Rapid City Alternative Academy reports early gains from Discovery behavior curriculum; leaders plan additional supports

Rapid City Alternative Academy staff on Tuesday described their Discovery social‑skills curriculum and early results from the first full year of implementation, saying students who complete the nine‑week course on time generally show measurable gains and that the academy will continue to refine tiered supports for students who need additional help.

Why it matters: Discovery is the academy’s entry course for students placed at the district’s alternative academy; administrators and teachers say the curriculum focuses on transferable social and communication skills, anger management, problem solving and group‑work routines that teachers contend reduce classroom disruptions and can improve academic progress.

What staff said - Program structure: Jessica Canta, principal of Rapid City Alternative Academy (RCAA), said Discovery is a nine‑week, research‑based course that all in‑person RCAA students take as their entry class. The Discovery curriculum includes six major units (effective groups; anger management; communication modes and assertiveness; problem solving/conflict resolution; circle‑up routines; and daily journals and production expectations).

- Classroom practice: Dennis Morton, the Discovery teacher, described daily “circle up” check‑ins, explicit teaching of five attending skills and six performance expectations (promptness, preparedness, politeness, participation, positive mental attitude and production), a three‑step redirect protocol and a Refocus Room where students complete a problem‑solving contract before returning to class. Morton said the pedagogy emphasizes student agency and practice in role plays and real interactions.

- Outcomes and data: Staff presented internal course data showing higher pass rates for students who remained in the full nine‑week course. Presenters shared that pass rates for full‑time students in high‑school Discovery cohorts ranged across quarters (examples shown in district slides varied, with figures in the course materials ranging from roughly 70% to the low‑90s depending on cohort and quarter). Administrators said students who complete Discovery tend to better engage in core academic classes and that the academy sees graduation and credit progress from students who move through the program.

- Tiered supports and next steps: RCAA leaders said the academy is developing an Eagle’s Nest option for students who are rescheduled out of Discovery during a quarter; Eagle’s Nest provides lighter Discovery exposure plus guided Edgenuity coursework so students continue to earn credit while staff reteach or preteach behavioral skills. Middle‑school Discovery is operating with fewer students and a slower pace; administrators said they will continue refining intake, referral and enrollment procedures and plan targeted training for middle‑school staff.

Quotes from the meeting: “Every student at Rapid City Alternative Academy starts with Discovery course,” said Principal Jessica Canta. Discovery teacher Dennis Morton said of classroom practice: “We teach them to introduce themselves to each other, to shake each other’s hands for the first time,” and later described classroom redirects and the Refocus Room as ways to preserve in‑class learning while addressing behavior.

What was not decided: RCAA’s description was an informational update. The board did not vote separately on RCAA program design; RCAA is among the programs covered by the board’s broader motion supporting continued development of the administration’s elementary and alternative programming.

Community context: RCAA leaders said the model draws on established Discovery practice used in other districts and that the district plans ongoing training for staff and an on‑site visit to a long‑established program for additional coaching. The academy said it will continue collecting year‑over‑year data to evaluate whether the course improves long‑term student outcomes including promotion, credit accumulation and graduation rates.

Ending: RCAA staff asked the board to continue supporting training and incremental adjustments; administrators said they will return with program data and implementation refinements in subsequent quarterly updates.