Pullman School District staff reported a rise in Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) participation and described structural changes to summer school after a district update on Sept. 10.

Jared Flurry, who presented the ALE and summer-school update, said 42 students participated in ALE during the 2023–24 year — up from 11 the prior year — and those students attempted 99 courses, an increase of 20 courses from the year before. He said ALE courses posted a 75% pass rate this year and helped 20 seniors meet graduation requirements compared with four seniors the prior year.

Flurry described ALE as an umbrella for three program categories: flex programming for students with nonstandard circumstances, credit recovery, and an Open Door option designed for seniors who are credit deficient. He said students enrolling in ALE meet with counselors, create written plans and receive monthly progress checks. The district prioritizes credit-recovery students because the district’s 24-credit graduation requirement places students off track as soon as they fail a class.

On summer school, Flurry said the district moved to a structured, in-person model this year: 21 students registered (down from 50 registrations the prior year), and students attended 15 days across Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The program used two teachers, offered in-room instruction and active outreach for missed days. Summer school produced a 72% pass rate this year versus a roughly 16% pass rate the prior year when the program was more independent and lacked structured checkpoints, Flurry said.

Flurry characterized the changes as an initial improvement and said staff will examine attendance and pass-rate patterns to refine the programs going forward.