WTMC is a program that moves high school aged students into an adult learning environment. WTMC expects high achievement and realistic planning from all students. WTMC students cannot graduate from high school without completing a certificate program at Washtenaw Community College.

Successful WTMC students must be willing to take responsibility for their own effort, education and behavior. There are no bells, hall monitors or daily announcements to keep them on track. There are many requirements and deadlines for students to meet, both at WTMC and at WCC. Students must monitor their own progress and advocate for themselves in a complex environment.

Soft Skills are the key to success, even more than academic skills. A student who applies himself or herself consistently is more likely to complete a program than a brilliant student who is too bored to turn in homework assignments. Soft skills must be demonstrated consistently and must be incorporated into the student's normal behavior to succeed as an independent college student.

Credentialing a student for transition to WCC courses is determined by WTMC faculty. They assess both the student's academic skills and the student's Soft Skills. Credentialing is done after the first ten weeks of the semester, and scheduling into WCC Core I and Core II courses follows. Students who achieve credentialing late in the semester are, in general, not successful as independent college students the next semester.

Transition to college courses is critical in meeting the high school graduation requirement of completing a college certificate program. A student who does not transition to college courses cannot complete a college program. A student who does not complete a college program cannot graduate from WTMC. A student's BASE teacher, counselor, and the Deans will all advise a student on the best options for completing his or her high school program.

Picking a program to complete is an important decision that a student makes after evaluating his or her strengths and interests. WTMC staff helps parents and students to sift through the many options and to make an informed decision.

Educational Development Plans (EDPs) are important tools to map out a realistic course of study and to judge progress through an educational program. Parents and students learn the terminology, process, and concepts that are used to develop a multi-year educational plan.

Parents also learn how to access their student's high school academic and attendance records via the internet. Communication allows both parents and school staff to note and deal with problems before they become major issues.

BASE teachers are the educational anchors for students and a communication link for parents. Each student is assigned a BASE teacher upon entry and keeps the same BASE teacher for the length of his or her career at WTMC. Meetings between students, parents, and BASE teachers are critical in planning and documenting a student's progress through the program.

WTMC is a public school. WTMC values tolerance, diversity and inclusiveness. WTMC challenges students to evaluate ideas and information that is new to them. WTMC prepares students to enter a wider society than family and school.

WTMC is governed by the same regulations that govern other charter schools and other public school districts in Michigan. WTMC must meet the same requirements as other public schools. Examples of such requirements are:

• Keeping attendance records
• Reporting student information periodically to the state
• Including state-mandated courses in the curriculum
• Assessing student achievement on state-mandated tests
• Following state regulations in budgeting, expenditures, and policy making
• Following federal regulations that apply to public schools

Attendance in college courses is reported by the student, not by the teacher, twice each year. Because each WTMC student taking college courses has an individually tailored schedule, each student must request the signature of his or her college instructor to document attendance. This is a serious responsibility at WTMC. The funding that follows the submission of state-mandated attendance reports results in the money that pays college tuition for the student.

Curricula are designed to broaden students' understanding of a number of topics and to develop their skills in critical thinking. Students who resist participation in educational activities that they dismiss as irrelevant to them or perceive to be in conflict with their beliefs will gain far less from their educational experience than they could. A student can understand a position or an argument without subscribing to it.

Topics encountered in course work both at WTMC and WCC are part of curricula that have been developed by educators with specific goals in mind for students. Examples of topics that must be addressed in course work or on examinations in order to pass a class are listed below.

	Science	Evolution; sexually transmitted diseases.
	Political Science	The mechanics of the government of the United States; the effects of political actions or decisions in the past and the present; participation in a representative democracy.
	English	The motivation of characters who affect harm or evil; the actions and consequences of characters that violate social norms.
	Mathematics	rocesses that may not have immediate application; procedures that must be followed in sequence.

Tolerance On a campus as diverse as WCC's, tolerance of people with different appearance, dress, actions and beliefs is critical to the smooth functioning of the campus. Exposure to the diversity of people on campus contributes to the expansion of students' educational experience. Tolerance of others is expected of all students, both in WTMC and in WCC courses.

Intolerant behavior exhibited on campus towards middle college or college students or staff may be grounds for dismissal from the program.

Success Success at WTMC is limited only by a student's ability to dream, to dare, to accept responsibility, and to become dedicated to a goal.

WTMC is such a unique blending of educational programs and goals that it can truly be different experiences to different people. Our students are empowered to design and seek an individual high school education that meets their needs and provides a means to reach the goals they have set for themselves.

Some students may want to obtain entry-level skills for employment in a technical field so that they can go to work right after graduation. Other students may study in technical fields that are related to what they think will study in college. Other students may develop a skill that they enjoy and that they will practice in employment or leisure throughout their lives.
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