015, alternative schools – both district and charter – have seen rising four- and five- year  graduation rates, and (2) the number of alternative schools and number of students enrolled in alternative schools have declined since 2012 by 18% and 16%, respectively. Register now. Before working at eSchool Media, Meris worked as an assistant editor for The World and I, an online curriculum publication. © Copyright 2020 eSchoolMedia & eSchool News. Given the relative number of alternative schools it’s not surprising that little time has been spent on the development of the alternative school framework. If technology helps support those practices, great! This month, the Association examines these Arizona schools that often go overlooked, and their role in the state education system moving forward. They come from every elementary school in Union, from wealthy families and impoverished families, from every race, and equally from both genders. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a BA in English, and enjoys spending way too much time either reading or cooking. The below graph shows how average graduation rates in alternative schools have increased over time for all alternative schools: var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1488321862423'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); The A-F letter grade accountability system for public schools, including alternative schools, was put on hold after the 2014 results. Fact #2: Alt Ed students represent a broad cross section of Union students. True progress in education comes not from the latest gizmo, but from practices that think outside the box in terms of helping each individual student. Some states’ alternative schools offer regular instruction, social skills support, career education, or behavioral services, while others’ do not. It’s the 21st century. Their commonality is that—no matter what has happened in the past—they are ready to put their problems behind them and get their education off to a new start. How Technology is Helping Schools Get Safely Back... A full definition of Arizona alternative schools and school populations can be found here. The Association reached out to the department of education for the data, and as of this blog’s press time, the data had not been obtained. The average student entering the program was absent 22 days during his or her last semester in regular education - 46 percent of entering students had been suspended for a total of 16,794 days in regular ed over the past 11 years. With so much coverage of what schools are doing with digital resources and technology, it can feel like every school is on the cutting edge of digital implementation. Alternative Fact 2: Every school can use online resources if they want. Alternative school accountability methods are anticipated in August 2017, but who are these alternative schools, and whom are they serving? We found that for the 2015 cohort, an average alternative school graduated 38% of its eligible students in four years. Alternative schools are defined as schools that serve specific populations of at-risk students. “At risk” is defined in statute as a student who meets any one of six categories- documented disruptive behavior, dropout, struggling academically, adjudicated, primary care giver or ward of the state. Real Fact: Learning gets better with personalized, innovative teaching practices. [1] Data on six- and seven-year graduation rates is currently not posted on ADE’s website. Taught By: Liesl Schillinger. The alternative schools may include multi-age groupings, integrated curriculum or holistic learning, parental involvement, and descriptive reports rather than grades.