By Turner Russell

Atlantic High School’s board of education met on Monday evening to discuss items including school improvement plans (reaching for 85% proficiency in Iowa Assessments), the CCEOC program (Cass County Educational Opportunity Center), and the Link Center Program. A highlight of the board meeting was a review of the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC).

The board members participated in a review of the CCEOC program in which they discussed the program’s progress with the CCEOC teacher Justin Williams. AHS principal Heather McKay said she thought the program has “really made some great strides and done some phenomenal things for students.” McKay also said that the program is not usually “hurting for students” and that there is usually even a student waiting list. “What’s been the biggest change has been the credit recovery,” said McKay. The center is ” really responsive to what the students’ needs are,” she said.

Williams shared information about the CCEOC program following questions from board members. Williams explained that some of the students may have dropped out before they got to the program due to their experiences in other districts. Mckay added that if other schools are not accepting a student and there is an opening, the CCEOC can take them into the program.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein asked if there are more students receiving high school diplomas than in the past. Williams said he thinks there have been more students graduating in the four-year time frame along with fewer overall drop-outs and more students getting their diplomas. Williams expanded, saying, “Last year we had 13 graduates, and a majority were from Atlantic and Griswold.”

McKay said she thinks that the staff at CCEOC have positively affected the students’ success, saying, “I think the staff have built strong relationships with those kids so (the students) trust them and don’t want to let them down.”

Amstein commented that because of various changing laws, “anything less than a high school diploma is considered a dropout.” Williams explained that because of the alternative program and the “way things can be structured,” when it comes to credits all the students are going through the same kinds of work. They are showing proficiency by doing normal high school work, and although they may work on four credits instead of seven, they still have opportunities to show their progress.

Williams also explained that CCEOC students have the same grading scale as students at the high school. Both Williams and McKay stressed that a major point of the program is to show the students’ competency. “Our goal is to take them from where they don’t fit into the system, and get them to understand what’s expected from them by society and an employer. We really work hard…  We are trying to make them a better member of society. We evaluate their work and work with them to understand what they need to do to be better in that area,” said Williams.

Williams also says the program helps students with their prioritizing. He concluded, saying that he believes this program to be among the “strongest programs in Western Iowa,” and that it is “vital to our community.”