Inventive LPOSD educators expand standard curricula
SANDPOINT — From grade school to high school, the staff of Lake Pend Oreille School District is experimenting with new approaches to education. Program leaders presented information on three pilot curricula at the June 14 LPOSD Board meeting, discussing modalities, metrics and future plans.
Superintendent Shawn Woodward briefed board members on the district's experiential learning program, which just wrapped up its second year. Although the program is at present confined to a pair of classrooms and approximately 50 pupils at Farmin Stidwell Elementary School, it has turned out to be quite popular.
"We have a waiting list of 150 students," Woodward said.
The ELP classrooms are composed of students from varying grade levels. This multi-age approach fosters greater social and emotional growth than traditional age-based classrooms, he said, as confirmed by the results of an ELP student and parent survey the district recently completed.
Parents identified the key strengths of the ELP program as its age-inclusive aspect, its emphasis on real-world learning and its focus on the students' own aptitude rather than their age or grade level. Many parents said they would like teachers to place increased emphasis on project- and field-based learning. In response, the two ELP teachers are adding more projects and field trips to next year's curriculum, he said.
Despite the early success of ELP, Woodward told the board he wants to thoroughly fine-tune the program before expanding it. He also wants to review ELP students' performance metrics to ensure that they are meeting educational standards and keeping pace with students in traditional classrooms.
Jacque Johnson, principal of Southside Elementary, followed Woodward with a presentation on her school's S.T.E.A.M. pilot program. The curriculum includes the same subjects as the widespread S.T.E.M. program -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- but adds arts studies as well. She said that Southside has thus far used S.T.E.A.M. as enrichment rather than a daily program, with teachers setting aside an hour each Thursday to teach on a topic of their choice.
Students choose which class they wish to attend each S.T.E.A.M. Thursday. Art and music classes at school also integrate core S.T.E.A.M. concepts, Johnson said.
In addition, the alternative learning program was the theme of a student-parent night the school organized last spring.
Staff used grant funding to purchase project kits parents and their children worked on during the evening.
"Hands-on learning, higher levels of thinking, self-direction, innovation and collaboration," are some of the competencies the pilot program brings to students, Johnson said. She and her staff are hoping for scholarships that will enable them to attend classes at the University of Idaho to become the state's first S.T.E.A.M.-certified elementary school.
Phil Kemink, Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School principal, presented the third alternative learning approach at the board meeting.
"Our experiential learning tracks are a huge success not only with our families but with the community at large," he said.
The school offers students the option to attend outdoor, technical, culinary or arts tracks where they learn hands-on skills that may become future careers.
"It's amazing, the number of people that jumped in to help with our outdoor track," said Kemink. "Schweitzer and Kaniksu Land Trust are co-sponsors."
He also told the school board that the arts track is scheduled to expand next year.
"We received a couple of grants, so we actually are starting an artist in residence (program) for a month at a time," the principal said.
The tech track is probably the most interesting and chaotic. You have 34 kids interested in building something cool with their hands," said Kemink.
"A couple students ... were splitting atoms in class. We need to find more staffing cause there’s a lot of crazy stuff going on."
He told trustees that the school will be replacing about 40 percent of its staff next year, largely due to attrition, and will continue to develop its popular ELT programs.