Great Mills HS Uses Digital Curriculum to Increase Graduation Rate and College Readiness

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Created on Thursday, 18 August 2011 09:10

Regina Greely, Director of Instructional Technology, 301-475-5511, ext. 106; Jake Heibel, Great Mills HS Principal, 301-863-4076

LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Public Schools announces a partnership with America’s Promise Alliance and Apex Learning® to provide comprehensive digital curriculum at no cost to Great Mills High School. Over the course of a three-year partnership, Great Mills High School will implement programs for remediation, credit recovery, unit recovery, supplemental courses, Advanced Placement, and summer school.

Every year, 1.3 million students drop out of school – one every 26 seconds, 7,000 every school day. America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance) is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. It was founded in 1997 with General Colin Powell as its founding chairman and is chaired today by Alma Powell. Apex Learning® is the leading provider of digital curriculum for secondary education and is a member of the Alliance’s Business Leaders Council and Education Innovators group. This partnership with St. Mary’s County Public Schools will support America’s Promise Alliance’s Grad Nation Campaign, which is a 10-year initiative to mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for the 21st century workforce. The goal of the Grad Nation Campaign is to improve the nation’s overall high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020. Encouraging young people to stay in school and become better prepared for college and the workforce is a key strategy in the Alliance’s Grad Nation partnership program.

 “The Apex Learning digital curriculum individualizes learning and will help our teachers ensure students stay on track toward graduation,” said Dr. Michael Martirano, superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

Rather than expecting all students to respond to one model of instruction, a classroom model using digital curriculum helps teachers effectively meet the needs of all students based on their individual learning styles and needs.

 “We see digital learning having a significant impact on our teacher’s efforts to address the learning needs of all students,” said Jake Heibel, principal of Great Mills High School.

Digital curriculum plays a significant role in empowering students to be in charge of their learning.

“Research shows when this occurs, performance increases and learning accelerates; students stay in school, earn credits, and achieve at higher levels, resulting in increased graduation rates,” said Cheryl Vedoe, CEO of Apex Learning.

“Increasing access to high quality online learning for more youth can improve our chances of achieving the Grad Nation goals, changing outcomes and ultimately succeeding as a nation. The St. Mary’s County Public Schools leadership’s outstanding vision and Apex Learning’s expertise were a natural fit,” said Elizabeth Morgan, PhD, executive director, Grad Nation Campaign, America’s Promise Alliance.

America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth by raising awareness, supporting communities, and engaging in nonpartisan advocacy. Building on the legacy of Founding Chairman General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of the nation’s young people is grounded in the Five Promises – caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. For more information about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org. Apex Learning is the leading provider of digital curriculum for secondary education. Since its inception in 1997, Apex Learning has more than 3.7 million student enrollments in more than 4,700 school districts. The company’s standards-based online courses in math, science, English, social studies, world languages, and Advanced Placement are successfully used for original credit, credit recovery, remediation, alternative schools, distance learning, and exam preparation. Apex Learning, headquartered in Seattle, is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools and its courses are approved for National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility. For more information about Apex Learning, visit www.apexlearning.com.