A visit to the Morgan County Board of Education using Google Maps may land a novice traveler in the middle of a hay field at the end of Poor Man’s Road by accident. However, once redirected, a gem of a school system successfully utilizing ACCESS is discovered. The Morgan County School District consists of approximately 7500 students. Nestled in farmland and surrounded by distinctive communities, five high schools and two middle schools emerge as schools demonstrating success when completing a data analysis for ACCESS across the Madison City Support Center area. Over 400 students in Grades 9-12 use ACCESS with a district average success rate of 84%. Regardless of whether students are attending the newly built Priceville High School or the oldest school in Morgan County, Falkville High School, the expectation for student success remains consistent.
Visiting each campus provides a glimpse of the unique climate and culture of each school. Like many rural districts in Alabama, community pride runs deep at each campus and is probably even more evident under Friday night lights in the fall. The schools, which can be separated by many miles of winding roads as well as differences in socioeconomic status, have found common ground through the use of ACCESS. Mr. Bill Hopkins stated, “As a superintendent trying to create equality and equity among all our schools, I see [ACCESS] as something that is huge for us because it allows our students to be on an even playing field throughout the county and as we compete with other school systems. It is a great addition to the menu that we have for academics here!”
Since students in Morgan County are able to view all options, many choose to take online classes as part of their “academic menu". When students look at the menu, they get to decide which courses they want to take using ACCESS. Mackenleigh Rhodes, a senior at West Morgan High School, shared that she actually chooses to take all of her classes, with the exception of band and math, using ACCESS. “I prefer [ACCESS to] sitting in a traditional classroom. I can learn at my own pace, and I can always go back and review the information if I need to. If I need the teacher, he is always there because he is literally only one email away,” Mackenleigh explained.
Patrick Patterson, Director of Secondary Instruction, indicated that ACCESS is implemented differently at each school. At West Morgan High School, one facilitator, Ms. Diane King, operates a traditional ACCESS lab for students. At A.P. Brewer, three different coaches rotate times for facilitating ACCESS. Meanwhile, at Danville, various teachers are assigned to the lab throughout the day. Each principal has the autonomy to make the schedule work at the school level. However, the one thing that remains constant is the expectation for the successful use of ACCESS at all schools. “It starts at the top. When we make it a priority, when you put the children and their needs first, that knocks a lot of obstacles out of the way. We want to offer multiple opportunities for students in Morgan County,” Superintendent Hopkins replied.
Hopkins has been associated with using ACCESS for almost 15 years. “It is very easy to sell something early, but what is really impressive with our relationship with ACCESS is that it has withstood the test of time. It has withstood the test of multiple administrators at the district and school levels,” he explained. Mr. Patterson indicated that Morgan County’s solution from day one has been to provide endless opportunities for students. The partnership with ACCESS has provided the school district with a way to open many academic doors that it otherwise could not provide or support due to financial constraints. “Financially, you can’t just put a French teacher for five kids in one of our schools,” the superintendent continued. So, the model is that all classes are listed as options on the registration form for students. Mr. Patterson explained that if a parent states that they want their child to take French, then the response is that absolutely that class is offered, and the format is through the use of ACCESS.
In addition to high expectations, other factors are also consistent. First and foremost, there are great facilitators in every school. Regardless of the design, the facilitators obviously care about the success of the students and manage each class to maximize student completion of assignments. Greg Keenum, Danville High School ACCESS facilitator and DHS math teacher, works individually with students to answer questions and ensure success. When asked about the success at A.P. Brewer, facilitator John Raper replied, “The main factor is that our students are willing participants, and they are the ones [who] need to be recognized.”
ACCESS classes are taught by certified teachers and must meet all of the Alabama Course of Study standards. The virtual teachers work closely with each facilitator as well as the students to make sure that students are meeting academic expectations.
Another factor of Morgan County’s success is the district’s implementation of the use of School Status as a part of a district initiative to increase communication with parents. Mr. Raper stated, “In just a matter of [a few] key strokes, I can send a parent a text asking them to talk with their child about their ACCESS grades. It has been a quick and easy documented fix to student performance.” Hiring competent, caring, and engaging facilitators, providing students with options where they can choose their own academic pathway, and frequently communicating with parents have all led to Morgan County’s successful implementation with ACCESS.
So, whether a student prefers ACCESS as a full academic meal or just a supplementary, elective snack, they are being served exactly what they need in Morgan County!