Robert Sanville and his wife did not decide what school program to put their daughter in quickly.
A supporter of public schools, Sanville was leery of alternative schools completely separated from the regular school environment as the search for the best learning experience for their student was underway.
The educational choices in the North Kitsap School District and neighboring districts offer a variety of different learning opportunities.
As the list narrowed, Montessori Schools and the Trillum program on Bainbridge Island, along with West Sound Academy in Suquamish, were among the top choices. However, because he felt some alternative schools offered too much flexibility in the rate students progressed, the choice would become clear.
Ultimately, it was the Options program at Gordon Elementary that earned the seal of approval.
“The thing we liked best about the Options Program is that it’s about community,” Robert Sanville said.
On Dec. 20 the North Kitsap Options Program celebrated the beginning of its twenty-first year. Though the program shuffled between schools in the past and saw an expansion and then a reduction in size, it continues today with its original goals: building community, nurturing independent learners, individual curriculums, and a focus on long-range success.
After a comparison of the programs, the parental involvement in the Options program set it apart from the rest, Sanville said.
Options allows parents to help design the curriculum their students learn, which alters the role of the teacher. Instead of the teacher’s role of developing assignments and preparing students for tests, they are there to provide guidance and ensure the material is aligned with state learning standards.
An aspect that sets the program apart from regular classrooms is the de-emphasis of standardized testing. Instead of creating curriculums that are built as a means to an end, Options teacher Nathaniel Smith said the focus is learning as a process.
“The vogue in education is looking at standardized test scores for the last decade or so,” Smith said. “Tests have narrowed the scope of what schools can really do.”
The role of staff in the Options program varies so differently from standard teaching that Options teacher Sue Dazey sees a high turnover in teachers. Dazey, a founder of the program and the first teacher in the program, said it’s difficult to be watched by so many people for some teachers.
“It’s like being in a goldfish bowl,” Dazey said of teaching in the program. “It’s wonderful if you like people watching everything you do.”
Because the teachers in the program constantly have parents involved in the classroom instruction, she said it can make it stressful on those not used to so much attention.
Now in their fourth year of the program, with his daughter in third grade, Sanville said it is difficult to judge how much academic development students benefit from the program. This is mainly because he has nothing to stack against it, he said.
“I don’t know how much is nature over nurture, but the social aspect has been great,” Sanville said.
His daughter reads three grade levels ahead of the expected standards of a third grader and is learning the basics of algebra.
“Giving that algebra was my biggest hurdle in ninth grade, I think the program has something to do with how well she is doing,” he said.
A not-so-slow start
The first meetings between parents and the North Kitsap School District regarding Options began in 1988.
Parents were concerned their skills were not welcomed in the classroom and spent about two years piecing together a proposal. The meetings to develop a proposal, mostly done in parent’s living rooms, were not in vain.
The school district approved the program for the fall of the 1990-91 school year and was a hit from the start.
“It was like a rock concert,” Dazey said of the day preceding signup.
Because the program was still developing, students were admitted based on a first-come, first-serve policy. This was not taken lightly. Some families camped outside the district administration building to ensure their student would be allowed into the program.
Though the program still has a wait list, the process has become less chaotic and requires parents to attend a series of informational nights before they may fill out an application. Students seeking enrollment who already have siblings in the program are also more likely to be accepted, Dazey said.
“It seems unfair if you’re not already in it, but it makes sense when you think about our family-oriented teaching,” she said.
The program expanded out of the two classrooms it began in at Suquamish Elementary in 1993, opening classes at Gordon and Breidablek elementary schools. The split caused a loss in communication between the schools, and the Breidablek program was closed in 1998.
Today the Options program has expanded to include grades seven and eight. In an online survey administered by Options program staff, 54 out of 63 former Options students responded they attend or have graduated college.
Surviving, thriving
Aside from the money received from the state for student attendance — enrollment-driven building allocation — there is no additional cost to the district to run the program, said district spokeswoman Robyn Chastain.
Through fundraisers, parents are able to provide students with field trips and other activities without using district money. The fundraisers include the Mystery Dinner Theater, which began 10 years ago and now brings in about $14,000 per year. All the money raised goes back into the program, to provide for additional instructional material the district does not provide.
This is done with the help of parent volunteers, which, between August and October of the 2010-11 school year, put in about 720 hours. These hours were split between in-class work and committee work.
The Options Program is safe from budget cuts for now, but it’s still important to raise awareness of the program, Dazey said.
“To administration, we are just names on paper,” Dazey said. “When they’re looking with a fine-tooth comb of things to cut, we want them to know what we’re there for.”