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Douglas County School District Castle Rock, CO  "One of the greatest strength’s of the
NovaNET program is that it is student-centered and places responsibility
on the students. Consequently, students experience genuine feelings
of success."
Douglas County High School School District Profile Douglas County School District is located in a rural and suburban area, southeast of Denver, Colorado. The 50 schools in the Douglas County School system include: 6 high schools, 6 middle schools, 34 elementary schools, 5 charter schools, and 4 alternative schools. Total district enrollment is 39,000. The ethnic population of the district is 91 percent Caucasian, 4 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian Pacific, 1 percent African-American, and 2 percent is made up of other minorities. NovaNET labs are located in 5 high schools. Each high school serves
grades 9 through 12 and enrolls between 1,600 and 2,400 students
per school.
ThunderRidge High School Challenge/Goals Prior to implementing NovaNET courseware, Douglas County School District was limited in the number of sites, number of courses offered, and the ability to remain current given the prior materials and methods employed with the district’s credit recovery and alternative delivery programs. District-wide goals include serving a broad range of students, raising standardized test scores, and improving the graduation rate.
Chaparral High School Solution In 1999, NovaNET was implemented in the Douglas County School District. The district purchased NovaNET through a Douglas County Educational Foundation grant, and a School-to-Career grant. The district developed a program introduced as STAR (Success through Automated Resources), Lab supplemented with NovaNET courseware. Initially, there were 20 NovaNET learners district-wide, and currently there are over 300 per semester district-wide. To meet the school and district goals, in March of 1999 labs with NovaNET access were opened in four high schools, serving 10 students per attendance period, and open at least two days per week as staffing permitted. In August 2001 the district hired additional staff to allow the four NovaNET computer labs to be open each school day. High schools that currently have, or will soon have NovaNET labs include Chaparral High School, Douglas County High School, Highlands Ranch High School, and Ponderosa High School. The four alternative schools, with NovaNET connectivity are D. C. Oakes High School (Castle Rock), D. C. Oakes High School (Parker), Eagle Academy, and Plum Creek Academy. Plans are being made to open additional labs in the future.
Ponderosa High School Students selected for the program are 1) seniors in jeopardy of not graduating, 2) students who do not work well in a traditional classroom, 3) students who may have previously failed a particular class, 4) those who move into the district mid-term, or 5) students who are not able to attend regular classes due to health or disciplinary reasons. According to John Stokely, NovaNET instructor at ThunderRidge, "Most administrators were eager to have this new program functioning at their schools. Others were cautious but aware of the potential benefits. Most counselors, particularly those at ThunderRidge, were ecstatic to have new options for their students." School goals for ThunderRidge include offering additional sections of courses, raising scores on standardized tests, and increasing the graduation rate. Daily lab schedules vary from school to school, and are primarily open as early as 7:00 am and as late as 9:00 pm. In addition, 12 students can have access to NovaNET 24 hours a day via remote dialup.
Students in a NovaNET lab. Marilyn Charron, teacher for NovaNET STAR Lab at Chaparral High School enjoys the NovaNET program because it is "wonderful to work in an educational setting where every student can work at their own pace and be successful." Students enjoy NovaNET for its widespread availability and access to numerous courses, and the visual layout where they control the rate of their progress. "One student, who had not previously been particularly successful in school, called me to his computer and with delight on his face proceeded to show me how the NovaNET history curriculum had declared him a "STAR". That made both of our days," said Stokely.
Highlands Ranch High School Results Starting with 20 students using NovaNET district-wide, the STAR program has grown to serve over 300 students per semester and nearly 700 during the 2001-2002 school year. Since the beginning, the program has granted almost 650 credits and assisted over 150 students in obtaining their GED. A variety of Douglas County students benefit from the NovaNET labs including:
Factors that made the STAR program successful at ThunderRidge and the other high schools in Douglas County, were thorough and accurate knowledge of student needs, an experienced staff accustomed to employing alternative delivery methods, extensive research into the available solutions in the marketplace, and an observed depth and extensiveness of the NovaNET curricula. According to Stokely, "Prior to our current program, the curriculum was available in texts and workbooks, and computers were used as a supplemental means of enrichment. With NovaNET, the number of courses available to students has greatly increased, and additionally, are available at a variety of locations." Susan Anderson, Coordinator for NovaNET STAR Labs at Douglas County
High School has been in the district for 16 years, and has seen
similar success with her students and NovaNET. "It is a program
that is fun to work in, and it’s great to see the students
support each other. Students blossom in our supportive and friendly
setting," says Anderson. Contact us for additional information on how Pearson Digital Learning can help you achieve results with NovaNET. . |
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