Written by Michael DePasquale, Night School Supervisor
While Portage Township Schools made the very difficult but fiscally solvent decision to close the former Portage Adult Education program, the administration and school board recognized a need to help those students who were struggling with achievement in a regular school setting.
Portage High School, along with the support of the district's superintendents, developed and implemented a night school alternative for students who were previously at Portage Adult Education and needed a classroom to continue their education.
The program required students to reside in the school district and be between 16 and 18 years old to be an eligible candidate for night school. Once this program was put into place, Portage High School recognized that night school could help regular daytime students who needed an alternative.
Portage Night School is offered on a referral basis only when a student is identified to be at risk of losing credits due to poor attendance, disciplinary issues and other circumstances in which the student would benefit from being in an alternative environment.
Guidance counselors, attendance personnel and principals work with the students and their parents or guardians while assigning them the correct classes and planning out their goals toward graduation.
Portage High School's night school offers students the opportunity to earn credits toward their high school diploma in a setting that is smaller in size. During a nine-week period the students are offered two credits grouped — mathematics (pre-algebra, algebra 1, algebra 2, calculus and geometry,) and English (9, 10, 11, and 12) during the first nine weeks, and social studies (economics, geography, history of the world, U.S. history and U.S. government) and science (biology, chemistry, earth and space science, and integrated chemistry/physics) the second nine weeks.
Students do have the opportunity to earn an elective credit if any of the other previous courses are not needed. Students can earn a work-study credit if they are able to obtain a job and work the given set of hours required to earn a credit while being an employee in good standing.
Students attend school four hours a night and focus on one class per night, reducing the issues of transitioning to several different courses. A certified teacher in that specific curriculum is in the classroom facilitating the learning and helping students gain knowledge they need to earn credit in each of their given courses.
Through the development and implementation of the night school program, Portage Township Schools is giving students the opportunity to develop a unique and personalized path toward graduation. This flexibility and drive to bring out the best in each of our students is a reflection of our philosophy that "Together We Succeed."