Odyssey High School on the Tyee campus in SeaTac has won state designation as an Innovative School by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington State Board of Education.

The approval means Odyssey is allowed to take an innovative approach to learning and graduation.
 
Starting next year, Odyssey students will not be required to earn traditional credits and graduation requirements; instead, students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of “competencies” (core skills and concepts) in order to graduate.
 
“This has been our vision for several years, to be able to use competencies authentically, without the antiquated system of credits that limits learning time and implies that everyone learns at the same pace,” says Odyssey Principal Joan Ferrigno.
 
“We want our students to know what they’re learning and why they’re learning it at all times,” says Ferrigno.  “Anyone entering an Odyssey classroom should be able to say to any student, ‘Tell me what you are learning today’, and hear a coherent response that not only defines the competency, but also how the student is attempting to demonstrate proficiency.”
 
The competency-based system will take effect next fall. Odyssey must show improved student achievement each year on a variety of measures in order to keep the system in place through the 2020 school year.
 
Current seniors will continue to accrue traditional credits to ensure they are eligible for college. Odyssey counselor Brenda Day is currently designing an alternative transcript that clearly describes the school’s academic program and demonstrates the rigor and relevance of courses. She is gathering input from universities and colleges throughout the state to ensure that the new transcript provides the documentation institutions expect to see from college applicants.
 
Starting with the class of 2013, students will graduate based on demonstrated mastery of competencies. Students will show proficiency through portfolios of their work and exhibitions, or presentations, of their learning.
 
Instead of traditional grade levels, Odyssey students will move from the Foundational House (typically ninth and tenth graders) to the Advanced House (upper classes). The school is developing standards for evaluating the “Odyssey Rites of Passage”, a project that will mark advancement from the Foundational House to the Advanced House.
 
Odyssey is currently taking applications for the 2012-13 school year. For information, please visit http://www.highlineschools.org/odyssey/Pages/Home.aspx
 
Announcing the designation of Odyssey and other innovative schools for next school year, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn said, “I strongly encourage schools to be bold and creative when finding solutions that work for kids.”
 
The Innovative School designation was created by a state law passed last session to encourage development of “innovative schools, with a priority on models focused on the arts, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (A-STEM) that partner with business, industry, and higher education to increase A-STEM pathways that use project-based or hands-on learning.”