OLEAN - Not all students learn at the same rate, or even in the same way.

That is one of the reasons Olean City School District has teamed with BOCES to offer an alternative to the usual classroom environment.

Members of the Olean City School District Board of Education heard first-hand during their meeting Tuesday night the successes the students in a first-year program at the school have been able to achieve.

Big Picture is a program that brings together a small number of students and a teacher to figure out what it is that makes them want to learn, district Superintendent Dr. Colleen Taggerty explained.

“We host a cohort (class) of freshman here (in Olean City School District) as we look to develop alternative programming for our students,” she said.

The students work with their adviser to find what it is they want to do after their high school years, she said.

“Curriculum is designed specific to the interests and affinities of the learners,” Dr. Taggerty said. “New York state students follow curriculum that will allow them to pursue their interests and affinities along with helping them to prepare for the Regents exams. Students are required to have an internship and do real world work.”

Classrooms are filled with students from neighboring schools, Dr. Taggerty said. Each school that sends a student pays tuition to BOCES and, in turn, receives aid for the cost.

The classroom, housed in Olean High School, has become a home for students who may have otherwise not been able to graduate, classroom adviser Michael Sebaaly said.

One of the participants in the program, Sarah Johnson, has placed a lot of faith in the program to help her prepare for her future.

“I have worked hard and pushed in this class for the last two months,” she said. “The people in this class have become more like a family than just classmates.”

In a comparison of the same 11 students who are taking part in the program this year, attendance problems have fallen 30 percent over the first two months of the school year, compared to 2008-09. Discipline problems have fallen by 89 percent and instances of tardiness have fallen 68 percent in the same period, Mr. Sebaaly said.

The program is voluntary for students, program supervisor and Elm Street Academy Principal Christopher McNell said.

“The students choose to be here,” he said. “For many of them, this is the last resort (in their education).”

“One of the biggest factors here is the parental participation,” Mr. Sebaaly said. “Without the active participation at home, we would not be able to achieve our goals.”

IN OTHER NEWS, the board voted unanimously to grant tenure to District Director of Special Education Marcella Richmond. The appointment will become effective Nov. 17.

(Contact reporter Chris Chapman at cchapman@oleantimesherald.com)

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