eSucceed provides more options for districts’ families

Charter schools could well become the future and given the current nature of COVID-19, the future is closer than previously thought. Many parents could be concerned over sending their kids to school for in-person learning, but with the eSucceed Virtual Charter School, there are now more options.

eSucceed opened in the fall of 2019, and in February, voted to expand to a grade six through 12 school for the fall. After the pandemic hit, the eSucceed governance board voted to move forward in the expansion to K-12.

But what exactly is eSucceed?

It’s an online public school, where, throughout the first year, more than 150 students were enrolled. As a public virtual charter school, eSucceed follows the same standards and accountability measures, as a local brick and mortar public school.

“The difference is, eSucceed is able to provide flexibility and choice for students, and create learning experiences that best meets individual student needs,” said Michele Andorfer, director of eSucceed.

Students can either choose from the hundreds of unique courses available, or students can choose to immerse themselves in innovative projects that are guided and supported by their teachers.

“In either case, students are supported by dedicated teachers,” said Andorfer, “a strong curriculum that is aligned to the state standards and additional mentor support.”

The Cadott, Cornell and Lake Holcombe school districts are part of the consortium, along with Gilman, Stanley-Boyd, New Auburn and Bruce.

“Given the current pandemic, I’m so happy that we are part of the consortium that started eSucceed,” said Cornell superintendent Paul Schley. “If there are parents that are nervous about sending their children to school this fall, or they are looking for a program specifically tailored to virtual learning, eSucceed is a great option for them.”

eSucceed has also partnered with the Chippewa Valley Technical College, to offer high school students the opportunity to earn high school and college credit.

Looking at a typical eSucceed day, students begin their day by logging into the learning platform, where they can access their courses, assignments or projects for the day. A variety of instructional methods are used by the eSucceed teachers, which includes reading through content together, working in small groups, and meeting online for individual instruction and developing projects.

Students also participate in advisory groups that meet face to face (online), several times a week. During advisory times, students receive support in monitoring their classes, budgeting their time, creating their calendars, learning effective communication skills and many other skills to help them thrive in an online environment.

“Students have the ability to take single courses beyond what we could provide in our curriculum,” said Cadott superintendent Jenny Starck. “They could also choose full time online attendance if that is a better fit. It allows students to still be our students and participate in extracurriculars if they would like to.”

As part of the consortium, students are allowed to participate in the districts’ clubs, activities and sports, if they wish to do so. Because students can access eSucceed 24/7 from any location that has internet services, families have the flexibility to schedule events or vacations when it is convenient for them.

Students who participate in club sports, may enjoy the flexibility of being able to attend school, even when they are traveling to sporting events.

Exclusive to eSucceed, is curriculum infused into the advisory sessions and classes, designed to help students develop the necessary skills to achieve success in school and life. Students learn how to identify and set goals, create action plans, and develop positive mindsets and behaviors that lead to consistent attainment of their goals.

“Students are able to move through the curriculum at their own pace,” said Andorfer. “Whether they need more time to grasp certain concepts or if they want to move through the content quickly, it is designed to give the students the time they need to learn.”

eSucceed is good fit for families and students looking for more flexibility. Students are still responsible for keeping up with their classes, but they can do it at a time that is convenient for them and the rest of the family.

The charter school is also a good option for students who want something different, and either want to complete courses faster or need a little more time to grasp the concepts.

“So far, we have not had a lot of parents in our district take advantage of it, but it is another local option that does not require students to open enroll out of the Lake Holcombe School District,” said superintendent Kurt Lindau. “That is the goal.”

While most administrators want students to stay in a traditional school setting, they realize families might want another option.

“I believe eSucceed can be that option for all of our K-12 students,” said Schley.

To learn more or enroll in the virtual school, visit esucceed. org.