South Butler School District has begun a program where students teach their peers in some elementary classrooms.

Through the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) program, about 165 third-grade students are taught, not only by their teacher but also by their peers.

“We have experts in the rooms already, as our teachers,” said Greg Hajek, director of special services. “We are trying to facilitate student experts, as well.”

Hajek explained that students are split into deliberately chosen pairs, where one is a “higher level thinker” and the other is “somebody who’s struggling.”

The students take turns serving as a coach for one another.

“Not only is the higher level thinker the coach, sometimes they are the reader,” Hajek said.

The program currently takes place in all seven of the elementary school’s third-grade classrooms, but David Zupsic, superintendent, expects the program to expand, if it is successful.

It is the first year that this program has been formally in place.

“When you teach something, you truly understand it,” Hajek said. “And that’s what PALS is all about.”