Schools seek individual education plan for each student

Superintendent Elaine Drakulich paints a vivid picture of her vision for each and every student in the Sisters School District. She calls her endeavor the Full Circle.

Drakulich's undertaking develops a personal education plan for each student that starts in kindergarten and continues through grade 12 and beyond.

"My dream is that we would have a personal education plan starting in kindergarten," she said. The written plan would identify a child's interests and starting at this very early age would also outline an academic plan to enhance these interests and aptitudes.

Special intervention to meet state standards and bench marks would be provided as necessary, as would accelerated and enrichment programs when appropriate.

The personal education plan would move with the child as he or she moves from grade to grade, being embellished each step of the way.

According to Drakulich, the school district must provide a strong core academic program that starts in kindergarten and continues through grade 12 for the student to have the opportunity to develop a strong personal education plan.

"We must be at least at state standards if not national," she said, noting that the state is raising its standards with regards to the math, science and language arts credits students must attain.

"Reading and literacy standards are also being heightened for grades K-12," Drakulich said. "These strong academic standards must be in place for every student regardless of the student's level, whether he or she needs special education or English Language Learner support, is a child from poverty needing enrichment pieces or is a talented and gifted student."

Drakulich's Full Circle concept includes offering "credit by proficiency." This practice allows a student who has mastered academic learning to move to the next level. As an example, a middle schooler could take Algebra when he or she is ready without waiting for the ninth grade curriculum.

"We will slowly start to open that door with the end product being that such an option is open in all subject areas," she said.

Another component of Drakulich's Full Circle is broadening teachers' skills in intervention. Through her plan, teachers would move beyond teaching with the district's adopted texts to incorporating different texts and different instructional strategies. This practice allows a teacher to apply supplemental interventions to help a student become successful when the student does not meet a benchmark or does not understand a concept.

"It is an instructional technique that can make every student successful," Drakulich said.

In Drakulich's Full Circle model students are consciously provided with activities to help develop their interests and aptitudes as outlined in their personal education plans. "These activities become more specific in middle school," said Drakulich. By eighth grade each student will have a defined pathway out of which he or she can choose an academy at the high school level. (See "Program points students toward career," The Nugget, February 6, 2008, page 1.)

Through their chosen academy students will follow a focused elective program in grades 9-12. These electives provide students with sophisticated, high standard classes that explore their interests and aptitudes.

In some cases these classes might even offer college credit.

Drakulich's plan also includes embellishing the Sisters High School ASPIRE program, which currently provides a volunteer mentor to help each student plan where he or she will go next beyond Sisters High School.