When Nathaniel Moore's high school class in the small town of Whittier, Alaska studied the gold rush, they traveled 1,100 miles across their state to see where the mining took place. When they studied marine biology, they swam with sea life off the coast of California. And recently, because Moore's school district won a national quality award, he got to meet President Bush. "I don't know any other high schoolers who have had that opportunity," Moore says.

Whittier Community School, located on the Prince William Sound, has just 35 students and 8 staff members. It's one of three in the Chugach School District, which spreads out over 22,000 square miles of South Central Alaska. Many of the districts' 214 students, half of whom are Native Alaskans, live in areas reachable only by air or water and attend schools with as few as 11 students. Over the last decade, the Chugach school district has reinvented itself, providing students like Moore with opportunities unimaginable a decade ago.

Setting Standards
When Richard DeLorenzo joined the Chugach School District as assistant superintendent in 1994, the district was plagued with high levels of substance abuse, student apathy and a teacher turnover rate of more than 50 percent. Only one district student had ever graduated from college, and most lagged far behind their grade levels. Instead of moving on to college or careers, students moved on to joblessness. "The roadmap wasn't clear," DeLorenzo says. He knew things had to change.

DeLorenzo and his team first looked to the community to find out where the current education system was falling short. They asked adults exactly what they believed young people needed to understand and be able to do once they graduated high school. They contacted national organizations to find out what students needed to learn to meet standards in different curriculum categories. Finally they came out with a new education model.

Chugach School District's curriculum is based on performance standards in 10 content areas with clear criteria for teachers and students. Each student has an individual learning plan, and they move up or down within performance levels instead of receiving traditional grades, like As and Bs.

Great Expectations
The benefit, according to DeLorenzo, who is now district superintendent, is that every student knows what's expected of him or her. "You can sit down with any kid in the school district one-on-one and ask what they're learning and they'll tell you their performance levels and exactly what they need to do to move forward," DeLorenzo says.

"In our district a student willing to learn can never say, ?I don't know what to do' or ?I'm bored,'" Nathaniel Moore says, "because with the way our system is set up, everything that a student must do to move forward is always right there in front of them."

"Say for instance that a student is excellent at writing, but not so great at math," Moore says. "That student is given the opportunity to move through their writing levels as fast as they can show the right amount of proficient work. But they're also allowed to slow down in math and take as long as they need to understand the work."

Preparing for Life After School
The Chugach district also includes three extension schools located in Anchorage, Valdez and Fairbanks. A total of 81 students participate in the extension program, which applies the district's standards-based approach to home schooling. Students in these programs are required to meet the same requirements as the students at the site schools, however, they are learning at home instead of in the classroom.

The Chugach district also offers a short-term residential program called Anchorage House, which prepares students for the transition to higher education or a career. In 2000, 97 percent of eligible students in the district participated in the program, which addresses personal and social skills, health, career development and community service. Anchorage House also serves students from other school districts in Alaska and across the country.

September Martin transferred into the Chugach district in her senior year of high school for the challenge of the standards-based curriculum. While at Anchorage House, she developed an interest in becoming an entrepreneur.

"Before coming to Chugach I hadn't really considered starting my own business, but now I see it as a likely possibility in the near future. We are also taught independent living skills and get a chance to experience what it is like living away from home, both experiences that I would not have gotten in a traditional system."

Making the Grade
So far the Chugach model seems to be paying off. Since 1995, the percentage of Chugach students who take college entrance exams has increased from zero to 70 percent. The results on the standardized California Achievement Tests show composite scores soared from the 28th percentile to the 72nd percentile in five years. In 2001, the district was honored with a distinctive national award.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is given by the president of the United States to businesses, education and health care organizations that demonstrate strong achievement in quality and progress. The Chugach School District became the smallest institution ever to win; and one of the first educational organizations to do so.

The school district receives approximately $1.6 million from the state annually. They also receive approximately $2 million in grants each year. Most of that money is used to help other districts replicate the Chugach model. The budget fluctuates yearly, depending on foundation support and grant-writing success.

With support of the GATES Foundation, 12 districts are currently in the process of replicating the Chugach model. Like Chugach, they have received or are pursuing a waiver to switch from traditional letter grades to the performance-based system. Most importantly, they will involve all stakeholders—including parents, businesses, communities, students and staff—in the strategic planning process, just as Chugach did. DeLorenzo hopes to see the model implemented in 1,000 school districts throughout America.

"I've had much different experiences than students I know from other districts," Nathaniel Moore says. "Instead of just sitting in a classroom with a huge textbook in front of you, we go out and do what those textbooks talk about."

• Visit Chugach Schools [1] online for more information.
• Learn more about the Baldrige National Quality Program. [2]