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Northampton Area Senior High School "Our use of the NovaNET system is really across many grades and learning levels. Our primary objective is to provide academic services that extend beyond the resources of the teachers. With the NovaNET system, we can provide more individualized instruction to better meet the varying levels of our students. We can also provide students with options they didn’t have before to help them achieve success and graduate."
The Northampton Area Senior High School is located in the heart of Lehigh Valley, in the borough of Northampton, PA. 1,960 students are enrolled in grades 9-12. On average, 450 students graduate from Northampton each year.
The graduation rate for 2003-04 was 85%. Approximately 83% of Northampton graduates attend post-secondary institutions. Challenge The Northampton Area Senior High School needed to find a program that would address the diverse needs of their student population. The program had to be flexible while at the same time providing a quality educational curriculum for their special education, gifted, remedial, alternative education, and SAT preparation courses. Additionally, the program needed to meet the needs of homebound and summer school students while providing supplemental instruction to the mainstream curricula. Solution After a comprehensive review of various technology solutions, Northampton Area School District chose NovaNET from Pearson Digital Learning as the online curriculum that would best meet the diverse needs of their student population. In 1999, NovaNET was initially implemented as a component of the district's special education program at the high school campus. Since its inception six years ago, the NovaNET lab is now utilized by both high school and middle school students. Approximately 150-175 students access NovaNET on a daily basis. To get into the NovaNET program, students have to be recommended by guidance counselors, administrative staff, or teachers. Students can also enter the program when they are transfering from other districts, when classes are overpopulated, and/or there are scheduling conflicts. When NovaNET was initially implemented, the staff at Northampton Area High School created specific implementation plans for their primary areas of focus: seniors at risk of not graduating due to lack of one credit; special and regular education students who needed remediation in specific courses; special and regular education students who were interested in improving vocabulary skills or PSAT scores; students in part-time/resource learning classes; alternative education students (both middle school and high school); and special and regular education students who were assigned to long-term homebound studies. Over time, the program has evolved to include many other areas of focus including gifted education and summer school programming. Today the district has 40 ports connected to the NovaNET system. The high school has a 16-station lab, a 10-station portable lab for special education students, and another 10-station portable lab to be shared among both regular and special education students. The middle school has two, 10-station portable labs. A few classrooms, which primarily serve special education students, are also equipped with PCs connected to the NovaNET network. NovaNET site director Andrew Lukievics tailors academic programs to the unique needs of each student, creating programs from genetics to chemistry. Lukievics supplements NovaNET programming with websites that complement course material. The lab provides targeted supplemental instruction in math, language arts, social studies, and science. As an added benefit, NovaNET can be accessed from remote locations, making the program accessible to homebound students. The lab is also the site of a six-week summer school program focused on students with IEPs, allowing students that have failed classes during the regular school year to take two courses for remediation. Mr. Lukievics aligns the NovaNET system's curricula to district objectives. While students complete their coursework online on the lab, teachers can view a complete history of each student's work at any time, and generate a variety of reports to monitor individual progress and overall program results. According to Lukievics, "The quality of learning that's taking place on the NovaNET system is great. It provides students with instant reinforcement so they can see their success immediately. It really improves their self-image and motivation." Results Through the guidance of the teachers, lab directors and counselors, the passing rate for students in the NovaNET curriculum is above 95%. According to Karol D'Huyvetters, Director of Special Education, "The primary benefit of the NovaNET system is academic growth. At the secondary grades, many special education students start to plateau. Last year, 50 high school students who used the NovaNET system showed six months to two years of growth in math and language arts skills." Through the use of the NovaNET system, Northampton Area School District has been able to address the needs of their diverse student population by providing a flexible, individualized, online curriculum aligned to Pennsylvania state standards.
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a Success Story 
The high school offers study programs in advanced placement, honors, college preparatory, applied academics, and vocational/technical studies through the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School. The Peer Helper program at the high school has received national recognition and numerous awards for its focus on assisting students with special needs. At-risk, alternative education, a Student Assistance Program (SAP), and counseling services are provided at the secondary level.
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