The Maine Township High School District 207 school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to create a freshman academy for incoming students struggling to keep pace with state and district academic goals.
Officials expect the special programs to be set up at each of the district’s three high schools, though the plan approved Tuesday night was limited to Maine West in Des Plaines.
Maine East in Park Ridge is piecing together its proposal and could present it for board approval in April. Maine South, also in Park Ridge, should follow with a proposal next year.
District officials anticipate 100 freshmen in Maine West’s pilot program this fall. Students will be divided into two groups of 50. The lower-scoring group will receive intense instruction in all core areas, from math and science to social studies and reading.
The other group will be enrolled in a program similar to that of the CORE program for struggling students already in place at Maine West.