Creating Flexible Learning Programs for Students – How One Schoolhouse helps schools work with students with special circumstances

Karen Douse, Director of Student & School Support

Do you have a student who is trying out for elite competitions or even the Olympics?  How about a student with once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad while in high school?  Are you trying to meet the needs of a student who desperately wants to stay in school but is battling an extended illness?  Are you advising a student who is moving with her or his family to another city for a year of high school, but plans on coming back or graduating after that? 
 
Often independent schools have students who, for whatever reason, cannot work within the traditional school schedule and calendar.  Over the years, we have worked with many such students and their schools to help those students remain a part of your school communities.  One Schoolhouse’s supplementary program is a great option for students who are taking a leave from your school for a year but want to stay on track to graduate with their class at your school and for students who can’t be at school all day every day but want to stay enrolled in your school. 
 
How does it work?  The student needs a reliably strong internet signal and approximately eight hours per week to do asynchronous coursework.  One Schoolhouse is fully accredited and appropriate courses are approved by the College Board, NCAA, and University of California, so their transcripts will not suffer while they pursue a passion, build a resume, take care of a health concern, or collect passport stamps.  Moreover, our teachers are committed to student success and will work with them to juggle their travel commitments without falling behind in their online class(es).  They are still your students – we just help them meet your graduation requirements as you and they navigate extenuating circumstances. 
 
We thought that it would be helpful to let you meet some students who have leveraged online classes to stay in sync with their face-to-face schools (note: the examples are real, but we have provided pseudonyms).
 
Consider Ester.  Ester was a nationally ranked equestrian.  Competitions kept her on the road for days every month.  She could keep up with her school’s coursework in some subjects, but the schedule for taking all of her classes at her home school just wasn’t manageable for Ester.  The flexibility of her One Schoolhouse AP Statistics and AP Art History classes allowed her to earn college credits in these courses while she trained and competed all over the country. 
 
Or Ingrid.  One of the top ice dancers in the world, Ingrid needed a science class that would offer her the flexibility to accommodate an intensive practice schedule and travel to competitions around the world. One Schoolhouse's AP Environmental Science worked perfectly for her.
 
Susanna spent her senior year in Marrakesh, Morocco on an Arabic immersion year abroad through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, teaching English and taking Arabic classes. She successfully received credit for two online AP classes that allowed her to graduate on time with her classmates.
 
Next let’s meet Lin. Lin was a boarding school student whose physical health prevented her from finishing the school year at her school.  Just because she was sick didn’t mean she didn’t aspire to start college on time.  One Schoolhouse worked with Lin's school to offer four courses that met the school's requirements. This offered Lin the opportunity to complete her sophomore year while recovering at home. 
 
Natalia, a world class ballerina, was offered the opportunity to pursue a professional ballet career in lieu of her senior year, but needed two credits to graduate from her home school. One Schoolhouse worked with Natalia's school to develop a post-AP English class just for her, and that class along with AP Psychology allowed her to graduate on time with her classmates along with fulfilling her dream of dancing with a professional company. (An aside that her English teacher was in attendance at one of Natalia's performances in the Nutcracker!) 
 
Gillian, another ballerina, danced with a local professional ballet company every afternoon. Because of her challenging rehearsal and performance schedule, she could only schedule four classes during the morning at her school. Gillian successfully engaged in four different One Schoolhouse classes during her junior and senior years that allowed her to graduate on time with her classmates. 

Interested in learning more?  Give me a call or send me an email at: karen.douse@oneschoolhouse.org

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