Educational Service Unit #13 Spotlight: Alternative Education
Launch the media gallery 1 playerEach month we plan to provide a "spotlight" on the services from Educational Service Unit #13 (ESU13) that benefit the students, staff, and school community members at Bayard Public Schools. This month we are pleased to share the following information that has been put together by the professional development department at ESU13. -- Dr. Miller
What is "alternative education?" An alternative school is one that offers the same basic curriculum as the "traditional" school but uses alternative delivery methods. While the structure of the alternative program may vary from site to site, there are common effective characteristics which have been identified in alternative schools: Small class size, supportive environment, autonomy and democratic structure, accountability and constant evaluations, opportunities for community involvement and a school environment. Valley Alternative Learning and Transitioning School (VALTS) has four teachers. One from each core content area.
VALTS is a consortium made up of 9 area schools.
- Bayard High School
- Gering High School
- Mitchell High School
- Scottsbluff High School
- Bridgeport High School
- Kimball High School
- Minatare High School
- Morrill High School
- Banner County High School
The student selection process for VALTS originates in the student's home school district. Requirements for graduation from VALTS are the same as for all other students in their home district. Since the inception of VALTS in 1998, there have been 628 graduates.