About Market Square Education
Market Square Education (MSE) is a comprehensive educational organization that provides innovative options for districts, schools, and students. Students have access to alternative or regular education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. MSE is nationally accredited, and an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) approved online curriculum provider. We offer year-round open enrollment that provides support to students in various ways through publicly funded programs.
We offer a professionally built online curriculum, subject-endorsed teachers, and student engagement monitoring for optimized learning. By providing year-round, open enrollment, students can start at any time. Students may choose to take credit recovery courses, secondary summer school, AP, honors, or initial credit courses.
Founded on the principle of removing barriers to learning, Market Square works hand-in-hand with parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators to provide flexible and adapt solutions to meet each student’s needs.
The Impact of Schooling During COVID-19
In studies undertaken by the Chinese, Turkish, Finnish, Greek, and others, data shows that students were adversely impacted even during the early weeks of quarantine. In a paper published in April of this year in the Psychiatric Quarterly, a cross-sectional study was conducted in China with 584 youth. The results suggested that 40.4% of the sampled students were prone to psychological problems, and 14.4% showed symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In the Finnish study, published in the International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, students complained of heavy workloads and fatigue. Some students noted a loss of motivation. These issues did not lessen over time. Teachers identified a lack of authentic connection with students and difficulty understanding students’ workload to transition to virtual learning.
In yet another study published in the Psychiatry Research journal this month, 442 Greek students self-reported in surveys over two weeks during April. A baseline from February of this year was used as a comparison. Before home quarantine, students screened positive for anxiety at a percentage of 28.3% and increased to 49.5%. Students before lockdown who experienced severe anxiety increased from 3.8% to 20.0%. For students suffering from depression, pre-pandemic rates increased from 48.5% to 63.8%, with those suffering from severe depression increasing from 10.0% to 27.0%.
Regular Education Virtualized
Along with the pandemic that struck the United States in March came the necessity to pivot our 150-year old, in-person educational model. Most schools and districts resorted to video calls with students that mostly resembled what they had done in the classroom. Because of state truancy requirements, students have been required to attend multiple synchronous meetings each day. Students must start the day’s assignments in addition to a myriad of challenges with devices, connectivity, and broken links. Students and families report spending more time post home quarantine doing schoolwork than before.
Successful Remote Learning – There is s Way
In Washington State, there are three types of publicly funded education for students 21 and under. The most common is Regular, sometimes called Gen Ed education. This is the type of learning that happened on-site at schools. The two other tracks are the Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) and Open Doors programs. In 2005, according to an Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) report, only 19,000 or 2% of the State’s K-12 students were enrolled. As of October 2020, in a report in the News Tribune, there are still only 44,000 students across the State who are enrolled in ALE.
The last program is Open Doors. This program is designed to support older students, ages 16-21, who are significantly credit deficient, and or who have dropped out of high school. This program is designed to make graduation or a GED possible for these students. The State allows for more latitude in how credit can be earned.
The characteristics of ALE and Open Doors provide benefits to students in a variety of ways. First, the State has established a framework of requirements for students, teachers, and school requirements to ensure students’ progress. Second, students are not required to attend daily synchronous video calls with teachers or staff because of these programs’ alternative nature. For ALE students, the State only requires one bi-directional communication per week. Additionally, teachers must create a Student Learning Plan that is evaluated monthly and adjusted if necessary to support appropriate student progress. An intervention plan is generated if a student is lagging and needs additional support
Open Doors students are required to participate in two hours of contact per month. They have broader opportunities for gaining credit towards a diploma or GED.
Profile of Student for Whom Alternative Learning is Well-Suited
Students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade are eligible to participate in the Alternative Learning Program. Washington State defines this program as: “Public education where some or all of the instruction is delivered outside of a regular classroom schedule.” This means that students may receive some or all of their courses through an online curriculum or traditional hardcopy textbooks.
Reasons student look for other options:
- Academic:
- Initial credit, AP, credit recovery, honors
- A different learning environment
- To take a single course
- To accelerate math
- Summer school
- Well-being:
- Struggle with anxiety and or depression
- Greater flexibility with schedules and coursework deadlines
- Have extenuating life circumstances that traditional school schedules can’t accommodate
- Need for Alternative Schedule:
- Athletes, artists, performers
- Have medical or physical challenges that make traditional school options difficult
How Market Square Education is Working to Support the Whole Student
As educators, we know there can be many barriers to education for students. For some, it’s as basic as needing food; for others, a place to live. For some, they need a modified and flexible academic plan to accommodate mental health support systems. Some students don’t face the struggle of basic needs or the overwhelming battle with mental health but face feeling disengaged because they don’t have a way to tap into their passion and enthusiasm for learning.
We believe in supporting each student in whatever way is needed, be that food, refer to a therapist or treatment program, tutoring, or someone to look them in the eye and say, ‘I see you.’
Each student who enrolls at Market Square Education through one of our publicly funded programs has access to a certified, subject endorsed teacher, an MSE staff member during weekly meetings, and an advocate. It is our intention that nothing stands in the way of a student learning, and we do our best to clear a path to their education.
Students who experience wrap-around support, a learning plan created just for them, and choice in their education develop ownership. Ownership leads to internal motivation, setting them on the path to lifelong learning.
We partner with many schools and counselors to find solutions for solutions. Contact us if you have a student who may benefit from Market Square Education.