Coloma Schools offers a virtual alternative program for students

BERRIEN COUNTY, Ind. -- Coloma Community Schools is launching a new alternative virtual program for high school students.

Coloma Virtual Pathway is a new flexible online learning option for students in grades 9 through 12.

"We definitely see a need for some of the kids who might need an alternate path to graduation school just might be the thing that excites them or gets them out of bed in the morning. That's one of the reasons why we explored the alternate path by maybe taking all the classes online," Coloma Schools Superintendent Dave Ehlers said.

Students can take their core classes online, while still participating in Coloma's career and technical education programs, which gives them hands-on learning opportunities.

Each student will have weekly check-ins with a school mentor to monitor progress and get access to tutoring or mental health support when needed.

Students will have a full semester to complete their classes. They can either focus on one course at a time-- or dabble with all six--learning at their own pace.

"We see college kids going to campus, going away to campus, and taking maybe one or two, maybe sometimes more classes online. We feel it's something necessary. We've really used online learning to fill in and meet the needs of our kids. We're just looking to expand a little bit more to meet the needs of more kids," Ehlers said.

Following the pandemic, graduation rates declined nationwide, including Coloma. Ehlers says their graduation rate has been solid these past couple of years.

Now, school leaders hope this new program will help re-engage students who may have slipped through the cracks and get them back on track toward earning their diploma.

"We're shooting for 100% graduation rate. We see this as one of the tools to help with that, and we think there's also the opportunity to prepare some kids who just want to learn in a different way," Ehlers said.

Enrollment is open now, and the district is meeting with each student and family one-on-one to make sure it’s the right fit.