Youngstown to launch night school program

The new program will target students who are in danger of failing courses needed to graduate.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — It was just last June that the city school board heard pleas from parents and students, asking to let students who failed to graduate participate in commencement ceremonies with their classmates.

There were 64 city school children who failed to pass all five portions of the Ohio Graduation Test and were deemed ineligible to graduate.

Dr. Wendy Webb, superintendent, said she doesn’t want a repeat of that situation and announced Tuesday that the district will launch a special night school program Monday to help those students in danger of not completing course work or of failing to pass the OGT.

March 10 is the final testing date before June graduation, Webb said, stressing the immediacy of the issue.

The school board denied last June’s requests to allow nongraduates to walk across the stage at commencement but did implement a summer intervention program that resulted in 24 of those children eventually successfully completing their course work to become members of the class of 2007. Their graduation ceremony was held in October.

Webb said the new night school, funded through a KnowledgeWorks Foundation grant, will target students for credit recovery for course work they may be failing.

The school will be run at both Chaney and East high schools and will also be opened up to adults in the community who need to complete certain course work to earn a diploma.

Participants will have the option of taking up to two courses. There is no cost to them, other than a commitment of time and effort, Webb said.

“We’ve got to get serious about this,” she said, noting that the district will schedule parent meetings at both schools in an effort to enlist parental support and promises to help the targeted students succeed.

Parents who don’t come to the meeting can expect a visit at their home from school personnel, Webb said.

Youngstown will also offer specific tutoring for the OGT test at Choffin Career & Technical Center, something the district has been doing for several years.

The tutoring will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays beginning this week, and Choffin will even provide a lunch and door-to-door transportation for students who need it and a lunch.

For a ride, call (330) 360-9571.

gwin@vindy.com