In recent years, North Carolina has taken bold steps to improve its education system for students in alternative schools. These schools, which serve at-risk and off-track students, often face unique challenges that make traditional accountability measures -- like graduation rates and school performance grades -- poorly suited for evaluating their success. Recognizing this, North Carolina established the Alternative Schools' Modified Accountability System in the early 2000s, a groundbreaking effort designed to more fairly assess alternative schools and give them the flexibility they need to thrive. This initiative ensures that alternative schools are held to high standards and provides a model for the broader education system to embrace the diverse needs of all students.

Students in alternative schools may face various challenges, making it difficult to succeed in traditional schools. Students served in alternative schools may be overage, behind on credits, raising children or working to help support a household. In some cases, students may also have behavioral issues that need to be addressed outside the traditional classroom. There's often a stigma that these students have no desire to graduate, but that's not necessarily the case; they usually just need a more personalized approach to reach that goal that traditional schools cannot provide.

Because of these students' challenges, evaluating these schools with the same accountability measures that apply to conventional schools doesn't work. For instance, a student who enters an alternative program as a senior with only the credits of a first-year student may not be able to graduate in the usual four-year window, but they may still graduate. However, traditional accountability standards would unfairly label these students or their schools as failures because their success came outside the norm.

North Carolina introduced two models for a more tailored approach with the Alternative Schools' Modified Accountability System to address this: Option B and Option C.

Option B provides a way for alternative schools to measure their effectiveness with metrics that are more reflective of their unique student bodies while still maintaining some standardization. Schools can still show progress in academic growth, credit recovery, attendance and behavioral improvement, providing a clearer picture of how well they meet their students' needs.

Option C, in particular, has been instrumental in providing alternative schools with the ability to create accountability measures that are directly aligned with their goals. This option allows schools to propose their own mission-aligned measures as long as they are evidence-based.

For example, rather than focusing solely on a four-year graduation rate, which often doesn't accurately reflect the progress of students who are behind in credits or working part-time, Option C allows schools to track other indicators of success, such as reading growth, grade point average improvement, and the earning of industry-recognized certifications in Career and Technical Education (CTE). These measures are more appropriate for the students these schools serve, ensuring that schools are held accountable for meaningful outcomes that reflect the realities of their student populations.

Importantly, the system doesn't lower the bar for alternative schools. On the contrary, all proposals for alternative measures must be reviewed by the Department of Public Instruction and approved by the State Board of Education, which guarantees the measures are rigorous, valid and aligned with the schools' missions. Option C holds alternative schools to high standards but acknowledges the different paths students in these schools may take to reach their goals. It also ensures that schools are held accountable not just for outcomes like test scores, but for the care of the whole student, including academic growth, workforce readiness and even student satisfaction. Results are then published annually, alongside the traditional school accountability reports, so that the performance of alternative schools is available to the public in a transparent manner.

This system has proven successful in North Carolina, with several alternative schools, including those run by Second Mile Education, receiving high marks under this accountability system. Second Mile's Commonwealth, Stewart Creek and Central Wake High Schools have all earned the highest rating of "Highly Effective," showing alternative schools can make a meaningful impact in students' lives. These schools have proven that with applicable accountability standards, alternative education can be a viable and highly effective option for students who may not succeed in traditional schools.

The success of North Carolina's alternative accountability system underscores the importance of providing different educational paths for students with diverse needs. Not every student thrives in a traditional setting, and for those who face significant personal or academic challenges, alternative schools can offer a more flexible, supportive environment.

By allowing these schools to be held accountable based on measures that reflect their students' realities, North Carolina has created a system that ensures high standards while embracing the diversity of student needs -- a model that could benefit students and schools nationwide. After all, they have the same goals as traditional high schools: help students earn their diplomas so they are ready for the workforce or post-secondary education.