June 2008

Moving the Whole Spectrum of Students Forward

Pullman High School, Kellie Glaze, School Counselor

Kellie Glaze comes from a logging family that has made its livelihood off the land for generations. When she’s not at school, she’s assisting her 72-year-old father with the family business. But Glaze doesn’t traverse Washington’s forests; she works on another frontier. “We’ve been loggers for a long time, but now this old, old industry is completely computer driven. My father needs me to navigate for him,” says Glaze, “My personal world has shown me that my students, even those who do not want to go to college, will not be able to make a living if they can’t develop computer skills.”

The theme of digital competency for all students weaves its way through Glaze’s conversation as she contemplates Pullman High School’s successful first year of membership in the DLC: “Last year, a student was getting a national science award and was on her way to college at Princeton. As I ran down the hall after talking to her, I went zapping by the cafeteria and there were two students learning how to walk. These are high school students with high needs in walking stanchions within 100 yards of one of the most brilliant students I have ever worked with. This is what today's educators get to do, and what a neat thing that is. The DLC can help us help all of them.”

Walking their way through something new

Glaze finds that DLC online courses and resources create great flexibility for her students. Pullman is using online courses to offer students additional electives, schedule flexibility, regular core classes and special education support. She’s “particularly impressed” that DLC vendors are vetted and provide follow-up.

“We’re trying to walk our way through something new,” Glaze says, “We’ve had special needs students who are willing to try and special needs teachers who are willing to learn. Our regular classroom teachers are using the Apex [ClassTools] curriculum for enhancement. The DLC gives us differentiated learning for our math curriculum, for our credit recovery, WASL prep, for our kids who can’t be matched into a regular geometry class. We can use Apex to match things up individually. The grid work is there, even though our teachers are doing the mentoring.”

DLC aiding students with special needs

Pullman’s special education program has been enhanced by the DLC. “Our students with special needs are working at an elementary school level of ability in math—a fourth, fifth or sixth grade level,” says Glaze, “We’ve matched digital curriculum through the DLC to great success. We’re now experimenting with other classes, but math has proved very successful.”

Glaze relates another success with two autistic students, one taking an online math course and the other, geography. Both of these students, at two ends of the autism spectrum, have thrived. “The social awkwardness has been taken from them, they can communicate as they feel comfortable and it has been absolutely ideal,” remarks Glaze, “They can find success without all the other peripheral issues that arise. The DLC has worked. I see more and more of that happening.”

DLC membership leads to roll out of “flex education” throughout the district

Next year, Glaze’s district is cutting her loose from her responsibilities at Pullman to develop “flex education” throughout the district, using the DLC and other resources like Running Start and advanced placement enhancement. “We will be giving them an archaic education if we don’t get our act together,” Glaze says, “When you are supposed to move on stuff, you gotta move on stuff.”

This strategy may include a home school link, working with parents, looking at credit recovery, looking at how to serve students who can’t come to school because of health issues, and other options that Glaze is just beginning to imagine. “When the students’ needs drive you, then you can do all kinds of things,” she muses, “There is where the possibilities are. We have to get them moving forward… the whole spectrum of them moving forward.”

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