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Richland School District reviews alternative-learning programs and new MTSS, highly capable plans
Summary
District staff updated the board on alternative-learning programs (Pacific Crest Online Academy, River’s Edge, Three Rivers Home Link), reported waiting-list and enrollment trends, and outlined next steps for MTSS, a three-to-five-year Highly Capable expansion, and a pivot to a revamped Apex asynchronous curriculum.
District staff on May 28 presented an annual update on alternative-learning (AL) programs and academic-goals work, telling the Richland School District board that several program-level changes and implementation plans are under way.
The AL presentation covered Pacific Crest Online Academy, River’s Edge and Three Rivers Home Link. Staff said the AL programs include three River’s Edge models — project-based learning, fusion learning and contract learning — and described contract learning as a credit-retrieval, re-engagement pathway in which a graduation specialist supports students who had previously dropped out.
Board members asked when the midyear and final School Improvement Plan results would be available; staff said midyear progress is recorded now and principals will present final SIP results at a June 22 workshop. On capacity, staff reported rolling enrollment with about 798 returning students and roughly a dozen students currently on a wait list; no students are being turned away, staff said, but some grade bands are constrained by building square footage.
On districtwide academic goals, staff described this year as foundational for the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). They said a draft MTSS guide and an implementation roadmap are in circulation and that the immediate focus is on strengthening tier-one instruction to serve the largest share of students while defining metrics to track implementation and consistency across buildings.
The board also reviewed a three-to-five-year plan to expand Highly Capable services in home schools. Staff said the district’s work with an external partner (transcribed as “Witworth”) produced recommendations including universal screening, cluster grouping, flexible scheduling and targeted professional development. Principals and teachers were described as generally supportive; staff cautioned the rollout will require sustained professional development and building-level coordination.
On asynchronous learning, staff said the district had earlier attempted to pilot an in-house asynchronous model but encountered bargaining and implementation hurdles. The presentation noted a transition in ownership at the Apex curriculum provider (named in the meeting) and said the revised Apex product will be integrated with Canvas and could be piloted for some summer-school courses and credit retrieval in the coming year. Staff framed the Apex changes as addressing academic-integrity concerns raised by educators during prior bargaining and pilot efforts.
Next steps noted in the meeting: principals will present SIP results on June 22, staff will continue MTSS rollout planning and professional development, and administrators will explore limited summer piloting of the updated Apex courses before committing to longer contracts. The board asked to be notified before entering any multiyear contracts with outside vendors.
The report was delivered as informational business and did not require a formal board action beyond scheduling follow-up workshop presentations.
