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they also beneft from a teacher-led
classroom. The blended approach
to teaching extends into what
Stewart calls "experiences." These
are hands-on learning opportunities
that are relevant to students in
several diferent courses or sections
of a course.
Part of the challenge for
administrators at schools like
Success is debunking outdated
ideas about alternative schools'
curriculum. The alternative
education programs of the 1950s
and 1960s—what some might have
called diploma or GED mills—are a thing of the past.
Stewart insists that the online courses, which are
aligned with Round Rock ISD's curriculum and have
been tested by a number of people in the district, are
rigorous and require a great deal of time and efort
from the students. "We know for some students, the
traditional way of teaching works," she says. "But we
also know that the students are technology natives
and they are coming to us doing far more online and
empowering themselves."
Success High School is not only accountable for
all of the state tests but also participates in the
state-legislated program designed
to improve student success in
college, Texas Success Initiative, and
the ApplyTexas project for college
admissions. "Parents might come
in with an older version of what an
alternative school is in their minds,
but when they fnd out that the
testing is the same and that we are
sending kids to take the ACT and the
SAT, they are impressed," she says.
"We talk to them about the next step
after secondary for their child. It's a
paradigm shift in thinking."
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
One of the biggest draws of Success High School
for students and parents is fexibility in terms of
scheduling. Success is open 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, as well as 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Saturdays. At Success, every teacher and every subject
are continuously available. Stewart says that when a
student is struggling in a particular subject, the school's
fexible scheduling allows the student to spend more
time receiving help in the challenging class.
The educators at Success are experts at diagnosing
when a student needs additional time or additional