Blended Learning

Snowy Peaks High School Launches Blended Learning Program

• By Leila Meyer
• 12/08/15

Snowy Peaks High School in Frisco, CO, has introduced a new blended learning program, which lets students access personalized online learning from home or school in addition to participating in face-to-face instruction and group work.

Snowy Peaks is an alternative high school that launched in Summit School District in the 2011-12 school year as part of the district's dropout recovery plan. This year the school opened its new 3,000 square foot Blended Learning Lab, "at an estimated cost of between $35,000 and $40,000, in addition to a grant provided by the Education Foundation of the Summit," according to a report in the Summit Daily newspaper.

The Blended Learning Lab is located in a middle school and features a seminar area, computer lab and collaborative work space as well as recliners, two microwaves and a coffee station. Students receive face-to-face instruction and work on group projects at the lab, and they also use an online learning platform to work through the curriculum at school or at home under the guidance of their teachers.

In conjunction with the launch of the Blended Learning Lab this fall, the school implemented the Edgenuity Web-based learning platform. Students can complete advanced placement, elective, career and technical education and credit recovery courses through the platform.

According to Jim Smith, principal of Snowy Peaks, the school has seen a significant improvement in student achievement since implementing the blended learning program. "We've seen a 0.9 GPA increase in one year with this new program," Smith told the Summit Daily. "It was like a 'C' average to almost a ‘B’ average."

Snowy Peaks High School serves approximately 50 full-time students and employs eight faculty and staff members. The school boasts a student-to-teacher ratio of fewer than 10-to-1.