Challenge
Santa Anna ISD is a small, rural school district that serves a primarily at-risk student population. With limited resources and a teacher shortage, the district is faced with the challenge of ensuring their students receive high-quality instruction, as well as access to a wider range of core and elective courses.
Solution
Apex Learning provided a solution to help the district meet several criteria:
- High-quality instruction to ensure that students meet state standards
- Ease of use for both teachers and students
- Flexibility to let teachers modify the curriculum to best meet the needs of their students
- More choices for students, including ACT© and SAT© prep
Results
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100% graduation rate for the class of 2016
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97% of students using Apex Learning for credit recovery or original credit completed their courses
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Alternative Education Program (AEP) students were able to recover credits and pass end-of-course exams
Goal
Santa Anna High School needed a high-quality digital curriculum based on Texas state standards (TEKS) that could be easily incorporated into their existing programs. The high school wanted to expand electives and give students access to courses, even if they didn’t have teachers on staff with expertise in those subjects.
High Expectations for the School and Students
For Santa Anna High School Principal Laurie Hunter, the limited resources of the district require her to use digital curriculum in the most effective way possible. The previous digital curriculum used by the high school did not have immediate remediation, and had no courses for ACT and SAT exam readiness. For at-risk students, access to high-quality, rigorous curriculum is critical, as it can prepare them for high-stakes exams and make college a reality.
Providing a Personalized Learning Experience for All Students
With Apex Learning digital curriculum, teachers can modify lessons and personalize learning for each of their students, something that is especially important for special education students. Teachers have the flexibility to enhance instruction as needed, whether for remediation, exam prep, or supporting core courses.
For a small school, replacing or adding even one teacher can be a challenge. With no government and economics teachers, Principal Hunter relies on Apex Learning digital curriculum to provide the high-quality instruction and rigor necessary for students to build content mastery and meet TEKS standards.
Taking Full Advantage of Digital Curriculum
Currently, all students use Apex Learning on campus in a blended learning environment. Additionally, Alternative Education Program (AEP) students are in a building separate from the rest of the high school, and Principal Hunter
notes that with the alternative learning program, “they did so much better than they would’ve done in a regular classroom.”
With Comprehensive Courses and Tutorials, Santa Anna High School can address the wide range of student needs including:
- A two-week retake remediation summer program for students who have to retake the state assessment
- Support for transfer students from other states who need additional credits
- Intervention and remediation for students who are in danger of not graduating on time
- End-of-course exam readiness for the state-tested subjects of Algebra 1, English I and II, and U.S. History
- ACT and SAT readiness for all juniors and seniors