Mineola district creating new model for high school learning
Students Taylor Contreras, 15, left, and Rebecca Earley, 15, collaborate in the "Synergy@Mineola High School" program on Sept. 23. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Teachers are known as content specialists, students are referred to as learners, and there’s no traditional homework, bell schedule or set classroom learning time. All coursework is done in the cloud, students work at their own pace, and educators host seminars for the learners.
The innovative first-year program at Mineola High School is allowing students to self-direct their learning and demonstrate mastery of skills necessary to thrive in and beyond high school, district officials said. Synergy@Mineola High School, which enrolls more than 30 ninth- through 12-grade students this fall, aims to reimagine high school learning in the district.
“Based on a lot of discussions with our students and our parents and our teachers, we really felt the need to create a different structure for high school,” district Superintendent Michael Nagler said. “Can we move away from period by period? Can we move away from subjects that may or may not be interesting to learners? And how can we deal with all the other things that kids have in their lives that affect their ability to go to school and do it? Synergy was born from that concept.”
The students were recommended by guidance counselors, but Nagler said the program will be open to all students next school year.
WHAT TO KNOW
- A new learning environment known as “Synergy@Mineola High School” has opened to students this fall in a former bank building adjacent to the high school.
- The model is based on the modern workplace with open space at the center of it. There are more than 30 students in grades 9-12 who are referred to Synergy by their guidance counselors; the program will be open to all next year.
- Synergy has been rebranded from an alternative high school program.
“Synergy is built on the premise that if you have the curriculum all set out, kids should be able to go at their own pace with the teacher’s assistance and then complete the work,” said Garry Desire, instructional leader for the program. “It’s a completely new curriculum.”
The program is being housed at the former site of Sperry Credit Union, located across a parking lot from the high school. Voters approved the $4.25 million purchase of the building last year, and it opened after an extensive remodel in September.
Synergy has been rebranded from an alternative high school program. The learners can go to the high school for Advanced Placement classes, if they choose, and can participate in sports and extracurricular activities. Nagler said the district is planning to construct a walkway as well.
Teachers serve as mentors, and the curriculum follows New York State Department of Education framework, the district said. Students will take Regents exams like they would in traditional high school. But the way they learn is vastly different.
Students check in with their teachers in the morning, and there’s a big board with the choices of the events and seminars that will be held throughout the day. Students fill in their schedule with guidance from mentors. They self-direct their work. For example, a learner could accelerate social studies lessons and spend more time on math.
They can work individually or in groups, all under the direction of a teacher/mentor who holds office hours. Their progress is measured in terms of proficiency of standards and skills, and while they will get number grades at the end of the year, the grades will not be reported traditionally. Rather, learners are assessed using proficiency scales that measure competency, knowledge and skills to meet targets. Teachers keep track on a progression scale.
"The end goal is … that students learn to use the knowledge they acquire to think critically and apply and analyze information, ultimately transferring this knowledge to new and unfamiliar contexts beyond the classroom," said Jennifer Maichin, instructional leader at Synergy and an educator in the district for nearly 30 years. "But how that happens and how they demonstrate, that doesn't have to be up to us as the teachers.
"So, it's fun to shift away from focusing on the teaching aspect and more of a focus on learning."
Student Adrian Pollak, left, Social Studies teacher Melissa Eurich and student Diana Silva work together in the Synergy program. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Learners can sign up for what’s called WIN time — known as What I Need — for a block of study. Sophomore Adrian Pollak used that time to solve linear equations for Algebra 2 online.
"When I was [at the] high school, I was so focused on getting a good grade. And it just made me so stressed out," said Pollak, 15. "And here, it's a lot better, because it's not like grade-focused on everything. It just makes it less stressful to understand."
Sophomore Rebecca Earley said she struggled in the traditional classroom. The Synergy model was designed with input from students.
"I was struggling really bad, not showing up a lot of the time. You know, I had attendance issues. Homework was a really big issue with me," said Earley, 15. "Here — it felt so much more hands on … I was like, let me give it a try, and I loved it."
Attendance is no longer a problem, she said.
The district plans to bring a retail store on-site and partner with a software/skateboard business that provides internships.
"Though it is certainly challenging to actualize a whole new way of 'doing school,' we are already seeing the positive effects this model of learning has on kids who may not have thrived in the traditional school model," Maichin said.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
