CONCEPT A business owner or manager of a business makes an arrangement with a parent to enroll a high school student in a home school apprenticeship at the business location. The owner sets up a table and chair in a designated location within the business complex where line-of-sight supervision may be maintained between the owner/manager and student. The student checks in daily at a designated time (AM or PM) to complete academic assignments on the Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum and other individualized instructional materials. The student works on academic assignments for three to four hours daily at the business establishment. He/she eats lunch as arranged with the parent and business owner/manager. Then, the student/apprentice works in the establishment under a designated mentor who trains the apprentice in skills pertinent to the local business. The business owner/manager, parent, and student may engage in an arrangement in which the student receives nominal wages for part of the apprenticeship.
PURPOSE The purpose is to enable a teenage student to be mentored by a positive adult role model while completing requirements for a high school diploma and receiving training to be gainfully employed while attending a post-high school institution.
CURRICULUM Academic materials are available through Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum, and other textbook publishers of individualized learning material for math and electives. The student will be placed on an Academic Contract (schedule) that requires completion of the state minimum transcript credits required for a high school diploma and the entrance requirements for matriculating to the post-high school institution preferred by the student, or to be employed in the business establishment where the student completes his/her apprenticeship.
PROCESS STEPS: 1. The parent withdraws the student from the local public school in order to home- educate the student (as provided by state law).
2. The business owner/manager agrees to provide a space where the apprentice can complete daily academic assignments at the business establishment.
3. The parent, business owner/manager, and student complete training available from Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum at the business establishment.
4. The parent (or a benefactor) procures curriculum for the student/apprentice, and delivers the curriculum to the business establishment where the parent and business owner/manager set up a designated storage space for the curriculum (as indicated in the Paradigm training program).
5. The student reports to the business establishment at the designated time Monday-Friday (and/or Saturday) and completes daily academic prescriptions (quotas) as defined on an Academic Contract and Transcript Planner.
6. After completing the daily academic assignments, the student serves as an apprentice in the business establishment, completing a training program that defines various skills and tools to be mastered during the apprenticeship. The defined skills will be applicable toward academic transcript credit in a career-enhancement course to be recorded on the student’s Academic Transcript of Completed Courses leading toward a high school diploma.
RECORDS, REPORT CARD, TRANSCRIPT, DIPLOMA The parent and/or business owner/manager maintains all student records. Report cards, transcripts, and a diploma are generated and made available to the student, parent, and business owner/manager by the adult who agrees to be custodian of the school records. Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum makes available templates for report cards, transcripts, and diplomas. The parent and business owner agree on the name of the institution that will appear on school documents (“Apprentice Academy”, “Career Academy”, or some other appropriate name.)
For additional information correspond with Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum at Learn@pacworks.com or PH: 325-649-0976.
