Rita - 9th Grade Student: [00:00:02] Being as small as we are, we don't have the same, we don't have quite as many opportunities as bigger schools, so a lot of classes, the only way to get to them is online. And I think Apex offers a good way to teach online.
Luke Francois - Superintendent: [00:00:19] Mineral Point Schools is a small rural district, and we're striving to give the same affordable offerings as any school district in a suburban-urban area. And one of our solutions that we have used is Apex Learning.
Vickie Dahl - Principal, Middle School: [00:00:30] Our students understand our academic expectations. I think our students, our staff members are very rigorous with their academic expectations. And our students know when they come in as sixth graders that their sixth, seventh and eighth grade years are going to be tough academically, but they also know that we're trying to prepare them for when they get into high school.
Callie Gundlach - Special Education Teacher: [00:00:54] I can't express how much I love Apex and how much it helps me with my job, but also helps my students bridge the gaps in their learning.
Mike Chambers - Math Teacher, Middle School: [00:01:07] Ultimately, it helps every kid because now they're exposed to more algebra. And then when they get into the high school where it has kind of been a struggle, now they've been introduced to it once already, they've been tutored one-on-one with me, and so now they're seeing it a second time from somebody else rather than the first time. And that really helps them down the road also.
Owen - 8th Grade Student: [00:01:31] The advantage of doing it this year will probably help me by me learning it and like, having the knowledge of it better than just starting out in Algebra 1 and learning it fresh.
Vickie Dahl - Principal, Middle School: [00:01:43] It also prepares our students for our state assessment and our Forward exam. And we've been very successful with our math Forward exam results. We've significantly exceeded expectations as a middle school and the growth that we've seen in math over the last two years has been awesome.
Luke Francois - Superintendent: [00:02:04] And so we've now incorporated Apex Learning across our entire district, allowing all courses to be able to be used in a blended approach for either acceleration or remediation or just a complement to the normal classroom.
Rita - 9th Grade Student: [00:02:15] Using Apex Learning, I was able to both pass eighth grade math and skip over Algebra 1 to be placed into geometry with the group a year ahead of me in.
Amanda Heisner - Options in Education Coordinator/Teacher: [00:02:27] And the students are really much more engaged than I think they ever were in a traditional setting. And I moved from being a teacher to much more of being a coach and being able to support and continue that encouragement so kids stay on the path.
Luke Francois - Superintendent: [00:02:39] I think that's one of the big things that Mineral Point has tried to do is to differentiate the classroom.
Mike Chambers - Math Teacher, Middle School: [00:02:44] These are still the same struggling kids that they always were, but somehow they're learning at a higher level. And I have to attribute that to the changes that we have made and using Apex.
Amanda Heisner - Options in Education Coordinator/Teacher: [00:02:58] Many of our students are coming from a background of poverty. This has kind of led to some of the disengagement that they've experienced and sort of becoming frustrated in a traditional setting. By allowing them to be flexible, to have ownership in their classes, to be able to finish as soon as they complete things, really gets them to buy in and invest more. Another thing that we really focus on is figuring out what it is that they want to do after high school. And to be able to have that from the context of seeing success in high school, really makes a big difference.
Amanda Heisner - Options in Education Coordinator/Teacher: [00:03:27] I had a particular student who just finished within this last week of school, came to me last year as a junior with three credits, and when he came in to finish his last thing this week, he had such a smile on his face. And I said, I'm so proud of you! And he said, I'm really proud of me, too, thanks.