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Principals highlight ELO, Region 9/11 programs as paths to jobs and college credit
Summary
Buckfield and Mountain Valley administrators described extended learning opportunities (ELOs), Region 9/11 partnerships and college-credit courses that give students work experience, technical training and postsecondary credits, and reported enrollment and credit-savings figures.
Principals from Buckfield and Mountain Valley described how extended learning opportunities (ELOs) and Region 9 and Region 11 partnerships are expanding postsecondary and career pathways for students, including on-the-job training, college courses and credit-transfer arrangements.
Troy Eastman, principal at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, said Region 11 and ELO programming lets students pursue trades and interests that a small high school cannot always offer. He told the board Buckfield will send three students to Region 9’s outdoor recreation program next year and that about 20 students were taking advantage of some form of ELO, while roughly 32 students were enrolled in Region 11 programming (figures cited in presentation). Eastman described ELOs as “a soft way into” career programs for students who need a less-formal introduction before committing to a regional program.
Mountain Valley administrators said ELOs are also enabling work-based placements that can lead directly to jobs after graduation. A district presenter said one senior class earned 59 college courses totaling roughly 77 credits, producing about $62,000 in college-tuition savings for that cohort.
Administrators noted new cooperative agreements that allow vocational/technical coursework to count for high-school graduation credits in subjects such as math or English when curriculum alignment supports that credit. They also said ELO grant funding (including a work-grant seed and a follow-on grant) has paid teacher/coordination positions that would not otherwise appear in the operating budget.
Board members and administrators described ELOs as growing and diversifying: some students take full-year work experiences, others do small-group projects or single job shadows, and the district uses grants to underwrite staff who coordinate those opportunities. Presenters asked the board to continue funding regional partnerships in next year’s budget and to recognize that student learning increasingly includes off-site and postsecondary experiences.
