DEARBORN — With schools back in session on Tuesday, September 3, the Dearborn Public School District is preparing for the 2013-2014 school year with plenty of changes, including a new academy program for high school students, extended hours and increased security systems at certain schools. 

The Henry Ford Collegiate Academy will be at the center of the new initiatives being implemented at the district this year. A joint program between Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford Community College (HFCC), the five year academy will allow certain high school students to obtain a high school diploma and a two year college associate degree at no additional costs for parents whatsoever. 

Financially, the program is greatly beneficial, saving up to $30,000 per child compared to the normal route of seeking an Associate Degree on their own.  

The program is open to students from all three of the districts high schools; Fordson, Edsel Ford and Dearborn High. Students enter the program at the start of their junior year, based on their academic achievements during their first two years in high school. Eligibility into the program is based on successfully completing all required courses in 9th and 10th grade, as well as achieving a high score on the PLAN test, which is given to every 10th grader during the spring. 

The district will begin preparing students for the academy as early as 8th and 9th grade, through a series of EXPLORE tests that it will identify their strengths and weakness and allow them to better prepare for the PLAN test in 10th grade. 

For its first year, 70 high school students have been accepted into the program. The district is adamant in making sure that students still experience all of the same high school activities that other students would, including prom, homecoming, and honors night.

Support services will also be provided to the students in the academy, to help ensure they succeed in the program. An advisor will oversee the students’ progress and will be available for assistance, if they encounter difficulties at HFCC. Students will also have access to career counseling, academic advising, and university transfer services at HFCC, as they will be encouraged to eventually transfer to a four year college or university. 

It should be noted that students who want to go directly into a four year university upon graduation from high school still have the option to not enter the program, as the district will still be offering AP classes, dual enrollment courses, as well as additional resources through the Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology program, if they chose to take that route.

Other changes at the district include extend hours at Edsel Ford High School. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the school will operate unitl 3:20 p.m., one hour and five minutes longer than the other high schools, in order to allow students extra time to study subjects that include math, science and social studies. On Wednesday’s, the school will be dismissed at 2:15, the same time as the other two high schools. 

Last week it was announced that Edsel Ford had been rated in the bottom five percentile among the State, and the district seems to have already implemented some extra measures this year to help make some progress. According to David Mustonen, the communications coordinator for the district, the extended hours is just one part of a larger plan to improve students’ academic skills.

“We will have additional resources that includes new staff members, and assistance from the County and Michigan State University, who will be providing data analysis that will allow us to look more closely at test scores, and better improve our instruction, so that we can tailor it to the needs of our students,” Mustonen says.

It won’t only be students who will be spending more hours at the school either. Staff members will also be required to partake in additional professional development sessions, in order to receive proper training on some of the new programs and initiatives being implemented there. 

The district is in the process of contracting with an additional bus company, and finalizing their busing routes, due to Edsel Ford’s extended hours of operation. The students at Edsel Ford will be dismissed from school at the same time as the district’s middle schools, which means most of the district’s buses will be occupied during that period. The district assures students and parents that all students who received bus services last year, will still receive those services this year, even with the extended hours at Edsel Ford.

Security is also being boosted at Whitmore Bolles Elementary School, with a new buzzer lock system and a swipe card system for staff and faculty. Funds were raised for the additional security by parents through a bowling fundraiser that was organized in May. 

The district is aiming for all of their other schools to follow the path of  Whitmore Bolles’ security upgrade, through a SMART bond that residents will have to improve on the November ballot. According to Mustonen, if the bond is improved, security systems could be implemented at some of the other schools as early as next spring.

Additional notable dates for the school year are included in the 2013-2014 district calendar. Parents should have received a copy of the calendar at the end of the last school year in the mail. If additional information or questions regarding dates are needed, the calendar can directly be viewed online at //dearbornschools.org/district/about-us/district-calendar.