Alternative education: FHS program ‘guides’ students
Posted on Monday, September 29, 2008
ANDY SHUPE Northwest Arkansas Times Anne Mitchell, 15, a sophomore at Fayetteville High School and a member of the FHS Marching Bulldog Band, picks up litter along West Dickson Street on Sunday morning in the wake of the Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally. Band members and their families cleaned again this year to raise money for the band’s planned trip to New York City to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Editor's note: This is the second of a two part-series looking at some of the alternative learning programs in Washington County.
Cade Becton admits that he finds course work easier and has less homework than he did in the regular classrooms at FHS now that he has entered the Uptown program at Fayetteville High School's Bates Annex.
"I actually am learning something instead of just failing all my classes," he said.
Uptown is one of the programs within alternative learning environment at FHS, which has been named the Agee-Lierly Life Preparation Services Center, or ALLPS Center. The Uptown program, first founded in 1972, is designed as a "credit recovery"program where students can make up lost credits, Uptown coordinator and teacher Joel Henderson said.
During a typical fifth period class, one student might work on social studies while other students work on math and science. Students use a computer or complete assignments in a workbook for the program.
"They let you work at your own pace," student Jonathan Smith said.
The technical term for the curriculum is "independent studies," but teacher Leon Archer said they prefer "guided studies," as the students are supervised by the teacher.
Student success may also be contributed to the fact that many of the classes the students take are repeats of classes they once took.
"Even if they failed a class, they got something out of it," Archer said.
Besides the Uptown program, ALLPS has a group of teachers that teach the core subjects such as social studies, math, English and science. At a Fayetteville Board of Education meeting, ALLPS was touted by school administrators and the staff as an example of a "small learning community"at the high school.
The board has expressed an interest with implementing small learning communities in a future redesign of the high school.
Although the high school houses grades 10-12 under the district's current grade format, the alternative program also takes in some ninth grade students from the district's junior highs.
"We have one group of about 30 ninth-graders," ALLPS counselor Lu Ann Raymick said.
ALLPS is considered an integrated on-site program, as students may still take some of their electives and courses in traditional high school classrooms.
"They take the bulk of their electives at the high school," Raymick said.
Henderson said they would like to offer more electives through Uptown, but the new computer software used in the program will not permit it.
Entering the program With the program's integrated approach to keeping students on the high school campus - some alternative programs operate their own facility away from the main campus - Raymick said many of the students consider themselves regular high school students.
When they graduate, they get the same type of high school diploma as other FHS graduates.
Currently, there is no sign in the hallways where the program is located identifying it as the ALLPS center. Most of the signs for the Uptown program are inside the classroom.
How much a student in the program wants to be known among his or her peers as an alternative student probably varies from one individual to another, Archer said.
"Some of them are proud to be part of ALLPS," he said.
Students may get referred to the program for a variety of reasons, not simply because of past discipline problems or poor performance.
Raymick said to qualify for the ALLPS program, the student must exhibit at least two of the following characteristics • Disruptive behavior • Drop-out • Personal / family problems • Recurring absenteeism • Transition from residential program • Victim of abuse • Frequent changes in residency • Homelessness • Inadequate emotional support • Mental / physical health problems • Pregnancy • Student is a single parent On Sept. 18, the ALLPS faculty hosted a cookout in the parking lot behind the Bates Annex for parents and students. Henderson said the program used to host the cookouts to introduce parents to the program when it was located at the former West Campus Technical Center facility on Old Farmington Road.
Henderson and Archer were among the teachers put together a band to play music during the cookout. They dubbed themselves "The ALLPS Brothers."
One parent at the cookout, who had declined to give her name, said she appreciated what the program had done for her daughter. "I think if she was in the regular classroom, she wouldn't be doing as well," she said.
Program differences The state has strict student-to-teacher ratio requirements for alternative programs. The class size is limited to 15 students, or 18 with an aide, Raymick said. Fifteen is half of what the regular classroom ratio requirement is. The program also has a limit of 150 students due to the size limits and a waiting list of about 15 to 20 students looking to enroll, she said. "There's more one on one involvement," Uptown student Kelley Van Valkenberg said. "I like it. It's smaller, not nearly as many people," Becton added. Van Valkenberg said the smaller size of the classes and less students at the Bates facility probably prompts less unruly behavior. "There's more drama up there than there is down here," she said. Van Valkenberg said the Uptown classroom is usually quiet, with students working on their individual assignments.
The biggest issue with the students as far as discipline problems is attendance, Henderson said.
As Thursday's fifth hour class got under way, Henderson thanked one girl for being on time and told a boy who returned from lunch," No flats today ?"
The student replied his vehicle was "flat free."
Henderson said he would like to see the state develop a "certificate of attendance "for some students as an option to earning a high school diploma.
Maybe it is just coincidence, but besides working in an alternative environment, Henderson's appearance is different from what people might expect in a high school teacher.
A tall man with a long gray beard and long hair, Henderson wore black motorcycle-riding attire during the cookout on Sept. 18. At least one parent came up to him and said he couldn't believe Henderson was his son's teacher.
Henderson also admits that the week Fayetteville hosts the Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally is the one week he wishes he could take off work.
"I've got four bikes," he said.
Archer was asked if Henderson's atypical appearance for high school teachers helps him relate with the ALLPS parents.
"Let me put it this way, I've never seen it be a hindrance," Archer said. "Parents are more apt to be relaxed than intimidated. He's real personable and engaging."
Alternative programs are known for giving students second chances, and this summer, ALLPS Principal Kirk Sutton received his own second chance from the Fayetteville Board of Education.
Sutton had been recommended for termination after a spring semester arrest for driving while intoxicated, but the school board voted to allow him to retain his job.
"The faculty was supportive of him coming back," Archer said.
The duties Sutton has been assigned require him to spend some of his time on the main FHS campus, but Archer said the faculty hopes some day the principal will be able to stay in Bates all day.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
