DEERFIELD
Community School District

300 Simonson Blvd. Deerfield, WI 53531
(608) 764-5431
Committed to excellence and equity in education.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What programs are available to me in LEAPP?

A. If you are 17 years of age or older, one year or more behind in credits, and you are able to pass a ninth-grade reading level assessment, you may apply for our Age 17 Graduation Program (see next question).

If you are under 17, you would be enrolled in our Ninth and Tenth Grade Transition Program. You would spend a portion of your day in our room and the rest of your day in high school classes.

Q. How would this program help me to graduate if I'm 17?

A. Upon acceptance to the program, a meeting is held with LEAPP staff, the school counselor, and district administration, at which contracts must be signed by all meeting participants.

The student would then have the opportunity to complete the following requirements and graduate with a high school diploma.

Health .5 cr.
Social Studies 3 cr.
Civic Literacy (includes a .5 credit American/local government class and 45 hours of service learning, equal to one semester of group service learning projects)
Personal Finance .75 cr.
Career Exploration (includes a .25 credit Career Planning class, a .25 credit Senior Career Research Paper, and 90 hours of work experience)
Senior Portfolio/Presentation .25 cr.
Successful completion of GED test battery (Students prepare by participation in Skills Workshops, individual or group classes that target specific skills needed to pass GED tests.)

Q. What does it take to get in?

A. Students who are significantly behind in credits or who are otherwise experiencing a lack of success in the regular high school setting may be recommended to LEAPP by the Deerfield High School Building Concerns Team or by their teachers or parents, or they may recommend themselves. Students are generally considered for the program only after a series of interventions has been tried in the high school setting.

After a student is recommended, that student and his or her parents or guardians will meet with LEAPP staff to determine if the program is an appropriate placement. Students and parents or guardians must sign contracts stating that they understand and agree to abide by all LEAPP policies and procedures.

If an applicant's attendance avreage has been below 80% in the high school setting, they may only apply to the LEAPP Transition Program, even if otherwise qualified to enter the Graduation Program. Students will then need to show significant improvement in their attendance before they may apply to the Graduation Program. The period of time they remain in the Transition Program will be decided during the initial application meeting.

When students are ready to take GED tests at MATC, a separate meeting must be held and a Department of Public Instruction contract must be completed and signed by all meeting participants.

Students with exceptional education needs are recommended if they and their parents or guardians feel that the student would be successful in the program. Curriculum can be adapted to suit the needs of exceptional needs students, and these students maintain contact with Deerfield High School case managers for support.

Q. How many students are there?

A. LEAPP school population generally ranges from 10-15. Enrollment is capped at 15.

Q. What if I want to get in, but you already have 15 students?

You would be placed on a waiting list for the first available slot. Depending on student schedules, sometimes arrangements can be made to accommodate more than 15 students.

Q. How many teachers are there?

There is one teacher and one secretary/teacher's assistant.

Q. Is the teacher a fully qualified teacher?

A. The LEAPP teacher holds Department of Public Instruction-issued licenses as a Secondary (grades 9-12) English Teacher and a grades K-12 Charter School Teacher.

Q. Would my diploma be a real diploma?

A. Yes, this program is accredited as a high school program by the State of Wisconsin. Students will receive a Deerfield High School diploma.

Q. Can I get into college with this diploma?

A. Yes, but depending on college entrance requirements, you may have to go to a technical school for one or more years to earn credit in subjects you did not earn credit in during high school, i.e. foreign language, chemistry, etc.

Q. Can I graduate early?

A. If you will be 18 and a half before the end of your senior year, you may take the last GED test and graduate early. However, if you will not be 18 before your class graduates, you will have to wait until three weeks before graduation to take the last test. Either way, if you pass all tests and meet all the graduation requirements, you will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony with the rest of your class.

If you do finish up with all graduation requirements except for the last GED tests, you do not have to be at school to remain in the program until you graduate. You may work 15 hours a week and report those hours to LEAPP staff. This will qualify you for the last test.

Q. Do I have to work for free?

A. Yes, 45 hours of service learning are required for graduation.

Q. Why service learning?

A. Service learning gives students the opportunity to learn more about themselves and about others. Through our group experiences, students will learn how to work with people who are different from themselves, such as children, the elderly, the disabled, and people of diverse cultures. They will learn that they have skills they may not thought they had, and that giving something of themselves to others gives one a sense of accomplishment and belonging to a greater community. Students will also get valuable job skills and references for their resumes!

