Monday night the USD 445 school board met for their monthly meeting, this time held at the Board of Education office with an annual update on the district's new online Summit Learning Program implemented at the beginning of this school year at Field Kindley High School for 9th grade students and teachers. The Summit Learning presentation drew close to 30 guests. Field Kindley High School Principal Stalford showed how the online system works while students and teachers provided live, candid feedback. The all-A honor roll students agreed they are being challenged. Their concerns include feeling overwhelmed with the workload, frustration on waiting for teacher feedback required before moving on in the program, and difficulty balancing the new academic workload with extra-curricular and personal time. Teachers at the meeting said they are learning how to supplement the online curriculum and differentiate learning in the classroom for students who perform with a more hands-on approach. Some parents wonder how this program will affect their kids' preparation for college. Board members and administration asking the students and teachers many questions throughout the meeting which went over two hours. Administration is open to reducing what is called “focus areas” in the program so to decrease student workload. The most positive is how students are gaining many cognitive skills, learning how to set and reach goals, meet project deadlines, and how to balance academia with extra-curricular and personal goals.
