CALUMET TOWNSHIP | Hundreds of people from across the country could be visiting Northwest Indiana as Calumet High School is set to become a demonstration site for the New Tech Network.

Kris Williams, school development coach for the California-based New Tech Network, said it’s “pretty special” for the school to have made the honor after just one year, and it speaks volumes about the effort of teachers and administrators.

Calumet implemented New Tech, a project-based form of study, for students in grades nine and 10 last year as part of drastic changes at the school, which was in its fifth year of probation and facing state intervention.

In addition to New Tech, it also aligned the curriculum to state standards and implemented the 8-Step Process, which focuses on continuous academic improvement. It implemented the transformational model of school reform, which includes data-driven instruction, extended remediation sessions and a school credit recovery program.

As a result, the school increased its graduation rate and test scores, and was removed from state probation. Williams called the school “a model” for schools in the New Tech network and others planning to join.