Warrior notes: Success Center shows results
By REX WATSON
Superintendent, Peabody-Burns USD 398
At the November board of education meeting, Mr. Robertson presented a report on the Peabody-Burns Success Center. By all accounts, the Success Center is working as planned to provide students with outside-the-box opportunities to make up credits that have previously been lost.
Current data indicates that there are 26 students working on 45 courses through the Success Center. Fifteen of the students are taking only one course in the Success Center and the remaining 11 students are taking two or more classes.
Students currently are enrolled in English I, II, III, pre-algebra, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, earth science, biology, world history, and American government.
In most traditional learning environments, the amount of time students spend in the classroom is pre-determined but as we know, students learn varying amounts of information during the time they are in class.
I often describe the traditional classroom learning environment by saying that time is the constant and learning is the variable. I worry that we have a system that places more value on the amount of time a student is in class than on the amount of knowledge that is gained.
That traditional environment causes huge problems for many students. Students who learn quickly often are required to put in a required amount of seat time before advancing to the next learning opportunity. For these students, boredom often is the result. Students who don't learn as quickly often are hurried along only to end up failing the course.
Although progress in the Success Center is measured against the traditional nine-week and semester schedules, students do not advance until they have mastered the required content and learning objectives. They do, however advance just as soon as they are ready. Students work at their own pace with their only option being successful completion of their coursework.
The model followed in the Success Center places the greatest value on the learning that takes place and puts less emphasis on the time required to learn.
How do the students feel about taking classes in the Success Center? One student's response was, "Just look at my class grades last year and now look at them, this year." That particular student already has completed all of the coursework for English II and is 70 percent complete in biology.
Another student in the program is well on their way to making up lost credit for an entire year of science by the end of the first semester.
As the staff continues to refine the program, we anticipate developing incentives that encourage students to stay focused and on task. We also will be looking at opportunities to shorten the time frame between success and the rewards that follow.
