Board turns down program for at-risk kids

A motion to try out a new software program that could have helped at-risk junior and senior high students at a summer school program failed Monday evening when McCook Public Schools board of education members split 3-3 over the use of the "A+ Learning System."

Board member Diane Lyons wants more research and policies in place before considering the adoption of the learning system. Fellow board member Mike Gonzales wants to take advantage of a 90-day trial period and use the system as the basis for summer school classes for at-risk kids. Board members Shane Messersmith and Larry Shield sided with Lyons; Greg Larson and Tom Bredvick voted with Gonzales.

Lyons' motion, to create a team to study the system further, passed 4-2; Gonzales and Bredvick voted "no."

The A+ Learning System is a software curriculum designed for at-risk students, ACT preparation, credit recovery, summer school, AP (advanced placement) classes and world language offerings. As a curriculum, its adoption must be approved by the board of education. Its use in McCook would address learning styles of students particularly at the LIFT (alternative) high school and would replace the curriculum now in use there, said Superintendent Dave Schley; applications in other areas of education are "bonuses" to the system, he said.

Gonzales wants to implement the curriculum to create a summer school program to address, in particular, the 43 freshmen who failed 101 core classes during the first semester of this school year and the 84 junior high students who have failed core classes.

A 90-day trial would cost the school $2,200 in training plus the purchase of a dedicated server, estimated to cost $5,000. If, at the end of the trial, the board would decide not to proceed with the purchase of the A+ program, the server could be used elsewhere in the school system, said finance director Rick Haney.

If the program were to be adopted, the cost of the training is subtracted from the purchase price of $42,550 (which includes three optional packages costing $9,800). A standard package for grades 6-12 has 70 titles (courses) that would be customized to McCook's needs. A renewal package for following years includes curriculum updates for $4,000 per year.

Schley said the 90-day trial would be "a great test" of the system, "a good way to get the program started," before using it during the regular school year.

Bredvick said the IT (information technology) approach to teaching "is not the way we want to teach in McCook," and that he does not want computer time to replace face-to-face contact with a teacher. He does, however, see the A+ learning system being used for tutorials, refreshers and credit recovery.

Bredvick suggested starting the use of the program by targeting one segment -- such as the freshmen -- rather than trying to develop a summer school program for everyone 6-12, and then tracking whether goals are met with that segment.

High school principal Jerry Smith said the summer school would be offered only to students who have failed a class and who have a teacher recommendation. It would cost $100 per student, although, as with other school programs with fees, waivers would be available, Schley said.

Summer school would be pass-fail, and, with no number grade, it would not improve or decrease a student's grade point average.

The A+ Learning System is aligned with state standards and with McCook's curriculum, Smith said.

"I have 10 teachers who want to teach," Smith told board members. A teacher would cost $25 an hour and a para-professional would cost $12.50 an hour, Schley said. The number of teachers needed for a summer school program would depend upon the number of students signing up, he said.

Haney said that funding for the trial period (for training and the server) could come from a $323,829 TeamMates/Mentoring grant, the schools' special education budget or from the board's budget.

Lyons wants to be assured that the curriculum taught during a summer school program would be the same and equivalent to McCook's nine-month curriculum. Schley told her that a summer school, because of its condensed timeline, cannot teach everything missed in the classroom during a semester or a nine-month school year. It does, however, give a student an opportunity to catch up and proceed with his/her class to the next grade, he said.

Lyons said she wants policies in place before implementing a curriculum. "I hate to rush even if we need it for summer school," she said. She wants to know whether A+ matches McCook's curriculum, how much it costs, who administers it, who monitors it, who's eligible, in written policy. In a motion, she recommended creating a team -- including McCook's curriculum coordinator and junior and senior high faculty members -- to study the program further and to bring back answers by the May meeting.

Gonzales said, "Time is of the essence. Waiting until May is too late," explaining that the program's trial period would take care of summer school. An investment of $7,200 "is a minute investment in these at-risk kids," he said.

Bredvick said he would support the program, but would appreciate more information on it in May. Larson said he didn't like the timeline and the pressure to make a decision immediately, but he did vote to proceed with the 90-day trial period.

Accepting the 90-day trial would have involved a recommendation at the July meeting whether or not to proceed with the program for the school year.