(FARGO) – As classes begin preparing to return to session in Fargo, so does the Fargo Public School District’s newest educational offering, the Fargo Public Schools Self-Directed Academy.
The Self-Directed Academy, according to its principal, Dr. Kelly Dietrich, is a middle school currently, but plans are in the works to expand that in the future.
“We’re going to build that down to elementary, but we’re looking, this year, at sixth through eighth grade,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for students to really have increased choice and voice in their school day.”
She said students involved in the self-directed academy will not be restricted as far as the path they take in their learning, the pace they learn at, the amount of time they might need to master a concept or the locale in where they engage in learning.
“It might be in the school setting, it might also be in the community,” she said.
Dietrich said the learning model in a self-directed academy shifts the focus from a school learning experience to a student-centered model. She said the self-directed academy allows students to direct some of their own learning.
She said the need for a self-directed academy is prevalent in the community.
“Every one of our students is a different type of learner,” Dietrich said. “And we really want to engage the mind in a different way.”
Though it’s self-directed, there will be structures in place to ‘provide gradual release of responsibility.’
“We’re teaching the students and partnering with them as guides on the side, or mentors to help students gain the skills they need to increase their ability to make decisions during their school day,” Dietrich said.
