We desperately need help, she pleaded. FLEX Academy is an asynchronous program which means students and teachers interact with the system and content at different times. An early January video of a meeting of Flex teachers and their administrators included this remark from Keatra Wright, head of all online instruction for the 92,000-student district. She told Belcher its been deeply frustrating to try to reach someone who can help her son. Ability to use computer network system and software applications as needed. Parents were notified Friday of the change, the district said. Address. Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), the District must safeguard student information. Obtains and disseminates information regarding occupational opportunities to students and to classes studying occupations. Flex Academy of Excellence is a public school in Decatur, Georgia that is part of Dekalb County School District. Nearly half of students in DeKalb school FLEX Academy are failing, investigation finds An investigation into student performance at the Dekalb County FLEX academy. Home Edwin Malekebu 2022-11-18T15:36:23-05:00. How much of that is the fault of the students and how much the fault of the chaotic and mismanaged start last semester is hard to measure. The DeKalb County School District recently said it will offer in-person learning five days a week for all students and expand its FLEX Academy to middle and high school students for the 2021-22 . It was expanded over the summer to include middle school students to provide more virtual learning options amid the COVID-19 pandemic. When high school students are unsuccessful, schools implement credit recovery opportunities to support the diverse needs of students. The grades arent final because the district has moved the deadline for Flex students. The school district did not provide a statement for our story. 2022 - May 31, 2022 Option 1: Flex Academy High School Virtual Summer School FLEX summer school will offer the Restore (55-69, 9th - 12th) and Ahead (seniors only) Course . 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd. This does not change the grade, nor were any alterations made in Infinite Campus, the districts gradebook of record. Concerns about how to hold students accountable for their work while also trying to make up for the fact that the district messed up.. Your statement yesterday indicated that grade postingwas completed on January 14. How can that be if some students have until Feb 1 to complete coursework? Also Dr. Cates notified Flex faculty Jan 13 that students have until January 24th at noon to submit and complete assignments. Her note said the superintendent ordered that extension. But Wright is heard in the video we viewed that mismanagement by the district was so severe that students had to have extra time to finish their fall work. Contact; Facebook Twitter Instagram. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 USA Industry Education Report Job Schools Counselor Bilingual Counselor Counselor Training School Counseling Women's Counselor Student Counselor Financial Counsellor Other Helpful Pages Related To Guidance Counselor All Jobs Guidance Counselor Jobs Students with a diagnosis like that are eligible for special education and are given what is commonly called an IEP, an individualized education plan. Applications for Potential E-SPLOST Advisory Committee Members, Additional Support Services and Resources, College, Career, SAT, ACT and Scholarship Information, GEAR UP/ Academic and Career Development Programs, Learners Permit/Drivers License/ Work Permit/ Verification of Enrollment, Summer School 2022 Student Registration Request. Concerns about students who have done little or no work and how they and their parents will respond to failing grades; FLEX Academy sends out a weekly Coaching Report and Missing Assignment Report to all parents and students displaying the status of all assignments as well as the students current grade. Im rusty at multiplication. The district acknowledges that there were challenges faced the first weeks of the program. Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and 3991 Snapfinger Rd. Coleman's 10th-grade daughter has been virtual for two years. Dekalb County middle school students enrolled in remote learning through the districts virtual platform are are no longer participating in that program. Easy 1-Click Apply (DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT) Region 6 _ French Teacher (FLEX Academy of Excellence) 2023-2024 job in Stone Mountain, GA. View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. Dekalb County Schools. She said her child has faced problems with grades and assignments disappearing for days on end. Option 2: In Person at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr High School, ****If the student has failed a course and you are interested in submitting a registration request to participate in, Please only submit one submission for each student, Please review the information below, then select one, ******The local School Counselor will review the student transcript to determine eligibility to participate in all. in Decatur, Georgia that is part of Dekalb County School District. District Home; Parents; School Nutrition; Bus Routes; Quick Links. Its absolutely terrible because they dont offer any help for the students that have the IEP, she said. When asked if she fears that her son will have failing grades, Hunter told Channel 2, He doesnt have any grades. Registration. An email provided to Channel 2 Action News shows that school officials directed FLEX teachers to submit their final fall grades last Friday, Feb. 4. In a letter sent home to parents on Friday, the district stated "due to the the demand for middle school students to