We had 82 courses taken by seniors, who without this opportunity, would not have graduated.
— James Pavlek, Director of Distance Learning, Northeast Service Cooperative
Case Study: Granada Hills Charter High School
The Granada Hills Charter High School in California serves nearly 4,200 students and teaching to each student’s learning needs is one of the school’s greatest challenges. The student body is very diverse at Granada and the school has been looking for ways to provide intervention and alternative learning opportunities to students. After searching for an online program that would provide students with flexibility, but also the same rigor they would get in the regular classroom, the school decided that Aventa Learning fit their needs.
"I think the students were shocked at how rigorous the Aventa program is," says Julia Howelman with Granada Hills Charter School. "Whatever your academic expectations are in the classroom, your online program has to meet those."
Granada has used Aventa Learning since 2007 and started with a small number of students who wanted to take accelerated courses and get ahead in school. With the success of the program, the school has now decided to expand the program by offering credit recovery courses to students and expanding the number of students who can take independent courses. Granada focuses on preparing students for college, and the Aventa program provides students with the challenging coursework they need. In addition, taking courses through Aventa Learning will familiarize them with an online platform similar to those used by American universities.
"These students will inevitably have to take some kind of online learning when they are in college," says Howelman. "Aventa prepares them for the kind of learning they will experience after they graduate."
In addition to giving students the chance to take accelerated classes, the flexibility of Aventa Learning has allowed students to stay on track with their academics despite personal hardships. Howelman remembers one student who was doing well in school until she developed an illness.
"If it wasn’t for Aventa she wouldn’t have been able to continue her high school experience and graduate," Howelman recalls.
This school year Granada has about 60 students who are ready to enroll in online classes. Teachers have also become extremely supportive of the program. The school presented the Aventa program to teachers as an alternative to direct instruction if a student wasn’t successful in the regular classroom.
"We reassured our teachers that students would not attend Aventa just because they didn’t like their class," Howelman says. "Aventa is great for students who just need a different learning environment."
Many students were surprised at the level of material from Aventa Learning. Sometimes students expected the program to be less difficult because it is online. However, students quickly realized that online did not equal easy. Additionally, because the program is offered at the school, during school hours, students are still able to participate in many extracurricular activities.
"Band, prom, sports – all of these are important to students," says Howelman. "The way we use Aventa allows students to get ahead or caught up and still be to be a part of a high school."
