North Bergen High School will soon institute a program that will allow students to retake basic courses on computers online after school, rather than having their graduation held up.
According to Vice Principal Allen Pascual, out of 500 seniors, approximately 50 students may need to retake courses at the end of the school year in order to graduate. Instead of going to summer school or completing the rest of their degree in Hudson County Vocational School, these students will be able to retake courses on computers at the high school, which a teacher will moderate, after their regular daily classes.
The district hopes to start using Plato Learning, Inc. this April. Ten computers have been licensed for the Plato program at a cost to the district of $9,100, and will be renewed for next school year beginning July 1.
“They can make up [time] and they can get back on track.” – George Solter
________
He said that many of the students that could benefit from the program have been notified.
“It’s a real benefit for us to be able to work with students who are [self] motivated,” said the district’s director of No Child Left Behind and math, George Solter Jr. “If they work at it, they can make up [time] and they can get back on track.”
Graduating on time
According to the New Jersey School Report Card, the NBHS class of 2009 had a 92.8 percent graduation rate, half a point below the state’s 93.3 percent average.
Solter said the schools must have a high enough graduation rate to avoid being classified as a “school in need of improvement” and placed under state monitoring.
The consequences for students who fall behind in their studies can be ongoing.
“Students who start falling behind, they really only experience more and more failure,” said Pascual. “They become our students that are the most disaffected. They become our problems in schools…because there is very little hope for them.”
Solter said that a student slip-up in freshman year could cause them to be left behind. That would “snowball” into them being separated from their age group and friends, a loss of interest, and a sense of failure.
The Plato program will also help students transferring from other schools who are lacking enough credits, Solter said. He explained that many come from districts that use different scheduling. The program will allow them to catch up quickly.
No textbooks
Pascual said the online program will test the “standards” at all levels of courses in math, science, social studies, history, and language arts.
He explained that the course will be self-motivated, allowing students to progress as fast as they like. If a student has already taken the course, they can take a test and progress to the next curriculum level.
There will also be no textbooks, since all the coursework is available online.
Solter is hopeful that this technology-based learning will grasp their attention and help them catch up when it is expanded to a larger portion of the student body.
He hopes that some students who wouldn’t be able to graduate “on stage” this year will get the opportunity through this program.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.