Central High School administrators and teachers plan to help failing students -- almost 20 percent of their ninth through 11th graders -- through a mandatory tutorial program, or "mandatorials," which start Monday.
Students failing at least one class will attend 30-minute tutorials four days a week until their grade is increased to passing -- 64 percent or higher -- or the three weeks mandatorials session ends.
About 150 students have been referred to the program by their teachers, estimated Principal Buck Kasowski.
"It sounds like so much," he said, but added most of the students are failing a single class, and many of their grades are within 10 percentage points of passing.
"They're not all two percents and three percents," he said.
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Teachers, not administrators, rallied for the program, Kasowski said.
"It was really a push from my staff to get this thing moving forward," he said. "Our teachers are currently available from 3 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. ... for young people to be able to come in and get help.
Central's administration was inspired by a similar program Minot high schools started in 2006. Administrators credit the program with increasing their 2009 graduation rate to 89.6 percent, a 13.3 percent increase, said Minot Magic City counselor Jani Thomas.
At Grand Forks Central, students will be given a reprieve from mandatorials for the first three weeks of each quarter. Then, failing students will be referred to the program. If the grade is increased above failing, the student will be allowed to exit the program. If the grade slips, though, it's back to mandatorials.
With time, Central hopes to help more students through the program. Next fall, the program will extend to seniors, and the program eventually will push students not just to pass, but to earn Cs or better.
Parents seem supportive of mandatorials, Kasowski said. In late January, the school sent a letter explaining the program to the 800 families with students at Central. In response, the school received two phone calls -- both parents praising the idea.
Some students, however, are wary.
"Many students are mad about mandatorials," wrote student Dan Spah in the Feb. 11 issue of The Centralian, Central's student newspaper. "In my opinion, mandatorials could help some students, but in the end, I don't think it will. It will turn into another thing to dodge and to make self-glorifying Facebook statuses about.
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"I predict that it will collapse into itself within a few weeks of students not showing up and not caring. But who knows, I could easily be wrong, and as soon as this goes into effect, the number of students failing classes could decrease."
Students also were quick to raise questions about conflicts with after school activities, according to The Centralian. But Kasowski stressed that mandatorials take place during the school day. After school activities don't start until 4 p.m.
"When the track meet rolls around or the school play, you can still do those things," Kasowski said.
"Bottom line is, if you don't want to be in mandatorials, pass your classes," Kasowski said.
Gulya covers education. Reach her at (701) 780-1118; (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or send e-mail to lgulya@gfherald.com .