Service learning credit will only be given for participation in projects supervised by LEAPP staff. As with academic study areas, 90% attendance in projects must be maintained. Students should be aware that even though they are generally off school grounds, service learning sites are an extension of the classroom and all school rules and expectations apply. This means that students caught smoking, stealing, defacing property, using the "f" word, or acting defiantly or disrespectfully toward LEAPP staff or site supervisors will be subject to consequences such as in or out of school suspensions and possible dismissal from the program. Students who do not report to school at the scheduled departure time or start time of the project should not proceed to the work site on their own or report late; they will be considered absent that day.

If a student chooses not to follow classroom rules and expectations or chooses to leave a service learning project before the project's scheduled end time, that student will not receive credit for any time spent on the project that day. In addition, that student will not be allowed to participate in the next project, thereby prolonging the time it takes that student to complete his or her service learning graduation requirement.

Students should be aware that they will not be allowed to cram in service learning hours at the end of a year in order to graduate. No extra service learning projects will be assigned to such students beyond what has been regularly scheduled.

Q. Do I have to have a job?

A. Yes, you must be working at a paid job outside of school or we will put you to work for free at school to meet the 90 hour work experience requirement and State-mandated attendance requirements.

Q. Why work experience?

A. Having prior work experience and all the skills and wisdom that comes with it&emdash;on their resumes helps students get a good job when they graduate from high school or college.
Students in the Age 17 LEAPP Graduation Program must have a job outside of school or they must work at school as a teacher's aide in order to fulfill graduation requirements and to fulfill Department of Public Instruction mandates. Students who have completed all graduation requirements except for the last GED test, must be working at least 15 hours a week and they must be reporting those hours to LEAPP staff in order to remain eligible for that test.

To earn credit, students must work for a legitimate business, and they must provide LEAPP with copies of official company documents such as pay stubs. We will not accept work hours for credit if the student is working illegally.

All hours must be documented on the proper forms and handed in each Friday. These hours will be verified by LEAPP staff. If a student is absent from school no credit will be given for service or work hours completed the day the student is absent. Because work experience is part of all Age 17 LEAPP students' school programs, LEAPP staff reserve the right to communicate with students' employers at any time regarding work counted toward LEAPP requirements.

If hours are not handed in on Friday with a supervisor's signature or with a pay stub for that pay period, the student will need to make up that portion of their 15-hour week that was being filled by work hours.

Please note: Under extenuating circumstances, service learning hours earned with the LEAPP program may be substituted for work experience hours.

Q. Do I have to be in school all day?

A. For those students over the age of 17 working toward graduation, the following attendance requirements apply:

Students must be enrolled in a combination of the below equal to 15 hours a week of work toward the graduation requirements. Ten hours a week must be instruction in math, science, social studies, language arts, or health until LEAPP staff can certify through pretest scores that the student is able to take their final GED test. At that point, a greater portion of the student's 15 hours may be work experience. Students must maintain an attendance rate of 90% in order to be eligible for GED testing at MATC (see Attendance Policy section).

Generally, students will be required to be at school for two and a half hours a day Monday through Thursday and for a varying number of service learning hours on Fridays. The rest of the mandatory 15 hours a week will be filled with work experience hours that should be reported to LEAPP staff on a weekly basis.

Students under 17 will be issued a full-day schedule. They will have a combination of classes out in the high school and in LEAPP.

Q. Do I have to do school work?

A. Yes, if you are under 17 you will have at least two classes in LEAPP. If you are 17, you will be working independently to complete required projects for graduation.

Q. Do I still get to do stuff with people in the high school?

A. You are considered a member of your graduating class, and you can participate in all class activities. You may also participate in sports if you meet all the athletic code requirements.

Q. Can I leave campus for lunch?

A. You will be on a shortened schedule, and you will be expected to enter and leave the building accordingly.
Students may not be in the building outside of their scheduled school day without permission from LEAPP staff or from the High School Principal. Students found in the building before or after their assigned school hours will be subject to the following consequences.
1. A verbal warning.
2. A written warning.
3. The student will be suspended from school for one day, and a parent/guardian must attend a meeting before the student is allowed back to school.
4. The student will be dismissed from the LEAPP program
If you are scheduled to be at school before and after lunch, you should stay on campus during the lunch period.
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