One Kentucky high school is making gains, and that school is here.

Greenwood High School was one of 23 schools nationwide to be recognized as a model school during a conference in Washington, D.C.

There has been a nationwide trend of high schools using alternative pathways to better prepare students for the rigors they’ll face in a college setting. From AP courses to dual credit classes, virtual high schools to smaller learning communities, the educational path is no longer a straight line.

&#8220We’ve gotten to where there are more large high schools,” said Stacey Owens, slc/leadership coordinator for the Green River Educational Cooperative. &#8220And when we see statistics on staying in college and being successful there, there is a need to see success in those areas.”

Greenwood was awarded for consistently ranking among the top 10 schools in the state on academic assessments, and was singled out for initiatives such as the freshman academy, smaller-learning communities and dual credit classes.

&#8220In this area, most of the schools are at the stage of doing the freshman transition part of smaller learning communities,” Owens said. &#8220This way helps freshmen have better guidance as they come into high school.”

Creating smaller learning communities have become popular among large high schools. Breaking the population down by career interest or grade-levels helps ease the stress often associated with large populations, and it increases productivity, Owens said.

&#8220Some people would question ‘are students mature enough to make career decisions at that age?’ but the career paths give students the opportunity to find out about a certain career while in high school,” she said. &#8220And it saves them time and money at college, if they know what works and what didn’t.”

Owens said they are now looking into the continuation of that concept beyond ninth-grade year. She said they are looking toward preparing students for the transition from high school to college.

&#8220The point is to show relevance with real world application,” she said. &#8220The impact we’re seeing is that with one-on-one attention, the failure rate is down, office referrals are down, the dropout rate is down as well and students aren’t as frustrated.”

Another avenue high schools use to prepare students for higher level coursework is advanced placement courses. At Greenwood, 80.3 percent of the students who took AP courses scored a three, four or five on the exams, which was the highest in the state.

Students receive college credit by passing the exams. At Greenwood, 74 percent of students graduate with a college prep diploma, according to Renee Watkins of Greenwood.

The high school offers advanced placement courses in computer science, animal science, biology (usually alternates each year with chemistry), Spanish, calculus, U.S. history, English IV, English III, U.S. history teamed with English III and pre English II.

Watkins said the newest initiative is vertical teaming, which is done with the English department. Freshman would take honors English in preparation for pre AP English II as a sophomore, and so on. The teachers work together so they can correlate in setting the standards so students can be prepared for AP English III and IV, Watkins said.

She said the high school is looking to offer AP statistics and AP psychology for the 2008-09 school year.

Honors Chemistry and Honors Physics is offered to freshmen, she said. Watkins said they don’t offer honors classes in math, but students take classes in geometry, algebra II and precalculus at an earlier age as they are ready.

&#8220For example, our geometry and biology classes for freshmen are like honors because they are taking it earlier than most who take it as sophomores,” she said.

Students can also take courses online through the Kentucky Virtual High School.

Watkins said students also take advantage of dual credit courses in psychology, sociology, public speaking and math 116, a college level math course.

She said for students to get college credit for AP courses, they must pass an exam and score a three to get that college credit whereas with dual credit classes, they don’t have to test to get the credit. &#8220Students do both. There are some that take the dual credit who don’t take AP,” Watkins said.

For example, math 116 is not calculus; it is what’s needed before college calculus. So AP calculus is a little more difficult than math 116, she said.

&#8220But both are options at college,” she said. &#8220So it gives kids the opportunity still to get college credit.”

Statistics from Jim Beward at the state Department of Education show that if a student takes just one AP course (regardless of taking and passing an AP exam), that student has a 30 percent better chance of graduating college in five years or less.

If a student passes one AP exam with a three or better, he has a 45 percent better chance of graduating college in five years or less, and if a student passes two or more AP exams with a three or better, he has a 67 percent better chance of graduating college.

&#8220Taking these courses helps challenge students and teaches them content and study skills to be successful in college,” Watkins said. &#8220The stats above support that.”

Watkins said it all has to do with developing the tools students need to be successful in college.

&#8220If they go through high school and classes were easy to pass, they never really learn how to study,” she said. &#8220And when they get to college, it hits them broadside, and many don’t stay.”

Such initiatives are useful in providing students with a better understanding of the requirements needed to be successful in a postsecondary institution or the work force. Many districts throughout the state have initiatives, such as smaller learning communities and dual credit courses, available to students. Through articulation agreements with community colleges and universities, students are able to earn college credit while in high school.

&#8220We are at the point where we are competing globally. It’s just not competing with Bowling Green, but other countries out there,” Owens said. &#8220And we need to have them prepared.”