Colchester High’s CHAMP pilot aims to re-engage students; teachers report higher attendance and engagement

Colchester School Board members heard on the CHS CHAMP pilot that teachers say the small-group program is already improving student attendance and engagement.

District co-team leaders for special education Dana Visser and Dave Sharkey told the board the CHAMP program — a half-day, proficiency-based alternative that uses CHAMP-labeled credits (CHAMP Science, CHAMP Math, CHAMP Humanities) — started at the beginning of the second quarter with nine students and a goal to maintain about 12 seats.

The program was developed after staff identified a gap in services for students with internalizing behaviors who were underperforming in larger classes. "We wanted to go from reactive to a more direct way of addressing the needs," Visser said, describing curriculum development, student and family rollouts and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings held before the pilot. Teachers emphasized that CHAMP uses the same proficiencies and many of the same materials as CHS courses but packages them for a smaller-group, hands-on context.

Presenters described daily meetings focused on social-emotional learning, frequent movement breaks and high-interest, hands-on units: Sharkey said the math unit emphasized measurement and hands-on practice, and Visser described an engineering design sequence in science. Sharkey told the board that several students who struggled in larger classrooms could, after targeted instruction, measure consistently "down to the eighth of an inch" and that, for CHAMP students, attendance has notably improved: "They have been here every day since CHAMP has started," he said.

Students featured in the program materials and a short video used words like "fun," "entertaining" and "helpful" to describe CHAMP’s environment. Presenters said the pilot includes community outings and life-skills work (for example, planning meals and learning basic financial and workplace skills) to support transitions to postsecondary options or back to general-education classes.

Board members asked whether skills learned in CHAMP carry over to students’ other classes. Presenters said it was early to draw long-term conclusions but shared examples of students starting to participate more in morning elective classes; they also noted that some CHAMP students keep schedules unique to their needs and that CHAMP credits are recorded on transcripts as CHAMP Science/Math/Humanities to count toward graduation.

The board thanked staff for the presentation and for including student voices. District leaders said they expect to refine the admissions process and curriculum as the pilot continues and may add two to four students in coming quarters.

The CHAMP presentation closed with the board encouraging staff to return with updates and with more data as the program matures.