A new type of school is coming to Fargo Public Schools next year, but what exactly is it?

The self-directed learning academy is a new type of self-paced learning for students who struggle in traditional classrooms. The structure of learning will be focused on giving students more ownership over their learning through much less rigid structure and direction. The academy aims to accomplish this through pivoting on technology-based learning. Instead of a traditional system with teachers who instruct students, teachers mentor and monitor students, who use apps to direct their own learning. For the most part, students will be learning by themselves on iPads and computers, with teachers as aides. Similar to the rest of the district, the proposed school would adopt the 1-4 grading system. 

Additionally, scheduling will be very different in the new proposed system, doing away with the traditional schedule. Instead of periods, students have blocks in which they are expected to work on certain subjects, and students move in groups together from block to block at certain times. Students are also expected to create goals and schedule their own assignments within their classes. 

The school is set to enroll students grade 6-8 for the 2024-2025 school year. However, when looking at the plans that have been shown for the academy, it’s clear to see that the academy isn’t fully developed. In the handbook for the self-directed academy, information is vague. What technology are students accessing and how exactly are they using it? How exactly are teachers monitoring students’ progress? How are students learning collaboration skills? These are just some of the questions that should be answered before parents can enroll their students in the academy. Additionally, the research foundations that the self-directed academy is built on are somewhat shaky. The system is said to be inspired by a school in Wilder, Idaho. However, the report doesn’t actually say what parts are being taken and doesn’t present any empirical evidence on how the changes this new system of learning is bringing will improve students’ learning goals or graduation rates.

For the school district to invest time and money into the self-directed learning academy, which is supposed to open next year, the plans for the academy need to be more fleshed out and elaborated upon.