The Star Academy Program for acceleration of at-risk students is earning national recognition and expanding into the Midwest. A school-within-a-school that helps overage students to advance two grades in one year, the Star Academy was designated a “Model Program” in 2009 by the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC).
“This designation validates our purpose and mission, which is to save lives – one student at a time,” said Matt Frankenbery, the Director of Education for Pitsco Education, the company that developed the program. “Our goal is to reengage students and get them back on track for graduation.”
Among the dropout-prevention programs touted by the NDPC as model programs, the Star Academy garners the highest rating available. In 2008, the Star Academy at Simpson Alternative Center for Education in Easley, South Carolina, received the NDPC’s prestigious Crystal Star Award for dropout prevention.
In its first four years, the Star Academy was implemented in 21 schools in four states, primarily in the Southeast. Another 15 programs are expected to be added in 2009-2010, including at least two in the Midwest (Missouri and Arkansas).
From 2005 to 2008, 82 percent of students who started the program successfully completed it. Sixty-six percent accelerated to the 10th grade and 16 percent were promoted to the ninth grade.
“I love this academy. It’s helped me out so much,” said Nick, a Star Academy student. “I used to try to get out of going to school. . . . But now I look forward to coming every day.”
Several South Carolina schools have implemented programs. In an article featuring the Star Academy in the Spring 2009 issue of
Converge magazine, South Carolina Director of Career and Technology Education Bob Couch said the state is working hard to reverse the trend of accelerating dropout rates.
“We’re certainly one of the states that had one of the lower graduation rates, so we’re making progress,” Couch stated in the article. “We’ve still got a ways to go, but we have some solutions now in place to improve graduation rates.”
The Star Academy delivers two years of curriculum in one school year and promotes individual student responsibility for learning and behavior. This is accomplished through:
- Individualized prescriptive lessons
- Hands-on and computer-based activities
- Cooperative learning in pairs and small teams
- Accommodations for different learning styles
- A healthy, personalized learning environment
Learn more about the Star Academy Program.
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