Chippewa Valley Offers Dropouts Second Shot at Diplomas

Earning a diploma is no longer an impossible feat for students who have dropped out and, in some cases, been expelled from Chippewa Valley Schools.

For one year, the district will contract with American Academy to provide online classes and academic mentors to students who have dropped out of Chippewa and wish to re-enroll outside the traditional classroom setting.

“This program is to reach those students who are no longer interested in reaching us,” said Superintendent Ron Roberts. “These are students who have dropped out of our schools.”

American Academy is a private company that specializes in providing educational services to students who have dropped out of school. The academy provides a laptop computer to access the online curriculum and a mentor to guide these students to graduation.

While Chippewa does offer some online courses already, the academy will offer the complete high school curriculum mandated by the state. Having successfully passed all their classes, students will receive diplomas from Chippewa’s Mohegan High School. 

“Initially, we are trying to pilot this for a year,” said Ed Skiba, executive director of secondary education. “We would like to go after those students who we know are no longer a part of the Chippewa Valley system. They have gone through the system and they have dropped out. We would normally not get them anyway, so basically what we want to do is identify those students, and try to get them back into this system.”

Skiba added that while the district should not expect to make much money on returning students, it would not lose anything either.

“We get the FTE (full-time equivalent), but American Academy bills us on a monthly basis for those students who are working. If they stop working, Chippewa Valley doesn’t get billed.”

Students in the program will work with two mentors: one who aids students as a sort of counselor and another who serves as an academic coach.

The academic coach will touch base with the student daily or every other day to make sure they are staying on track and progressing toward their diploma.

“There’s a few different ways that students are supported,” said Janice Barnes, academy learning solutions specialist. “We bring in a local mentor … someone who sits and aids these students on a weekly basis, so it's really going to be someone who helps them get rid of the barriers that are preventing them from making education their priority.”

As the first year of the program will be a pilot, there is no limit to the number of students who will be enrolled.

“Our main goal is to try to find those kids who normally would not get back in the system, try to save them, and give them the opportunity to get an education,” Skiba said. “One at a time.”