What is City as a School?
City as a School is a program through Minnesota Transitions Charter School where students earn academic credit through a variety of experiential learning experiences. The students have the opportunity to select internships in many different areas.
What is experiential learning?
When students clearly understand what is expected of them, the better the students will learn. Experiential learning is learning through reflection on doing, and focuses on an individual.
The clearly a student knows what is expected the better the student will learn. To help students know what is expected a Resource Coordinator (RC) will help you define what it is that students are expected to learn and what the students must demonstrate to you and to us to show that they have achieved learning. The structured curriculum that we design to measure student learning is called a Learning Experience Activity Packet (LEAP). As an expert in your field, you know best what a student can learn from being with you. As educators, we know how to design activities which will demonstrate the students achievement.
How are students scheduled?
Students are given listings of internships. The listings give a description of the experience, requirements, location and hours as well as the kind of credit that may be earned by the successful completion of the experience. With this information and the help of staff, students select their programs.
A student’s internship must include a minimum of 20 hours. The student may have a program made of some short experiences or a few lengthy ones. An internship may require a student’s participation during hours beyond the normal school day. However, this must be clearly stated before the student registers for your experience.
How will I know if students have registered for my experience?
If you require an interview with students to determine if they are suitable for your experience, an appointment will be made by the Resource Coordinator to set that up. If no interview is required, then you will be informed by phone that the student will be coming.
What is the policy on attendance?
- Students are required to report to internships every scheduled day except school holidays.
- If a student expects to be absent, he/she must call you.
- Please call the Resource Coordinator if the student is absent and has failed to call you.
- Students are required to arrive on time. Please make a note of student lateness and report it to the Resource Coordinator if there is a problem.
What records of attendance must I keep?
Attendance sheets will be sent to you at the beginning of each cycle. Your Resource Coordinator will contact you by phone to check in on attendance.
What should I do in the event of illness or accident?
If a student becomes ill at your business, you must determine whether the student is well enough to go home alone. After having made a determination call the Resource Coordinator immediately. In the event of any injury, contact the Resource Coordinator immediately.
May I contact a students parents?
We urge you to speak with the student before you call his/her parents. The more communication with the student the better.
What are the procedures for evaluation?
Students in the City as a School program are evaluated by written form provided by the Resource Coordinator at the end of the internship. These forms ask for your evaluation of the students learning and growth, in conjunction with the curriculum goals and activities (LEAP) at your business. In addition, the students are asked to evaluate their learning experiences, so it is imperative that the channels of communication are open. Evaluation should be an on-going process. Your evaluations are placed in the students files.
How do I assign credit at the end of a cycle?
Credit is given if a student’s attendance and learning merit it. Assistance from your Resource Coordinator is available if you need it. If students are failing to meet your requirements for credit during the cycle, they should be advised of this. Please do not wait until the cycle is almost over to advise a student of possibly receiving no credit. Finally, learning is a serious experience, and we urge you to give credit only when students truly earn it.