participate in virtual learning exceeding the capacity at the district's Flex Academy, middle school students receiving virtual instruction will now be taught by teachers at their home school utilizing a hybrid model.". Flex Academy; Dekalb High School of Technology South; Work-Based Learning; . Address. [READ: Investigation finds more than 150 DeKalb County teachers were not paid for entire semester]. "Where's her assignments, where are her grades? DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. Three weeks into the school year and COVID-19 is affecting school districts across metro Atlanta in different ways. What to do if a teacher offers a tutorial and no students take advantage of it; FLEX Academy is an asynchronous program which means students and teachers interact with the system and content at different times. Knowledge of current developments in business and industry regarding career opportunities and employment. This was a confidential report provided to teachers to identify students who needed additional assistance and qualified for the extension as of the date of the report. We're a charity that makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. And Hunter is convinced that other Flex parents are facing the same problem. The calendar tells the story. Ability to communicate effectively with students and parents. DeKalb schools has 2,031 students enrolled in FLEX Academy, which started in 2017 to provide high school students with virtual learning options. Contact. Researches educational and career opportunities, and coordinates with teachers, college and university personnel, resource specialists, and business and community organizations for the purpose of providing information, and making recommendations. The Academy will improve student achievement via a curriculum which: Recognizes the important link between technology, agriculture and the environment Promotes higher order thinking skills - critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making Motivates students by offering a real world context for learning Diana Hunter contends her 16-year-old special education son was moved into Flex without her authorization and with bad results. Before joining the AJC, Dixon worked for Patch.com and the Cherokee Tribune in Canton. DeKalb County Schools sent Belcher a lengthy statement Thursday with responses to his questions: FLEX Academy for Success and Innovation opened its virtual doors to students on Jan. 5, 2017. Assists students in making course and subject selections, as well as with evaluating career interests and choices. Registration. The district said it would switch middle school students who want to learn virtually to a different hybrid model. District Home; Parents; School Nutrition; Bus Routes . The stipend, funded with federal coronavirus stimulus dollars, is $3,500 per semester and will be paid in increments. Parker said the district wants to build the FLEX Academy platform to include middle school students for future enrollment. . Report Job. Your school email address was successfully verified. Assists students with admissions, scholarship and identifying employment opportunities. The district did send parents a message saying it was aware of the problem and was working to fix it. Ability to engage in self-evaluation with regard to performance and professional growth. 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Dear (D.A.T.E.) {"usesDonorsChoose":false,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":240,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":82,"percentAsian":6,"percentBlack":58,"percentWhite":11,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":19,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"8 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"MDR District Record","equityFocus":true},"schoolId":129972,"callToActionDisplayName":"Flex Academy of Excellence","financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Flex Academy of Excellence on @DonorsChoose:","hasFundedProjects":false,"canonicalPageUrl":"schools/georgia/dekalb-county-school-district/flex-academy-of-excellence/129972","pageName":"schoolpage_129972"}, of students receive free or reduced price lunch, Source: the National Center for Education Statistics, of students are Black, Latino, Native Get alerts to jobs like this, to your inbox. FLEX Academy administrative offices are located at: Elizabeth Andrews High School. This was communicated to all parents desiring to enroll their. Flex Academy. Parents and Students,This year, D.A.T.E.s faculty, staff, and administration will continue to make an unprecedented effort to reclaim excellence in education, provide educational opportunities for all, and enhance authentic engagement of learning. Channel 2 broke the story that DeKalb schools admitted privately that the program was badly managed for several weeks starting last August. FLEX Academy is DeKalb County School District's new virtual learning experience. 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd. In many cases that is not happening. Continues to acquire professional knowledge and learn of current developments in the educational field by attending seminars, workshops or professional meetings, or by conducting research, and by maintaining professional relationships with members of institutions of higher learning and the business community. Hey, youre going to have more time.. Flex Academy. DeKalb High School of Technology - South ; GEAR UP/ Academic and Career Development Programs; Learner's Permit/Driver's License/ Work Permit/ Verification of Enrollment; Registrar. If you choose Option 1, KING HS Counselor will look at your student transcript to determine which virtual option your student qualifiesfor. Flex Academy, as the school district calls it, enrolled almost 3,600 DeKalb students last fall in a program that leaves students largely on their own. Mother says son has not been able to log into online teaching program since Thanksgiving DeKalb County school officials have admitted the program was managed badly. The original posting deadline for all teachers in DCSD was January 10, 2022. Thats it. