Our district’s vision includes success for all students, and we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to ensure that every student reaches his or her fullest potential. One such idea that has caught our attention is what is called the “Optional Flexible Year Program” – or OFYP. Under this state-allowed program, school districts may adopt a modified school calendar that would allow students who have passed the TAKS to attend up to 10 fewer school days during the regular school year. Students who do not pass the TAKS would attend school on the remaining 10 days and receive special individualized or small group instruction to help them pass those sections of the test that were causing them difficulty. Another option is that districts may use OFYP for credit recovery. In this scenario, students who are not passing a class would have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the subject within those 10 days and possibly receive credit for the course, within certain guidelines. Right now, we are only examining this opportunity for our high school students. By offering these students extra help in a smaller class setting during the regular school year, our hope is that we can help them to pass their courses and the TAKS to graduate on time.
At this point, we are still looking into this option. What do you think? I would like to hear your thoughts, as parents, on how this program would be received by our community. Please share your ideas as to whether this type of approach would benefit our students.
