High school Matrix for Success Academy It is a successful example since 2018 in Los Angeles of an alternative learning system that gives flexibility to vulnerable students to graduate from high school.
“The whole mission is to serve vulnerable young people through a more flexible education system and multiple formulas to graduate from high school. The traditional education system is very rigid, and many young people get lost and drop out; and many times those schools want to continue helping them, but they can’t because they don’t have that flexibility,” said Cesar Lopez, executive director of the Matrix for Success Academy charter school in an interview with The Opinion.
Matrix Elementary School, with two branches in South Central and the Wilshire-Hope area, serves grades nine through twelve, with more than 90 percent of its students being Latino.
California public charter schools have long embraced alternative learning models through non-face-to-face instruction (NCB) programs.
These are schools where students spend less than 80% of their time in the classroom, and offer a variety of models that allow for 20% more instruction outside the classroom.
Examples of non-face-to-face instruction models include: independent study, project-based learning, remote or distance learning, online learning, home study, or a combination of any of these models.
Who is a vulnerable youth?
“It is a young person who has basically fallen behind in his credits and whose chances of graduating are diminished. They may be young people who experience housing problems. We have more than 100 homeless students each year. We also call young women who become pregnant vulnerable. We have had about 30 or 50 pregnant women; and young women who already have children and have had their lives complicated are also vulnerable; as well as students who live in low levels of poverty,” said Director López.
He explained that the traditional system generally does not support this type of students.
“For those who are close to 18 years old, we offer the adult program that requires them to complete 170 credits to graduate from high school, compared to the 210 required by the traditional system; for those who experience housing problems or live in foster homes, 130 credits are required.”
She revealed that they also have more than 60 children with special needs; and if they are learning English and have an individual learning plan, they can stay in school until they are 22 years old.
He explained that Their alternative learning program consists of a program customized to the needs of each student..
“Whatever the child needs, most of the young people come to meet with teachers, about three times a week; others every two weeks; they attend school as many times as it works for them.”
Most importantly, despite their vulnerable status, through this alternative learning at Matrix Academy, nearly 22 of the 80 graduates last year went straight to a state university.
“The reality is that these kids just need flexibility and opportunities to study, as well as mental support. The average number of counselors in the traditional system is one counselor for every 600 students. We have four counselors for less than 400 students.”
Brenda Esparza, administrator of the Matrix for Success Academy He said many of these students do not have emotional support at home.
“In this alternative learning environment, they come to school when they can, they give us what they can, there is no discipline, nothing negative. It’s a system that they don’t have in any other school. By having that flexibility, our students come back.”
The director of Matrix Academy revealed that this year, they hope to open another school in the communities of Pacoima and Sylmar where they have detected greater need.
“In my opinion, we have the best program in Los Angeles and in the state for alternative learning, and we are launching the Myflexschool phone app to provide services and resources to families such as diapers, Metro cards, and food.”
Sytlaly Escobar, a 17-year-old student who just graduated from Matrix Academy, said that this learning system allowed her to feel freer.
“I felt more comfortable and less anxious. The system is not as stressful as other schools,” said Sitlaly, who will begin studying psychology at Northridge University this fall.
The director of the Matrix for Success Academy He invited all those children who are not in school to come and finish their secondary school with them without prejudice.
The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) has 12 member schools in Los Angeles County that offer independent study and virtual programs.
There are many other public charter schools that offer an independent study option as a component of a more traditional program such as Granada Hills Charter (GHC).
Keith Dell’Aquila, vice president of advocacy in Los Angeles for CCSA, said charter schools allow educators to customize education to meet the unique needs of each student.
“These types of schools succeed with thousands of students by offering innovative programs that recognize that one-size-fits-all does not make sense in 21st-century learning.”
Like other public charter schools in California, NCBs are free, public, and open to all students.
What we need to know about non-face-to-face schools
Since the creation of charter schools in California in 1993, non-school charters (NCB) have played a consistent and crucial role in meeting the needs of students and families seeking an alternative to in-person public schools.
According to Jonathan Slakey of the Charter Schools Association (CCSA)’s study “Serving the Diverse Needs of Students in the Golden State,” non-face-to-face charter schools have grown and adapted to the variety of student needs in a personalized learning environment.
In 2020, they served more than 190,000 students in California.
“The pandemic and the transition to remote learning have provided an opportunity to highlight successful practices in the NCB sector, clear up some misconceptions, and showcase the wide variety of programmatic offerings and learning environments that these charter schools provide to California students and families,” Slakey said.
“These lessons and best practices are now increasingly being adopted by many in-person programs as schools have moved to remote learning.”
In her research, Slakey shares key learnings from the teaching practices of five charter schools in California that effectively meet student needs and create successful learning environments.
Personalized learning
While non-face-to-face charter (NCB) schools are required by law to develop written agreements with families, commonly referred to as a student/family compact, what happens in practice and in theory goes beyond a cookie-cutter formula. Goals, expectations, learning plans, and family engagement are often tailored and individualized to meet the unique needs of students.
Synchronous and asynchronous learning
They offer a combination of in-person “self-paced” classes and courses with recorded live sessions to allow for repetition plus other complementary individual or small group support.
Strong relationships between teachers and students
Teachers are required by law to meet regularly with students and their families. These ongoing one-on-one interactions allow teachers to form strong personal connections with their students, on a level that may not occur in in-person programs.
Flexibility in schedule and instructional style
To meet the diverse learning styles and personal circumstances of students, NCBs offer a wide variety of instructional styles and schedules that can be quickly and effectively adjusted.
to unforeseen changes in student schedules or traumatic events like COVID-19. To find a non-in-person public charter school, visit CCSA’s “Find a Charter School” or the California Department of Education’s official website.