ALP

The Alternative Learning Program (ALP) is designed to facilitate students who are identified by themselves, their families, guidance counselors, teachers and other staff members as being “at risk” for dropping out of school. The program emphasizes an active approach to learning which, coupled with a relatively low teacher-student ratio, enables students who have had limited success within more traditional classroom settings to experience both academic and personal growth. Instructional strategies include small group activities, classroom discussion, individual conferencing, response groups, and a variety of technologies designed to increase students’ skills for post-high school pursuits.

The successful applicant to the Alternative Learning Program has the following attributes: a sincere desire to change the direction of her/his academic experience, a willingness to commit to the goals and rules of the program, and the ability to invest necessary time and energy toward achieving success.

The student’s school day consists of a combination of ALP classes and appropriate courses chosen from the regular curriculum. ALP courses are designed to fulfill graduation credit and distribution requirements: they are deemed Level 2 (college preparatory) in expectations and curriculum. This means they are equivalent to those offered for students considering college after high school, and appear on the student’s transcript as such. Course requirements include class work, homework, and class participation, and a variety of formative and summative assessment tools are used, including those common to equivalent courses offered in the high school’s standard curriculum.

Implicit in the design of the Alternative Learning Program is the awareness of the need for students to accept responsibility for their choices and actions; develop their post-high school aspirations and goals; manage anxiety and other factors that interfere with academic success; and develop positive mindsets and practices.

Students and parents/guardians participate in an interview, and must sign a contract agreeing to comply with ALP behavioral expectations, if they choose to pursue enrollment in the program. Facilitating students in developing their full potential and in pursuing their post-high school aspirations are the primary objectives of the Alternative Learning Program.