RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Rapid City High School has made some significant changes in the last three years to give students more independence with their schedules and the pace at which they learn course material.
It started three years ago when the school added advising and mentoring for each of their 325 students. Then in the fall, the school switched to a personalized learning system. Now, the school has decommissioned its bells.
Principal Shane Heilman said all these different methods prevent students from “falling through the cracks.” Data from the school suggests that RCHS is on pace for a 45 percent reduction in the dropout rate this school year.
“Every student has an adult mentor in the school. That’s the huge point that has helped kids connect to the school,” he told the Rapid City Journal. “It makes it harder for them to fail, because they’ve got someone watching them, meeting them every day.”
No bells
RCHS has done away with school bells and class periods. The school implemented the “no bell” system in November on Fridays to test out the idea and see how students adjust. Now, the bells are gone for good, and a new individualized “flex schedule” takes their place.
Heilman said the change allows students to have more ownership of their day, as they can make their own schedule to fit their needs.
It allows students to “take the reins a little more,” Heilman said. “It increases motivation and ownership.”
Students who might struggle with time management can make their own schedule as well as sign up to see guest speakers and go to mental health counseling and social worker appointments among other daily needs, Heilman said. The school also provides a food pantry, laundry service and tutoring zones for students.
Jeff Nelsen, a geometry in construction teacher, said the “no bell” flex schedule gives students the freedom to choose the courses they need on a daily basis.
“It frees the students up to work on other courses where they may be struggling,” Nelsen said.
Nelsen said the change not only helps the students, but helps him to more effectively teach his hands-on building course. Nelsen is able to teach his course in two- or three-hour blocks, instead of hour-long classes spread throughout the school week.
He’s also been able to take students to work on the historic McGillycuddy House for a few afternoons every week for two to three hours.
“Under a traditional bell schedule, it’s difficult to schedule a three-hour class because I’m interfering with two other classes,” Nelsen said. “It helps the students get engaged in the work. They can work continuously for two to three hours.”
Mazie Croyle, a student representative on the school board, said at a board meeting Monday night that the school is seeing lower dropout numbers because of the flex schedule.
“It’s certainly changing the environment and reducing many of our issues in dropouts,” Croyle said. She said the school is collecting data this semester to see how it will continue to help students.
Personalized learning
This fall, the school introduced a personalized learning system, which means students are held accountable for mastering course material regardless of the time it takes to do so.
“In traditional schooling, time is a constant and learning is the variable,” Heilman said. “In traditional schools, we know how long a student will be in a course. But how much each student learns is going to vary greatly.”
Students and their advisors can customize the amount of time they need to spend on each subject. A student who may excel in math might be behind in reading, for example, and could customize their schedule and education path to accommodate their needs.
Traditional schooling is “why a lot of kids develop academic gaps,” Heilman said. “That’s why at our school, we get kids who are reading and doing math at an elementary level. We know exactly what each kid is going to learn, we just don’t know how long it will take.”
Sean Binder, who teaches a youth internship course at RCHS, said students who have a choice about their pace in school have more success after high school entering the workforce or getting into college.
“It’s exciting to see (our students) become autonomous learners,” Binder said. “It flips the script. Before, learners had to be ready for the teachers. Now, teachers have to be ready for the learners. It’s an exciting challenge.”
Blended learning
The school has also implemented blended learning, which is a combination of online and face-to-face teaching.
Sabrina Henriksen, a chemistry teacher, said she uses a website called Canvas to upload videos that students can follow if they miss a day of class, or simply need to review a topic.
“It makes everything accessible,” she said. “They don’t have to feel like they’re behind, and they don’t come back (to class) behind.”
Advising and mentoring
Heilman said that every teacher is a mentor or a career and college planning advisor, and they help the students with self-regulation, organization and self-efficacy.
“(We) teach kids how to take ownership of their lives and improve their habits, thinking patterns and strategies for how to successfully navigate their lives and their challenges” Heilman said. “A lot of places assume kids should have these skills. Most schools don’t teach these skills.”
Henriksen said she’s had a successful relationship with one of the students she advises each week.
“He calls me his school mom,” she said of the student. “He can come to me if he has a rough day, and his parents know he has someone at school (to support him). If kids know there’s one caring adult in their corner, they have a better chance of success.”
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