about

About the GOING PLACES Program

General Information

The Going Places Credit Flexibility Program (GPCFP) offer students credit in several areas of regular high school curriculum through tailored tracks that promotes deep independent learning, personal exploration and reflection, and innovative assessments and evaluations.

Credit Flexibility – What Is It?

With “Credit Flex,” students will be able to show what they know and move on to higher-order content they are ready to learn and have not yet mastered. They will be able to learn subject matter and earn course credit in ways not limited solely to “seat time” or the walls of a school building. They will be able to customize aspects of their learning around their interests and needs, which might include flexible schedules and a choice of modalities (e.g., online learning and community-based projects), as well as options to pursue niche interest areas, combine subjects and graduate early.

To learn more about the State of Ohio’s Credit Flexibility plan, click here.

Why credit flex?

Research and experience tell us that it encourages student self-direction and motivates learners to develop new skills and fulfill their potential. It lets students ask questions, solve problems and manage the continuous change that underscores life. And it recognizes that while learning experiences must be high quality, not all learning happens inside the classroom or in formal education settings.

Educational Provider

All mentor teachers in the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program are highly qualified (HQT) state certified teachers, with years of experience in the high school setting, and teaching with experiential methods.

Credit / Hours Earned

The Carnegie Unit and the Student Hour, also called a Credit Hour, are strictly time-based references for measuring educational attainment used by American universities and colleges; the Carnegie Unit assesses secondary school attainment, and the Student Hour, derived from the Carnegie Unit, assesses collegiate attainment.

120 hours = 1 High School Credit

The Going Places Credit Flexibility Program offers 0.5 credit hours for the 2011/2012 school year, primarily in the Social Studies Department. The 0.5 credit hours will count towards graduation requirements, and will be reported as a Social Studies Elective.

However, in the future, the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program may be adapted towards earning partial or full credit hours in core social studies classes, like U.S. History, Government, Economics, and various other courses.

Standards Connection

The Going Places Credit Flexibility Program covers many of the social studies standards in the 9-12 grades, and often incorporates standards from other disciplines, like language arts, science, fine arts etc.

Students who participate in multiple years of the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program will have explored the majority of the Ohio State Standards for the Social Studies in grades 9-12.

To learn more about the State of Ohio’s Academic Content Standards, click here.

High School Objectives

Overall high school objectives for students are highly specialized, and individual to each unique learner, and as such difficult to pinpoint in writing. In general, the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program will address multiple developmental objectives appropriate for high school students, including:

  • Leadership Development
  • Technology Skills
  • Individual Personal Development
  • Experiential Learning Modalities
  • College Preparation
  • Deeper Appreciation for Self, the Community, and Global Events

Prerequisites

Students participating in the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program should possess, or be willing to learn, or adapt to, some of the following skills and prerequisites.

  • Prospective students should:
  • Be highly motivated individuals.
  • Be ready to explore, investigate, and document various topics of study.
  • Have basic skills in technology, such as email, text messaging, blogging, etc.
  • Be willing to fully embrace the individualistic nature of this program, and be able to work on their own, make safe decisions, and seek help and guidance when needed.
  • Be ready to learn outside the classroom through non-traditional methods.
  • Be willing to take responsibility for their own learning.

Skills / Mastery Demonstration

Each student in the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of skills in the chosen track of study. Using multiple learning modalities, matched with multiple assessment strategies, each student will be afforded to show growth and true learning on an ongoing basis.

Technology is a large part of the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program. Students will use websites, blogs, digital tools like cameras and voice recorders, to document and display their learning. Each student works with their assigned mentor teacher in a partnership to promote real-life learning, and successful communication between students and teacher is key for program success.

Assessment & Evaluation

Each student will be evaluated and assessed on an individual basis throughout the year. Rather than using standard assessment instruments like a multiple choice test, students will be evaluated on a holistic basis, using multiple pieces of evidence to determine eligibility to earn credit for the program.

Program Tracks

In the future, the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program will offer multiple tracks for students to participate in, with the possibility of earning credit hours outside the Social Studies curriculum. For now, the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program is limited to social sciences topics, and will specifically be focused on the Cuyahoga River Valley Corridor in Ohio.

The Social Sciences Track, Selected Topics 2011/2012

  • Culture of the Valley
  • Transportation in the Valley
  • People of the Valley
  • History of the Valley

General Policies

Credit Flexibility is used as a means of diverse instructional needs of students with different talents, interests, and development. All such options must be aligned with the district’s educational goals and objects. These options are expected to meet the content, concepts, and skills of the course competencies established by both the district and Ohio Academic Content Standards.

The following guidelines / policies apply in the Going Places Credit Flexibility Program.

  • Participants assume all of the financial and transportation obligations of alternate course work.
  • All flexible credit will be reported as a letter grade.
  • All Senior Year students’ flexible credits will be reported by the third nine weeks of their senior year.
  • Academic honesty rules apply just as they do in a traditional class setting.
  • Students are responsible for meeting graduation requirements.
  • Senior participants must meet graduation requirements by established deadlines to participate in senior graduation.
  • Students are responsible for maintaining athletic eligibility.
  • Participants recognize that the course may not match the academic standards for their high school and may not adequately prepare them for subsequent courses.
  • Participants understand that all granting of credit will be based on their demonstration of competencies as approved by certified educators.