Oakcrest High School seeks to provide its students with interdisciplinary, authentic learning experiences in a personalized learning environment. As part of this effort, several courses have been developed into theme-based small learning communities (SLCs) for students in varying grade levels These interdisciplinary blocks of courses are offered over two or more periods.
Because of the greater amount of time spent in the SLCs, students are provided the opportunity to develop a closer relationship with their teachers, fellow students and the community. Students and teachers have the opportunity to develop shared expectations, thus providing a more personalized learning environment. As a result, student work can be more academically focused and actively monitored than in the typical high school environment.
Oakcrest High School will be offering the following Small Learning Communities:
These SLCs present increased opportunities for student leadership and ownership of the learning process. While each SLC is unique in focus, all are dynamic and interactive. Each seeks to make connections with community organizations that will allow students to experience guest speakers, field trips, internships, career shadowing and other authentic work projects. Supervisors evaluate the curricula and projects to ensure that they are consistent with the Core Curriculum Content Standards.
According to the American Youth Policy Forum, students from smaller schools with more career-focused curricula perform better in college, touting higher grade point averages, graduation rates and standardized test scores. The Forum also concluded that specialized, career-focused curricular efforts can lead to higher attendance rates and lower drop-out percentages among high school students. Small learning communities fuse traditional educational disciplines to bring students educational opportunities that are equally challenging and stimulating. We believe these type of high interest, hands-on curricular experiences will motivate and inspire our students to reach greater academic heights.
The student population of the SLCs is diverse and heterogeneous, reflective of the overall population of Oakcrest High School.
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