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. FLEX Academy of Excellence is seeking an energetic and innovative Part-Time Counselor I, who is capable of providing effective individual counseling for a diverse student population. High demand from parents of middle school students for virtual learning required the district to adjust its instructional model, Parker said. Your web browser might not work well with our site. Were losing. And she said it was especially ineffective for her son who has an IEP, or an Individualized Education Program, because of attention deficit disorder. Contact Edwin Malekebu 2022-11-18T15:01:36-05:00. District Home; Parents; School Nutrition; Bus Routes; Quick Links. 2023 Cox Media Group. FLEX Academy staff also hosted two parent meetings to increase parental awareness. NFL roundup: What will successful year look like for Jaguars? Mother says son has not been able to log into online teaching program since Thanksgiving. Coordinates with administrators and other teaching staff members to ascertain individual student's abilities and needs, including students with special needs, and to familiarize stakeholders with guidance services. As a result, all teachers had to have their grades posted by this date. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. We are reclaiming our right to have superb learning experiences and I hope you all join me in Reclaiming D.A.T.E. The change now means that middle school educators will join their elementary counterparts in simultaneously teaching both in-person and virtual students. We messed up first semester, so were making up for that. Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with others contacted in the course of work. Start/End Dates: June 1, 2022 - June 24, 2022. Assists students in evaluating students' aptitudes and abilities through the interpretation of individual standardized test scores and other pertinent data, and works with students in developing education and occupation plans consistent with such evaluation. Although student-teacher interaction is not always simultaneous, the courses are designed to ensure feedback and support are provided to support student learning. As a result, the students were provided extensions to ensure enough time to complete coursework. DeKalb bus driver, single mother of 3 surprised with new home. Martin Luther King Jr. High School. Students in FLEX who were given an extension were assigned a grade of I for Incomplete as a placeholder. Recently, Dr. Wills has been invited as a guest lecturer to speak on behalf of the charter school movement in America in England. They get their assignments and are supposed to turn them in on time. FLEX Academy Staff. We messed up first semester, so were making up for it., [RELATED: Investigation finds more than 150 DeKalb County teachers were not paid for entire semester]. Ive called the superintendents, she said. Report cards were made available to all DCSD students and parents on January 14, 2022. They are not looking at teachers over Zoom. This means that our faculty, staff, and administrators will be committed to ensuring that a quality education, respect for education, and a tolerance for compassion and individuality will be strongly enforced. It serves 240 students They have video access to their teachers. It was an almost impossible situation, Keatra Wright, the school administrator in charge of all online instruction, told teachers Jan. 7. Thats the bottom line., In a mid-November email obtained by Channel 2 Action News, Wright described the problems as unprecedented enrollment, technology failures, miscommunications and staggering workloads. Withdrawal Date: June 6, 2022. Students have to get their assignments online, complete the work and submit independently, and many have struggled. Ive completely forgotten division, he said in the interview with Channel 2. Knowledge of pre/post high school program eligibility requirements. One teacher in that meeting suspected that students were gaming the system, taking advantage of the districts lenience with deadlines. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. FLEX Academy sends out weekly reports to local school administrators and counselors detailing student progress. ; Browns, Seahawks legit contenders. Flex Academy; Dekalb High School of Technology South; Work-Based Learning; . Lithonia, GA 30038; Phone . Not that I can honestly recollect, Hunter responded. can help close it. Hunters son has attention deficit disorder. The designated staff members do not have direct oversight of students, teach, or enter grades in the official gradebook. Parent Online Resources: Stone Mountain High School Sample policy statement. After collaborating with parents, students, counselors, high school principals, and district-level leaders, a plan was developed to support our scholars who experienced difficulties not only at the beginning of the semester but throughout the course. Helpful Information; Helpful School Information; Registration FAQ's; Transcripts; CTAE Information; FLEX ACADEMY; Flexible Learning Program. The superintendent did not order an extension. Its the same model the district uses for elementary school students who are learning remotely. In DeKalb County, the demand for virtual learning. It is our goal to stay in constant communication regarding employee concerns and other matters regarding FLEX Academy. Dr. Wills skills as an educator and educational administrator have developed throughout a successful career in various fields of education. They have video access to their teachers for just a couple of hours a week. