2016 Education

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Page 28 2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY March 1, 2016
of construction, and CNA
programs.
“The program teaches good
career skills,” said Poelker, who
said LCHS wanted to connect to
local youth and their interests in
potential careers. “They’re good
courses for local kids to pursue.”
Smith described what the
curriculum for these students
looks like. Students may choose
between a class day of 8:00 to
2:15 or 9:00 to 3:12. “Their
days are one hour shorter than
general education students
because we figured general
education students get a study
hall and that makes up for it
over here,” said Smith.
Classes for the students are
then tailored to each student’s
needs. “We have many options
of classes for each subject based
on difficulty and skill level.
So if a student really struggles
with Math, I will enroll them
in one of our lower level math
courses,” said Smith.
A majority of the coursework
(English, Math, Science, U.S.
History, Civics, and Consumer
Ed) is found online. The
coursework is broken up into
five units. Students take a pre-
test, and their results will alter
their instructions based; then
they will complete vocabulary
lessons, in which students
are required to type out each
vocabulary word; then there is
a series of instructional videos
covering the relevant material; a
quiz over each topic from each
instructional video; and finally a
unit test. At the very end of the
course is a comprehensive exam.
“I require that each student
complete at least 10-12% each
day. I have a check-in sheet that
their progress is checked every
30 minutes to make sure they are
completing work and staying on
task,” said Smith.
In addition to their online
coursework, students are
required to enroll in at least
one Lincolnland Technical
Education Center (LTEC) class
or an elective class. Most
elective classes are taken in the
main building, with a few online
options. Smith said the students
do this to become familiar with
material outside of their online
work.
Smith said, “I also started a
work study program which
allows student to earn credits
for working in the community.
Many of my current students
hold jobs in Lincoln and I am
in contact with their employers
checking on their progress and
making sure they are attending
work on time, completing their
jobs, and working well with co-
workers,” said Smith. Poelker
added that they waive the
physical education requirement
as well.
Due to the differing schedules of
different students, LCHS holds
a special ceremony multiple
times a year, usually every few
months, for students that
graduate from this program.
Continue 8
Photo by LCHS