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More Diplomas, Fewer Dropouts
Pine Bush To Begin Options Program

PINE BUSH – Some students can't function in a traditional high school setting and as a result might be getting a subpar education even if they stick with their studies.

An After-School Options Program developed to provide better education for such students in the Pine Bush School District could be underway in a week or two, Superintendent Tim Mains said this week. The school board voted October 10 to create nine positions to staff the program, which it hopes will end with diplomas for kids who might otherwise drop out.

The Options Program will be offered in place of home tutoring and provide students with more specialized instruction, said Donna Geidel, the assistant superintendent for instruction. The board approved the program, which has been in development for about a year, September 26.

The state requires that districts provide two hours of home tutoring five times a week for high school students whose social or emotional issues, such as anxiety, prevent them from attending school. Pine Bush struggles to come up with enough qualified tutors to cover all the subjects that must be taught, Geidel said in a presentation to the board on last month. For example, Geidel said, an English teacher in the home tutoring program might also have to cover science, math and social studies.

Students who choose the Options Program will take classes in the high school library. There teachers with specific skills will instruct small groups of students. The program will start small, with perhaps ten or fifteen students, Geidel said. The staff will include art, foreign language, technology and science teachers. Also, social studies, mathematics, English and special education teachers. Interviews are underway, Mains said. The people selected for the Options Program could already teach in the district or be home tutors. The board also approved a slot for a school psychologist to be on hand to help the students cope with the change.

Pine Bush plans to support the students with opportunities for independent study, online programs, credit recovery and counseling. Having the students in the building will also let the district monitor their progress more closely.

Ideally, students will have a hand in developing personalized learning plans with parents and the school, Geidel pointed out in the presentation last month. One possible outcome of individual plans is that students would eventually take regular classes at the high school. In any case, the ultimate goal would be graduation and a diploma.

The program is voluntary and will be tailored to each student. The Options school day will run from 2:15 to 5 p.m., four days a week. But a student might decide to gradually work into the program, attending one day a week to start, Geidel said. The Options day will be divided into three periods of a little more than 40 minutes each. The district will pay the Options teachers $40 an hour, and estimates it will spend about $81,000 on the program this school year. The district will provide transportation, using buses already serving night school students.



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