OPRF High School will continue to partner with a nonprofit to provide additional services and intervention programs for at-risk students.
The partnership with West40, a nonprofit intermediate service center serving school districts and co-ops in West Cook County, will continue as the Board of Education on June 20 approved an intergovernmental agreement for alternative learning opportunities program.
“OPRF, like any other school, [has] students who are in need of services beyond what can be provided in the traditional setting,” said Joe Gage, senior director of student programs at West40. “This allows students to receive more targeted support for their needs.”
The partnership began in 2014 to offer an Alternative Learning Opportunities Program within the high school’s Multi-tiered Systems of Support. MTSS is a “cohesive continuum” of instruction and responsive support for students.
The program brings two student advocates from West40 to help serve up to 64 students on campus. During the 2023-24 school year, West40 served 31 OPRF students who were referred to the program due to academic, attendance or social-emotional needs.
These “push-in” services help support students at OPRF’s campus, Gage said.
West40 currently helps provide similar services to 40 schools throughout the districts in West Cook County.
According to district officials, out of the 31 students served this past school year, 66% are Black/African American, 16% are multi-racial, 9% are White, and 9% are Hispanic.
In addition, 45% were seniors, 35% were juniors, 16% sophomores and 3% freshmen.
LaTonya Applewhite, executive director of equity and student success at OPRF, said this “highly intensive collaborative support” is crucial to help kids who are most at risk for dropping out of school.
Applewhite said the district uses other programs to support students along with early warning data to ensure students are placed with the right support. Included in these conversations are counselors, social workers and deans.
Early warning data includes attendance, grades and a student’s social emotional support, said Applewhite.
“It is all data driven,” Applewhite said.
This allows for the whole child to be seen “holistically,” Applewhite said.
According to Gage, students can stay in an ALOP program for up to two years, but it can be extended if a student needs additional support.
“It is not intended to replace any other existing intervention that the school has in place,” Gage said. “We are not supplanting any other interventions. We are there to be a layer of support to the interventions that are currently in place at the school.”
Providing these programs on campus allows for continued growth in an environment promoting a “level of comfortability,” Applewhite said.
“It is always a last resort to remove a child from our building,” she said. “We have had very few instances where we have had to actually use those parts of West40, where we have to remove a child.”
The partnership allows the district to provide these services at a “very low cost,” Gage said.
“It’s a win-win,” he said.
According to the agreement, West40 will use evidence-based funding to fund the ALOP program and the district will continue to provide space and cover the cost of utilities.
The partnership with West40 also comes with additional service opportunities should the needs arise. These include:
- Regional Safe School Programs to help serve students who are suspended or expulsion eligible
- High Needs Alternative Learning Opportunities Program for students who need an intensive academic program and mental health support services. This can be onsite at West40’s alternative school, in Maywood, or remotely.
- West40 ALOP, Senior Plus for senior students who did not graduate due to credit deficiency. This allows them to complete credits at Triton College while being enrolled in Triton college courses.
The goal is to help students succeed both in school and once they graduate,” Applewhite said.
“We try not to keep students in the program long term, but we want to build relationships with them so that they know if they are continuing to struggle, they are able to come back and discuss and work on these strategies,” she said.
The program has been successful, but it isn’t always able to be measured in numbers.
“You may not see a change in their grades or a change in their attendance right away,” she said. “However, what you will notice is that the student is remarkably different from when they first entered the program, which now puts the student in a place to change their grades, to change their attendance.”