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ALC named a ‘Featured School’
Published 11:49am Wednesday, November 16, 2011Congratulations to our Area Learning Center (ALC) for being selected as the featured November school of the month from the Minnesota Associations of Alternative Programs.
Following is information shared on their Web site about the ALC.
“The Fergus Falls Area Learning Center is a choice alternative education program. It has a long history of providing educational options, and has been in existence since 1982. The Fergus Falls Area Learning Center’s mission is, ‘To provide students the opportunity to learn and succeed in a safe and supportive environment with varied curricular options and support services tailored to their individual needs.’
Students and their parents have a number of program options to choose from when enrolling at the ALC. These program options include: Middle School ALC — located at the Kennedy Secondary School; High School Day Program; High School Independent Study; and High School Credit Recovery Summer School. The high school ALC programs are located at the Roosevelt Education Center.
Relationships are a key component in successful alternative education programs, along with rigor and relevance. Our Area Learning Center is committed to establishing and maintaining relationships with students, along with working to meet individual student needs. It applies a variety of techniques to support students in earning their high school diploma.
• Advisory: Students enrolled in the day program are a part of an advisory where weekly students participate in discussion topics, team building/leadership activities, goal setting, and community building activities.
• Restorative Justice Circles
• Structured day program with daily feedback to students on credit earned toward graduation every class period of the school day.
• Credit Recovery built within the school day.
• Individualized curriculum pace.
• MAAP Stars participant for 5 years at the high school level
• Community Service Projects: Toys for Tots; Pay it Forward 2011
• Work Experience
The Middle School Area Learning Center’s alternative education program is a school-within-a-school model. Basic skills are emphasized in conjunction with work place and community living skills needed to be successful in the community.
High school students attend a traditional length school day that is a combined class schedule of structured classes and independent study classes. In a structured class a student works in a small class setting to meet the course objectives to earn high school credit.
In an independent study class the student works individually on a course facilitated by an certified instructor at their own pace to complete a course.
The High School Independent Study program is designed to meet the needs of students that are unable to attend a traditional school day program. Students choose this option when they are already attending an educational program full time and still need additional credit to graduate; have passed their graduation year and only need a small amount of credit to graduate; are working full time; parenting, or have other obstacles preventing them from attending the traditional school day — but aspire to achieve. To be considered a full-time student, a minimum of 20 units of work must be completed at a passing grade level each week.
For further information and photos, click on the Minnesota Associations of Alternative Programs’ Web site: http://www.maapmn.org/index.php? page_id=84&mod=Pages&drafts=false
