Lexington 4 presents alternative education program with weekly scorecards and release reviews

At the Lexington School District 4 meeting, Mr. Toole and Miss Stonehouse presented an overview of the district's alternative education program and the processes used to monitor and reintegrate students.

Mr. Toole said the program focuses on Tier 3 students and centers on three priorities: academics, attendance and conduct. He described the district's 'habits of learning' scoreboard used to evaluate students daily on being present, prepared, participating, performing and professional conduct. "Every day of the week that we have school, they get a rating," Mr. Toole said when describing the scorecards that are shared with parents.

The hearing officer, identified in the presentation as Mr. Jakes, conducts check-in and release determination reviews every 4½ weeks. Mr. Toole explained that the release determination evaluates mastery across academic and conduct metrics and can result in a student's release back to their home school, continued placement in the alternative program, or transition to home-based instruction.

Mr. Toole emphasized the program's supports: certified teachers on site, classified instructors, special education and multilingual learners support pulled in from schools, and daily progress monitoring. He framed the program's objective as maintaining a path to graduation while holding students accountable: "We want students to take responsibility for the actions and engage in the learning process," he said.

Board members thanked the presenters and praised staff for the work supporting students who require alternative settings.