Alternative Learning Center undergoes new changes

 

The St. Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center underwent many changes for the 2016-2017 school year, including getting new start times to align it with the High School’s schedule. There is also a principal at the ALC full time, rather than part time. The ALC will also move to an existing school once its current lease is up.

Students who need an alternative learning environment may succeed in the ALC due to small classroom sizes and lower student to teacher ratios. The ALC is an alternative to the High School, meaning it is a place for students who could not succeed in the big High School. The ALC also offers credit recovery options and gives students the opportunity to use an online curriculum known as Edgeunity.

The new start times in the ALC align with the high school’s schedule. The ALC now has a six-period day, and it starts and ends when the high school ends. Students at the ALC get a break after two periods and lunch after four.

Principal Mary Leadem Ticiu said, “We have a new schedule with a break after two periods.”

New changes give students more flexibility during the day, and they take advantage of it. The schedule change also allows for much more personalized learning.

As a result of the bond two years ago the superintendent at the time did make a decision to close leased properties to save funds so this ALC must relocate to an existing school property where there is space for our alternative program…

— Mary Leadmen Ticiu

Para professional Jackie Henschen stated, “Students are now given the opportunity for a more individualized learning plan.”

In addition to the changes to the daily schedule, the ALC opted to use longer terms this year. Teachers could not keep up with the shorter terms because they were teaching up to four different courses in one hour, and keeping grades up to date was difficult.

Ticiu said, “It is very hard to use Skyward as a data supporting system. Parents question how their students are doing, teachers have to teach multiple classes in an hour.”

The ALC has a smaller student base than the high school. Classes are smaller and teachers teach multiple classes at one time. The changes at the ALC this year have had their advantages, but they have also had some negatives due to the fact that teachers are teaching multiple lessons in an hour.

Ticiu said, “We changed to quarters rather than the six week terms we used last year.”

The ALC now has a principal on location full time rather than just part time. This change started this year because that a principal was needed at certain times when one wasn’t present. Ticiu is the full-time principal at the ALC, and she has worked in the school district since 2000.

“We were in a major reform, we now have a principal in the building every day,” Ticiu said,  “We had a broken system, students were not earning credit and teachers were managing behavior.”

More changes for the ALC are coming, as it will soon be forced to move from the current building it occupies across the street from the high school as soon as their lease is up.

Ticiu said, “As a result of the bond two years ago the superintendent at the time did make a decision to close leased properties to save funds so this ALC must relocate to an existing school property where there is space for our alternative program. We will be taking a highly successful student program across the street, we need to be well prepared for these students to continue to be successful.”