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. Three weeks into the school year and COVID-19 is affecting school districts across metro Atlanta in different ways. Understand that its not the kids fault. Stone Mountain, GA. 30083 USA. Nearly half of students in DeKalb school FLEX Academy are failing, investigation finds, An investigation into student performance at the Dekalb County FLEX academy, Investigation finds more than 150 DeKalb County teachers were not paid for entire semester. Students transferring from one Dekalb school to another please email: salemmsregistration@dekalbschoolsga.org New Students to Dekalb County Schools, Click Here Once your application is completed, you will receive an email stating the status of your application. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team. Channel 2 notified district officials of our intent to air a story about Diana Hunter and her son, but federal privacy rules dont allow education officials to discuss individual students. Encourages parental involvement in students' education and ensures effective communication with students and parents. Investigation finds more than 150 DeKalb County teachers were not paid for entire semester The teachers signed contracts promising them $6,500 for online work in addition to their classroom work. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. A long and very difficult semester is over, or virtually over, for some 3,600 DeKalb County students enrolled in the school districts online FLEX Academy, which was beset with overcrowding and technical and communications problems during the fall semester. District spokeswoman Carla Parker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week that middle school students who were enrolled in FLEX Academy are now taking virtual classes taught by teachers at their home school. DeKalb County School District. However, the district did not respond to 11Alive's specific questions when we reached out Tuesday morning. . The District acknowledges that some students had challenges with accessing technology and content, transitioning to virtual learning, facing trauma as a result of the pandemic, and balancing responsibilities at the beginning of the semester. All DCSD students will continue to be held accountable for their work. Some experts believe an independent study program with little access to instructors is a bad fit for such students. A look at COVID-19 data for Lamar County as school district takes 2-week pause from classes, Two grade levels at separate Fulton County Schools to go virtual due to COVID-19 cases, FDA gives full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Ive called the school. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. A DeKalb County mother says her son has not been able to log in to an online teaching program since before Thanksgiving. For FLEX Academy, APEX is the system where students review the content, as well as complete assignments and assessments. Dekalb County Schools. Channel 2 investigative reporter Richard Belcher uncovered a district document that showed nearly half of the students fall semester grades were failing as of late last week. The adjuncts are required to work 10-hours a week, but they are only required to be available for online, face-to-face instruction or tutoring two hours a week. During the meeting, a concern was expressed about designated staff being allowed to reset/unlock assignments. Example video title will go here for this video. 2023 Cox Media Group. Motor Vehicle Operator's License or ability to provide own transportation. According to McRae, other parents were posting online that their kids were locked out for even longer. With a solid background in educational research and evaluation, Dr. Wills has also served as a consultant to, or member of, numerous educational organizations and initiatives including, Mercer University Educational Study Panel, William Fulbright Scholar Program, Georgia Association of Educators, Association of Curriculum and Instruction, and Association of Supervision and Instruction. That is about 54%. 2023. DeKalb schools has 2,031 students enrolled in FLEX Academy, which started in 2017 to provide high school students with virtual learning options. Report . This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Start/ End Dates: June 1, 2022- June 17, 2022. . Specialized focus was placed on those students who had little participation and missing assignments. FLEX requires students to work almost entirely on their own. SummerSchool 2022 Credit Recovery Registration is now officially open! local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. In DeKalb County,the demand forvirtual learning grew so fast, they had to switch gears on how they are virtually instructing middle school students. DeKalb schools is offering a temporary stipend for any teacher who agrees to teach both groups of students during the 2021-22 school year. What does this mean for the D.A.T.E. Address. These scores are stored in a gradebook within APEX. Plans and coordinates field trips to institutions of higher learning, businesses and other organizations related to guidance responsibilities. After enduring the same problems that affected all Flex students for the first six weeks of last semester, Brocari Hunter says he hasnt been able to log in to his online classes since November. Address. I have been putting it in since I got the new number, and its not been working. He says he needs to be able to log in. Because right now she's panicking about falling behind," said Coleman. 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