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Board hears annual report on alternative and at‑risk education programs
Summary
Miss Shoney presented the Jefferson School District’s annual at‑risk and alternative education report, outlining program models (SOAR, Bridal, The Nest, Challenge Academy), enrollment and completion figures, and recommendations to refine referrals and transition planning.
Miss Shoney presented the district’s annual report on at‑risk and alternative education, describing program models, participation counts and outcomes and answering board questions about counting and course structure.
She described the district’s portfolio of programs—SOAR (an off‑site program offering GED options), Bridal (a high‑school‑based personalized program for grades 9–11), The Nest (a middle‑school personalized program for grades 6–8), a Challenge Academy program outside the district, and other supports such as homebound instruction and services for students in the Jefferson County Jail. She said programs emphasize small class sizes, social‑emotional and behavioral supports, and individualized plans intended to return students to graduation pathways.
Key figures presented: 15 students received homebound instruction last school year, one student was served while at the county jail, SOAR served about 22 students with 14 graduates (and two students passed the GED this year), Bridal served 24 students, The Nest served 14 students, and two students completed Challenge Academy. She also reported counts of course completions (she cited roughly 550 course completions through SOAR and 196 through Bridal at the high school) and noted that hybrid scheduling and midyear moves affect how counts appear.
Board members asked how students are counted when they participate in hybrid models. Miss Shoney and administrators clarified that a student is counted in a single program (not double‑counted) and that some discrepancies in year‑to‑year numbers come from students moving, returning, or not completing a program within the school year. She said the district is working to refine referral processes and to create written individual plans for students in these programs to support transitions between services.
One board member asked about the research basis for a comment that traditional school environments have become less effective for an increasing number of students post‑COVID; Miss Shoney said she had drawn that citation from the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) website and offered to provide the specific research link.
The board thanked Miss Shoney for the report and raised follow‑up requests for clearer definitions of course completion counts and for a refined referral and transition plan.
