University City School Board Recognizes Student for Achievement

sophomore Izaac Tobias was singled out for special recognition at Thursday's school board meeting.

The 15-year-old was praised for his participation in the University of Missouri, St. Louis Summer Bridge program. Over the summer, Izaac's college courseload included university-level biology, algebra and communications. He has been accepted into the program again for the upcoming year. Izaac is president of the student council at the high school.

The 2011 Assessment Report was also approved Thursday. 

“It is important to note that the district did receive another accreditation point toward our progress in maintaining our full accreditation. We are fully accredited,” Board of Education President Stacy Clay said.

This brings the district's total to eight points.

To be fully accredited, a district must meet 9-14 of the standards. To receive provisional accreditation the district must meet 6-9 standards. The state waived the review for University City schools this year as the district works to implement academic reforms.

Superintendent Joylynn Pruitt also commented on the district's accreditation.

“While we have a long way to go academically and in other areas, we did make gains in each and every area. That is a plus. We have to stay focused. We have some strategic planning to put in place,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lorraine Eason, teacher of the Missouri Option Plus Program for University City’s “at risk” students presented the Option Plus Program evaluation. She focused on changes within the program as well as the cost to the community for students who drop out of school. Chris Blumenhorst, Associate Principal of the Lieberman Learning Center and Bernadette White, Executive Director of Pupil Personnel also contributed to the presentation.

Once housed at University City High School, the Option Plus Program is currently located at the Lieberman Learning Center, which offers greater advantages to high school students in terms of scheduling, program completion, and participation in a learning community centered around “at risk” students. The program was created in 2002 by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as a way to reduce the dropout rate in Missouri schools. University City Schools adopted the program under the name Option Plus in 2003. Since 2002, more than 200 school districts in Missouri have adopted the program.

The Option Plus program serves students who are at risk of leaving school without a high school diploma. Guidelines set forth by DESE, applicants must be:

• At least 17 years old
• At least one year behind their cohort group
• Demonstrate the ability to read and compute at a level sufficient to pass the GED within one school year

The Option Plus Program offers a way for at risk students to still graduate high school. Students earn a University City High School diploma by:

• Passing all five components of the G.E.D.
• Earning credits in required classes: health, personal finance, and government
• Attending classes on a regular basis

Option Plus students comprise 3 to 5 percent of total students graduating from University City each year.

Eason’s presentation highlighted the impact that high school dropouts have regarding statistics dealing with the community, the economy, employment and crime.

According to the National Dropout Prevention Center, an estimated $944 billion in tax revenue is lost collectively from all males ages 25-34 who did not complete high school. The unemployment rate of blacks ages 20-24 in the same group was 32 percent opposed to six percent for those who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Seventy-five percent of U.S. prisoners are high school dropouts, and 59 percent of federal prisoners did not earn a high school diploma.

According to the National Dropout Prevention Center:

• Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested in their lifetime than graduates.
• One percent increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in incarceration costs.
• A one-year increase in average education levels would reduce arrest rates by 11 percent.
• One high school student drops out every nine seconds in the U.S.