Success Academy is a pilot remediation program which targets fifth and sixth grade students who have been held back a grade level. In the Starkeville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, thirty students who were held back at Overstreet Elementary and Armstrong Middle School may soon have a chance to return to their original grade level.
The program is aimed at elementary and middle school students who have been retained for one or two years. A transition specialist will work with the students upon their graduation from the program to facilitate their return to their intended grade level.
The program is expected to cost $140,000 and be funded through Title I and reserves. There will be two classrooms with no more than 15 students staffed by certified, part time teachers. There will be intensive academic assistance in reading and math, as well as transition services coordinated with parents, teachers, and school administrators. Classes will be conducted at East Oktibbeha Alternative School.
“I have some reservation about the program, especially because the only place we have to serve them is out at (East Alternative School), and it makes it look like an alternative school setting, but my take on this is we’ve got to try something to help these kids,” said Superintendent Lewis Holloway. “If we do nothing, nothing would change.”
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