By Deb Risden
From its location on the Patriot High School campus to the centrally located Safeway shopping center, GOAL Academy High School’s new setting will accommodate a growing program.
GOAL is a statewide alternative high school that serves about 7,000 students online, supported by 40 drop-in centers across Colorado. Sponsored by El Paso County’s District 49, the school is the largest in the state. While its classes are virtual, GOAL’s physical sites provide face-to-face support, tutoring and counseling for students.
The new location has made enhancing and expanding programs possible. Kyle York, Colorado Springs regional principal, said as part of their Work-Based Learning program, students start with a workshop called Employment 101. “It’s learning the soft skills that help you write resumes, do interviews and learn how to talk with an employer when having issues on the job,” York said. When students complete that course, the school sets them up in a job or internship, he said. Students receive course credit for the job, even if they are working in a job prior to enrolling in the program. The school works with the employers by checking in to see how a student is doing in their job. A student can earn up to one full elective credit for working.
Hands-on training in the trades is another area of focus. GOAL has partnered with Project Diaconia to provide construction skills training. Students who complete the program graduate with a free set of professional tools. A mobile construction trailer, equipped with industry standard equipment, is now traveling statewide to bring similar opportunities to more communities.
The new site includes multiple learning zones, a conference room, testing areas and space for a future e-sports lab. Brian Guinn, dean at the Falcon campus, said families often stop in while shopping nearby; students can grab lunch or use outdoor seating for study breaks. Teachers, academic coaches and counselors are on site four days a week, and transportation is available for some students who need it.
“It’s unique in that we have different rooms, so if a student wants to work in a bright area, they can,” York said. “If they want to work in a space with less lighting, they can. They can come in with other GOAL students; we have a room where they can meet. We have snacks available and they can go get some lunch and bring it back to the site. That is different from what they could do at the other location.”
Guinn said the program is flexible for students. “It’s a blended, asynchronous environment. They can access any class at any hour of the day or night,” Guinn said. “They have different learning targets for the day and can submit assignments throughout the day or after hours.” He said the flexibility helps students who have to work in their family business or have a family of their own they are providing for. Guinn said there are always teachers, coaches and counselors on-site for students if they want to drop in. “Even if a parent has shopping to do and they want to drop off their student for an hour, it’s awesome and we want that!”
Since the relocation in July, enrollment has grown from about 115 students to 150 at the Falcon site alone. The trend is similar across the Colorado Springs region, where GOAL now operates five centers: Falcon, Citadel, Chapel Hills, South Colorado Springs and Fountain. Guinn said each site has moved in recent years to more visible and accessible locations. He estimates Colorado Springs and Falcon’s combined regional enrollment will be about 1,400 students this year.
York said parents and students often ask about student involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities. “If they’re playing a sport at their high school or involved in JROTC, choir, band or sports, they can still attend GOAL and stay involved in their neighborhood high school,” he said.
Graduation success is measured differently at GOAL. Alan Van Norman, director of communications, said the majority come into GOAL as ninth or 10th graders, are not behind, graduate on time and earn college credits concurrently with meeting high school graduation requirements. “When we measure seniors within striking distance (which means needing about six credits to graduate), close to 90% of those students graduate in their senior year,” Van Norman said.
“How quickly students graduate depends on how many credits they come in with and how fast they can catch up,” Guinn said. Many students come in well-below fourth and fifth grade reading and/or math levels. “We have to build those skills up so we can get them into seventh and eighth grade reading and math. Once we get them there, they fly through classes,” he said.
A student’s entry into GOAL begins with an intensive intervention process. “We test every student internally to figure out where they are, and then we meet them there,” Van Norman said.
Building trust is a large part of GOAL’s success. “It takes some time. Students definitely have some angst because maybe for four, five or six years they have struggled through the district school system and they don’t have a lot of trust in the system itself. We have to break that and build relationships,” Guinn said. The school uses the Capturing Kids Hearts model and became a CPK showcase school last year.
The new location is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and by appointment on Friday. Students and families are welcome to drop in.
“We invite the community to come in so they can see the place, see how inviting it is and learn about our programs,” York said. “There is so much we offer at GOAL, and it gives them another opportunity for their student. We also have safety and security like other schools in the district.”
