Individualized Learning Plans - 3 Student Stories

How BCS customizes high school for you!

• Are you looking for a way to recover credits and graduate on time?

• Did something in life take you out of high school, and you’re looking for a way to earn your diploma?

• Do you want to maintain your grade level, recover lost credits, and possibly return to your original high school to graduate with your friends?

Making High School Work for YOU

At Buckeye Community School (BCS), we understand how complicated life can be and so we do everything we can to create systems of support that put you squarely in the driver’s seat of your education. If you’ve never really felt in control of your schooling journey, you are in for a treat. Your first step with BCS will be to create your own, unique Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). Every student is in charge of how you learn, at what pace, and in what location works best for you. 

This is a big, wide-open drawing board we are inviting you to explore, and in order to understand them better, here are three different ILPs from our students:

Earn Your Diploma While Working

Student “A” has a full time job to help pay for family and life expenses. He tried to stay in school, but missed so many school days that his previous high school didn’t let him pass his classes. He would like to graduate on time and get on with working, but wasn’t sure it was possible.

He came to BCS and designed an ILP that gives him this structure: 

• He will attend BCS in a Credit Flex attendance model - some of his time will be at the school building, and some work he will do at home.

• He will turn in all assignments on time, and stay in touch with his teachers at least once per week.  

• *If he needs more time for assignments, he will ask. Each class he takes he agrees to complete within 365 days, as is BCS policy for all students. 

• He is enrolling in our Career Based Instruction (CBI) program which gives him up to 3 credits per year by holding a job and completing the necessary documentation.

Overall, Student “A” already has everything he needs to reach his goals - he just needed a little more flexibility and support to both keep his job, help his family, and graduate.

Graduate High School When You Have Children

Student “B” left high school when she got pregnant. She now has two young children and she wants to earn her diploma, but she needs a totally customized schedule to make it work. 

She enrolled in BCS after seeing the layers of support and the lengths we are willing to go to help make her graduation dream come true. Here is her ILP:

• She is also attending BCS on a Credit Flex attendance model. This allows her to do most of her work at home, and just come to the school building when she needs to turn in assignments and take exams. 

• She agrees to turn in all assignments on time and stay in touch with her teachers. She believes she needs a little more contact with teachers and plans to talk with teachers and tutors multiple times a week. If this becomes too much or proves it is not enough support and connection to the school, Student “B” agrees to communicate what she needs and we will modify her ILP to better support her.

• She is interested in our Career Tech Options so that she can earn industry certificates and possibly get a job with those certifications once she graduates. 

With a lot of flexibility and a little creativity with scheduling, Student “B” is accomplishing something that will help her open doors and set her up for a great future.

Graduate High School Even if You are Homeless

Student “C” had been living with a lot of anger which created conflict in his home, and now, he’s been kicked out of his home. He missed a bunch of school with this new transition and isn’t sure what is possible now since he doesn’t know where he is going to sleep tonight. He wants to graduate high school and he really wants to go to college, but he thinks that all might be too hard with his current life situation. 

He heard from a friend on the streets that BCS is a great place that helps homeless students, but he is worried about costs and any fines he may get if any of his books get lost while he is moving around. 

We helped him create an ILP that fits him perfectly and reassured him that we never charge students for anything. If you lose a book, we will drive one out to you. If you need a meal, we have an open cafeteria with lunches provided that you can eat at any time that works for you. 

• He is now enrolled at BCS in facility-based school, which means he does the majority or all of his schooling at BCS. This gives him a place to be during the days and links him to a ton of community partners that help homeless students get the resources they need. 

• He is enrolled in a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) to help him better restore balance when anger arises and repair some negative behavior that impacts others so he can stay in classes and make new friends.

• He identified a learning deficit in two areas which may have triggered his anger, and has signed up to be with a tutor for part of his school time to support him with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

• Student “C” also enrolled in our College Credit Plus (CCP) program to help in earning HS and College credits at the same time.

By holding on to his dreams and finding a workable solution at BCS, Student “C” is on track to both graduate, and start college a little ahead with the credits he is earning at BCS.

What is Possible With More Support?

Wherever you are in life, everything is more possible with the right kind of support. BCS is the place for all 14 - 21 year old students who need support and flexibility to get through high school. You can graduate, and we can help.

You will have the phone number for your teachers and we absolutely encourage you to reach out multiple times a week on phone, text, Facebook messager, whatever you use - we’re here to help you get where you’re going. 

Our self-paced learning models and individual 1:1 support are just a few reasons to enroll at BCS today. We are here for you, and we keep enrollment open!

About BCS

At Buckeye Community School (BCS), we create positive educational experiences that empower every student to overcome personal challenges and pursue their unique goals. We meet the needs of the whole student in our productive, safe, and nurturing learning environment. Our high expectations for achievement and student success are matched by our commitment to quality instructional leadership and positive home-to-school and school-to-community relationships. Get to know BCS, today. We’re enrolling!