A fight is brewing at my grandkids school district

[Desert grandma]

29. The High School my grandchildren attend has developed a unique way of handling this.

They attend a charter high school of about 300 students here in our very urban city. The school has a team of dedicated teachers that have developed a student centered approach. This school is focused on Technology and Digital Arts. At the beginning on the shutdown they gave students a choice to complete their classes in a totally online program developed by the State Board of Education, with teachers they would not know and where students take one class at a time. They cannot enroll in another until they pass the one they are taking. They accumulate credits at their own pace. The other choice was to use a platform called Discus (a gaming platform adapted by the teachers) to attend each of their classes with the teachers from the school. Each teacher teaches the class as if they were in their classroom. Students can participate, ask questions, etc. They can break out into groups to work on projects. Since this is a high school, credits are earned for each class. Rather than giving students credit for work they did not or would not do, the students receive an Incomplete for the class. This allows them to take it again without damaging their GPA. At the same time, they do not get credit if they do not attend class and do the work. The staff recognized that attending classes totally online posed obstacles for many students and they wanted to compensate for that. This school has very small classes and students and teachers build relationships with one another. My granddaughters are seniors, and have been accepted into 2 Universities in state, and 1 out of state. My grandson, on the other hand, began the school year as a Junior, and chose the totally online class program with teachers he did not know. He rapidly went through each online class needed for graduation and is graduating this May as well, having completed all of the credits necessary for graduation. He will attend the same college out of state as his cousins.

My life experience tells me that the most important attribute needed for success is motivation, along with persistence. Some call it "grit.". I have 3 adult daughters who were highly motivated but did not test well. They each have Masters degrees. My son, who tested the highest on the ACT and SAT has no degree. He dropped out of college after his freshman year, and works in a hospital in Admin. He could take college classes free of charge there and says he is planning on it, but we (his dad and I) are not holding our breath.