Personalized learning enhances

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Junior Savannah Coleman works her way through the Apex program Jan. 20. “This program helps me because it regroups what I’ve already learmed and improves it. It’s an upgrade from the classroom,” Coleman said.

Nick Prunkl, Staff Writer
February 1, 2018

Extended Day Learning Program, overseen by Assistant Principal Robert Murray, is designed to allow students to earn credits by completing their coursework during an alternative time frame.

“The number one purpose of this program is to get kids their graduation credits by making up coursework through the online Apex program and working with teachers in Saturday school facilities,” Murray said.

The Apex Program, included in the EDLP curriculum, is a student-centered achievement based learning program that allows students to learn at their own pace. It provides a venue for accelerated credit attainment for those seeking an early graduation status while also creating flexibility in scheduling with the intent of offering potential for more innovative classes. This program has proved to be instrumental to the overall success of EDLP, improving grades of students in certain courses by margins well over 10 percent.

A hybrid program with a mix of hands on teaching, by math teacher Hal McVeigh and English teacher Brittany Jackson, along with the implementation of online projects and tests. The curriculum is meant to be flexible and personalized in order to meet student’s needs and allow for a more personalized and conducive student-centered schedule.

“A lot of our kids here use the program to free up their schedule to allow more room for AP courses, much like taking courses at CCBC” Murray said.

EDLP also plays a pivotal role in increasing graduation rate. A recent report by Baltimore County Public Schools indicates that since EDLP was instituted during superintendent Dallas Dance’s tenure, the graduation rate increased by a margin of nearly eight percent raising it to its current rate of 90 percent. By offering a flexible work schedule, the EDLP program has helped to create educational equity by providing assisted learning services.

“Saturday school has helped me tremendously, in so many ways,” an anonymous student enrolled in the program said.

“I have to help my family a lot, so I’m very busy and can’t always get my homework and schoolwork completed. Saturday school helps me get that done.”

A unique feature of the program lies in the idea that students can access their curriculum and continue their learning from any location at any time. The idea of having control over their learning pace has proven to be a key factor in student motivation.

The program, though a way to assist struggling students as a means to success, is by no means easy.

“It’s a lot of work,” Murray said. “But the program is geared to help anybody and everybody to get through the class and get the credit, no matter what level they’re at.”