BANGOR, PA. – Bangor Area High School, a client since 2003, has achieved many successes with EdOptions and continues to grow its program offerings as Assistant Principal Jack Boyd identifies and implements new ways to offer EdOptions Stars Suite® to students.
Initially, Bangor Area High School (BAHS) started using EdOptions Stars Suite® as a summer school solution. Since 2003, between 60 and 80 students have enrolled each summer, achieving a course completion rate of 95%. Two hundred six additional students, who were at risk of not graduating, have earned diplomas through this program since 2006.
EdOptions’ summer school program is not only for students who have fallen behind. BAHS also utilizes Stars Suite® to offer a Summer Enrichment Program for students looking to get ahead. An estimated 10% of BAHS students using Stars Suite® are doing so to accelerate their education.
Building on the success of the summer school program, Assistant Principal Boyd began to integrate EdOptions into the regular school year through several initiatives. The first of these initiatives was credit recovery, through which students who are not on track to graduate on time can take one course at a time to gain credits and catch up to their peers.
Boyd then began to offer EdOptions to homebound and hospitalized students. “One teacher can deliver the entire curriculum and parents monitor the students. I cannot tell you how appreciative the parents were that their children were able to continue their education despite their lack of mobility,” Boyd says.
Expelled students and students who have difficulty interacting with teachers have also successfully used EdOptions as an alternative to the traditional classroom, and at a savings to the school district. Boyd explains, “with the great selection of coursework and the ability to keep the lines of communication and control between the student and the district, we have found this to be a win-win situation.” When necessary, students are able to complete their coursework from a computer lab one period a day, or away from school entirely.
The most impressive solution BAHS has implemented is the 13th year graduation program. This program allows students who did not graduate with their class to do all of their coursework from home, as long as they also have a full-time job. Since the program’s inception in 2005, 36 students have returned for a 13th year and have earned their high school diplomas.
In the next year, BAHS intends to begin a twilight program for afterschool learning as well as a cyber school, utilizing EdOptions’ Stars Suite®. "Curriculum availability and accessibility is my favorite part of Stars Suite®," states Boyd. His advice for other schools looking into EdOptions is, “this is an outstanding product. It may not solve all your problems, but it opens new possibilities. Don’t limit yourself; use your imagination to find ways to help your students succeed.”
