Transcript Legal Mandates Issues for Program Management In the

Dr. Paul A. Rodríguez
Continuation Education
 Started in 1919 as an option for students who needed to
work and finish school
 Refocused in 1965 with federal government pressure to
reduce the drop-out rate
 Current system has focus on drop-out prevention and
recovery
 Continuation is a mandated secondary option
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 Reform Act of 1983 brought a common school term
length of 180 days
 Common graduation requirements and a single
diploma resulted from reform
 Continuation high schools required to file an annual
report on the condition of the school and its students
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Funding Issues
 Pre-1978 schools operate on earned ADA at the district
revenue limit amount
 Post-1978 schools earns income based on ADA but also
has an add-on for administrative and operational costs
 COLA has become more regular in recent years
 Categorical funding eligibility is the same as other
schools in the district
 Money is the “mother’s milk” of school success
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Common Attributes of the “At-Risk” student
 A long history of poor school attendance and
performance
 Families are often in poverty and move frequently and
are dysfunctional
 Parents have history of poor school performance and
low expectations for their students
 Alienation from the school and its ethos
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Common Conduct & Behavior Issues
 Disciplinary and truancy problems that lead to credit
deficiencies
 Chronic illness and generally poor health with lost
school days & continuity
 Low self-esteem issuesImpulsive behaviors
 Family problems, drugs, pregnancy and other personal
losses and crises
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Effective Programs
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Vocational education with work related to education
Small schools with low student-teacher ratios
Counseling and support services available
School is service-intensive that provides students
personal contact with a qualified, caring staff
 Structure of the curriculum is non-traditional
 Provide effective alternatives to traditional policies
 Emphasis is on flexibility in tailoring curriculum and
instruction to the learning needs of the individual
student
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Staffing and Administration
 Continuation schools or programs are mandated
 Separate administration and location required of
district
 Teachers can be assigned based on skills and abilities
rather than credential
 (*NCLB has changed this attribute in the)
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Program Mandates
 Instructional components that lead to graduation are
required
 Intensive guidance programs
 Work preparation programs
 Class size to be “as small as possible”
 Notification of alternative programs and voluntary
placement of students
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Class Size Issues
 CDE recommends 1:15 ratio and based on ADA and 1:20
based on enrollment
 Small enough to provide for alternative strategies and
intensive guidance services
 CDE Advisory recommendations should guide district
staffing policies
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Ways to affect class-size impact
 Project based credit-system
 Competency-based credit earning
 Educational technology
 Community service learning opportunities
 Block scheduling
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Student Referral and Admission
 Enrollment is voluntary
 Involuntary placement requires a hearing process that
is set in local board policy
 CDE Advisory places entry age at 16
 Compulsory attendance age limit is 18 years old but
older students can be served
 Continuation schools are for those who have
educational purpose
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Program Assessment
 Program quality assessments can include WASC, CCEA
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Model Schools Program
Alternative Schools Assessment Model (ASAM) is the
required reporting tool required of continuation high
schools
Selected performance criteria is used to measure progress
of students in the schools
NCLB legislation requires a measure based on standardized
test performance
CSB has approved pre-post achievement measures for
ASAM indicators of student academic progress
Student pre-tested within first 20 days
Post-test no sooner than 30 instructional days after the pretest using alternative forms
Performance measures used to demonstrate adequate
yearly progress (AYP)
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Curriculum Issues
 Curriculum is aligned with the district requirements,
policies and procedures
 Academic content standards mastery is expected for all
students
 Instruction provides opportunities for students to pass
graduation requirements and mandated testing
programs
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Credit Earning Options
 Core academic program can include Independent
Study, Community Service Learning, work
Experience/Internship, Community College, ROP, or
vocational school courses
 Seat time is a traditional high school system of credit
earning
 Productive hours programs are based on classroom
work hours and completion
 Competency is based on objective mastery
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Curricular Expectations of School Program
 Mastery of core curriculum
 Proficient mastery of academic content standards
 Common diploma requirements with a program that
will lead to successful completion
 Opportunities for learning assessed standards
CASA
Competence
Affiliation
Self-Confidence
Autonomy
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The Need for Competence
 Support persistence in learning
 Make students aware of their own thinking
 Encourage the use of past knowledge
 Coach toward precision in language and thought
The Need for Affiliation
 Create a culture of respect that honors:
Listening
Creativity
Self-knowledge
Humor
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The Need for Self-Confidence
 Honor and reward flexibility in thinking
 Emphasize the need for accurate assessment
 Allow for the use of all senses
 Encourage the experiencing a sense of wonder
The Need for Autonomy
 Recognize and manage impulsiveness
 Question and pose problems
 Think independently
 Respect lifelong learning
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Create a home or “casa”
that addresses student
development needs
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Unless changes occur in
teaching and learning,
all other changes are
meaningless
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