Merit
A non-traditional educational environment, Elkhart County Merit Learning Center assists students in completing their high school education and earning a diploma, thereby enhancing job-advancement opportunities possibly through post-secondary schooling. Technology is an integral part of Merit Learning Center. Course curriculum is a mixture of online tutorials and offline project-based curriculum.
Merit Learning Center provides a place and means where students can successfully work on their high school education and have the opportunity to build the skills of citizenship. At Merit, we are committed to lifelong learning that will help students become productive and confident members of their community. We provide options for best meeting the needs of each student and provide an opportunity for academic and social success in a school environment that features a smaller setting, structured nurturing atmosphere, and flexible scheduling.
Merit operates four sessions throughout the day and recommends that all students have jobs or perform service-learning projects for credit through its Youth Potential Program (YPP) to complete the other half of their daily educational requirements.
Merit students work with various teachers who assist students in different subject areas. More importantly, each student has one teacher as a case manager to build a strong relationship with and assist them in developing both short- and long-term goals. It is our goal at Merit to meet student needs by providing an engaging individualized instruction that is student-centered.
Self-Paced Education in a Flexible Environment
Merit Learning Center uses online curriculum delivery systems, which allows students to master the standards at a pace that is appropriate for them. We individualize the educational process so that students achieve goals identified in their Individual Service Plan. Merit provides a positive, flexible learning environment that prides itself on meeting students uniquely at their individual levels. Working at one’s own pace at Merit includes both a slower pace for those who need additional help as well as an accelerated pace for those who seek to recover credits.
Merit Center is dedicated to serving students of different ages and academic levels:
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Counseling services and social skills training help students address issues so that students are ready to learn.
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High school students who wish to accelerate academics can use both online and offline capabilities to meet their needs. Students with a traditional high school schedule may want to take a single class through Merit.
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Students who do not succeed in the normal high school setting can come to Merit part of the day and have a job the rest of the day. Students who need to recover credits to graduate on time may take classes or avail themselves of tutoring opportunities in such areas as reading, ESL, ISTEP remediation, and SAT/ACT preparation.
Working with Students, Parents and the Community
Staff at Merit seeks to impart life skills and competencies so that students are prepared for living and working in the community. Merit works closely with local employers and teen parents, striving to provide a flexible environment for student-motivated learning. Parents, teachers, and outside agencies may be involved with the students and have input concerning student progress.
Merit staff is dedicated to providing students a prescriptive curriculum based upon individual academic levels and transcript needs. A job coach provides a support net that eases the transitions from school into student career fields. This job coach assists students enrolled in Youth Potential Program (YPP) to maintain local part-time jobs or to add service learning to their school schedules.
Merit students attend a non-traditional schedule in which they spend three hours in a lab setting and utilize YPP to fill out the remainder of the school day. Merit’s YPP school-to-careers program fosters independence while teaching and modeling positive employment etiquette and expectations. Both parenting support and a focus on early literacy skills assist parents in a learning environment that is suited to the demands of teen parents and which provides an atmosphere of flexibility within accountability.
Recognized for Excellence in Education
Merit Learning Center has been recognized as an exemplary alternative school by the state Department of Education. Merit teacher, Glenn Zoller, was recognized as the outstanding teacher of the year by Wal-Mart. Merit Learning Center correlates coursework towards mastery of the state required standards for secondary curriculum.
