Now in its third year at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, the alternative STAR Program (Students and Teachers Achieving Results) has received a clear confirmation of success: program coordinator Matt Malowski received an Excellence in Teaching award from the Harvard Club of Boston at an off-Island ceremony Wednesday morning.

Mr. Malowski has been an educator in the in-house alternative education program since its inception in 2007; before that he taught freshman English. STAR began as an initiative to reach out to ninth and tenth grade students at risk of dropping out, to bridge the gap between entry into the high school and eligibility for the Rebecca Amos Institute, the off-site alternative program for eleventh and twelfth graders.

“Administration and guidance started trying to figure out ways to lower the dropout rate [and] identify some of these [at-risk] students,” said Mr. Mulowski. “They didn’t really know how to go about it, so they just took myself, several other teachers, and guidance and kind of stuck us in a room together and said ... this is the mission statement to start. Figure out how you want it to look.”

The group spent the first eight weeks brainstorming and visiting schools with similar alternative programs off-Island. They borrowed many strategies and techniques, such as a level-system designed to reinforce positive behavior, from veteran schools including Braintree, whose alternative program has a 30-year history. The Vineyard staff then modified their program to fit the needs of Islanders. “Braintree is a much bigger district, [but] it was a good structure,” said Mr. Malowski.

At the regional high school, the STAR program is exclusively for ninth and tenth grade students, and it is completely voluntary. Student candidates are identified by their grades, through referrals from former schools, and from evaluations taken once they begin attending the high school. This evaluation period takes place during the first quarter of the school year for incoming freshman. “We don’t want to throw a kid right into an alternative program if he is going to do well [in the high school environment],” said Mr. Malowski. Instead, they give students time to self-identify as at-risk.

“They are still a part of the school community,” he said of students who do join the program. “But we’ve sequestered them for their four academic classes ­— math, science, history and English.” The main difference between the STAR program and the mainstream program is individual attention. So far this year, there are only six sophomores enrolled. “We’re a lot more structured than the mainstream program, but the kids still academically are doing the exact same thing they would have been doing in the mainstream curriculum,” said Mr. Malowski.

STAR students are expected to follow standard high school rules as well as the set of rules specific to the program. The level-system defines which rules apply to each student. For instance, a level-three student is allowed a voice and a vote in the STAR support meetings in which students and teachers discuss policy issues, rules and level raises for other students. The conditions for this level include acceptance of constructive criticism, completing homework on time, and listening to outside feedback.

STAR history teacher Joel Graves has been involved with the program since its inception. “As you show more and more growth and more and more responsibility, you’re given more privileges,” he said, describing the positive reinforcement approach of the level-system. “If [students] are doing what they should be doing it’s pretty easy to move up the level system ... It can be as simple as attending class, being on time, getting your homework in, keeping a B average ... We don’t ask [STAR students] to go above and beyond what we expect of any student.”

Level changes are decided upon in group meetings held every other day. Mr. Graves describes these meetings as the centerpiece of the program. Students and teachers discuss issues together, deal with disciplinary issues and give status updates on student progress.

In its first two years, the program already has proven successful. All seven of the students who entered the program in 2007 are still in school, some enrolled in honors classes. “I’ve seen more than a few students have wholesale changes,” said Mr. Graves. He attributes the success to the individualized instruction, adding that the program is not designed to have more than 10 students in total. At-risk students now have a “core group of adults focused on helping them,” he said.

“It’s a work in progress,” Mr. Malowski said of the program. “We definitely have a long way to go.” His goal now is not only to begin the process of addressing these students earlier, but to extend the STAR program to eleventh and twelfth graders as well. “These kids start identifying themselves in the fifth grade. Truancy, disrespect to staff ... [are] the leading indicators to dropouts,” he said.

Mr. Malowski was nominated for the Harvard Club’s Excellence in Teaching award by high school principal Steve Nixon, who describes him as “instrumental in making the program what it is.”

According to Mr. Nixon, Mr. Malowski stands out among the dedicated teachers and administrators involved with the program. “He has really been the mainstay in creating the program,” said Mr. Nixon. “He has devoted a lot of his own personal time doing it.”

He continued: “Our ultimate goal is for kids at some point ... to move back into the mainstream. What Matt has done is, he makes that a special moment for the kids.” Mr. Malowski does this by holding celebration ceremonies for students who “graduate” from the STAR program. “It’s turned into a really big ego thing for the kids because it’s recognition for the work they put in, and it’s entirely fueled by Matt’s energy,” said Mr. Nixon.

Mr. Malowski continues to teach English within the program while acting as coordinator. In the classroom, he brings in speakers from the community to “show them what good citizenship is,” said Mr. Nixon. “It doesn’t do any good for Matt to help these kids become better students without helping them become better people.”

Mr. Malowski received his award Wednesday at a breakfast and awards ceremony in Boston, but is uncomfortable taking all of the credit. “I am nothing without the staff,” he said. “The staff, guidance, the principals, the administration — the support that we’ve gotten from the school is amazing. The teachers that are in this program are phenomenal ... This award isn’t for me, it’s for the program. It really is.”