State’s collaborative program is designed to assist Kanawha County “at-risk” high school students a chance to earn their diplomas and get a jump start on a college education.
“At-risk” students includes those who suffer anxiety, bullying or not being stimulated by the typical high school experience, Steve Ardman, supervisor and lead teacher of the collaborative program, said.
“The collaborative program has been an incredible resource for the students of Kanawha County,” Ardman said. “The program is a unique alternative to traditional schools. The collaborative students have excelled academically and grown personally with the opportunities that WVSU has given to them.”
“Only high school juniors and seniors may qualify for the program,” he said. Students are given the opportunity to apply for the program, although not all students will be accepted.
“State accepts 50 collaborative students, and the appeal of the program has generated a waiting list,” Ardman said.
“The collaborative program was established at State in 2005, and hundreds of students have obtained their high school degrees since then,” Ardman said.
He estimated the high school graduation rate for collaborative students is around 90%. When students involved in the collaborative program obtain the credits required for graduation, their home school is informed and students receive their diplomas from their high schools of origin.
Students involved in the collaborative program praise it. Karley Bradshaw, a senior at South Charleston High School, said: “I love it. It has been the best decision ever.”
