Transcript No Slide Title

BEST PRACTICES
IN
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
Kentucky Center for School Safety
YOU can expect…
•Overview of the KCSS
•Alternative Education Research Overview
•Alternative Education Standards and
Indicators Approach
•Kentucky Models
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Assessing the need…
• Statewide coordination of effort
– EKU, UK, KSBA, MSU
• Umbrella agency to facilitate
communication and drive research
– Collaborating with KSP, KDE, KCCRB
and many others
• Money
– $10 allocated initially
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Focusing on research…
1-3% of Students
INTENSIVE INTERVENTION
Individualized Attention
7-9% of Students
TARGETED INTERVENTION
Individual and
Small Group Strategies
90% of Students
UNIVERSAL INTERVENTION
School-Wide Systems of Support
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Creating a workplan…
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Establish a Clearinghouse
of Information and
Materials
Administer Safe Schools
funding to local districts
Provide/coordinate training,
technical assistance and
program development for
schools, justice and law
enforcement and
communities
Collect, analyze and report
data which meets the
mandates state and federal
statues.
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Evaluate/Identify Best
Practice and Successful
programs
Encourage and support law
enforcement in schools
Prepare and disseminate
information on Best
Practice and Successful
programs
Provide/coorindate Teacher
and Education
Administrator preparation
and training
Provide annual status
reports to the
Commonwealth.
Kentucky Center for School Safety
KCSS and Alt Ed
• 83% of funding used for Alt Ed
• Provides research to drive practice
• Supports Alt Ed Conferences and
Keynotes
• Annual “Safe Schools, Successful
Students Conference”
• Facilitates Technical Assistance
directed at Best Practice
Kentucky Center for School Safety
What research says…
• Alternative education pays back every penny it
costs…and then some (AFT study)
• Most students in alternative education are
haptic/kinesthetic learners (Greek haptikos: to
grasp/touch)
• Student centered culture is the key to success
• Good alternative teachers want to be in that
placement, and we want them to be the most
creative teachers
• Good practice requires ongoing, quality
professional development for all staff
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Student-Centered Standards
for Teaching and Learning
INCREASE
Student Ownership and responsibility by:
Helping students choose their own topics and goals for improvement
Teaching students to review their own processes and progress
Learning of grammar and mechanics in context, at the editing stage and as needed
Writing for real audiences, publishing for the class and for wider audiences.
Active exchange and valuing of student ideas and thoughts
Conferences and peer critiquing that gives responsibility to authors rather than teachers
DECREASE
Teacher control of decision-making
Teacher deciding all writing topics
Suggestions for improvement dictated by teacher
Learning objectives determined by the teacher alone
Devaluation of student ideas and input
Students viewed as deficient in knowledge and ability
Sense of class as competing individual
Marking all papers heavily for all errors, making teacher a bottleneck
Teacher editing paper after completed, rather than encouraging student-led improvement
Grading seen as punitive, focused on errors and not growth
Source:Daniels, Hyde, Zemelman. “Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and
KentuckyHeinemann,
Center for School
Learning in America’s Schools.”
1993. Safety
A new definition…
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION IS:
• A change of educational environment
• New opportunities for academic, social
or behavioral success
• Focuses on the whole student
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Setting the standards…
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Structured and Supportive Classrooms
Appropriate Curriculum
Quality, Engaging Instruction
Multiple and Continuous Assessment
Positive, Individualized Approach to
Discipline
High Quality Professional Development
School & District Support
Family and Community Involvement
Clearly Identified Student Outcomes
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Structured and Supportive
Classrooms
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Low student-teacher ratio
Positive reinforcement
High academic goals
Qualified and dedicated staff
Universal/predictable structure for
behavior and discipline
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Appropriate and Equitable
Curriculum
Aligned with:
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District curriculum
State core content
State program of studies
Includes focus on social, life and/or
character education
Kentucky Center for School Safety
High Quality, Engaging
Instruction
• Utilizing a variety of instructional
strategies
• Reflects differences in student
learning styles
• Hands-on activities
• Instruction is experiential and
relevant to student goals
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Multiple and Continuous
Assessment
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Authentic assessment
Student-led projects
Portfolios
Other non-traditional forms of
assessment
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Positive Approach to Discipline
• Universal school policy (clearly and
consistently applied) visually
displayed throughout site
• Predictable and logical
consequences
• Direct teaching of rules and
expectations
• Multiple levels of support
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Professional Development
• Mandatory to all staff
• Research-based trainings on:
– Curriculum
– Instructional strategies
– Behavior Management
– Service Learning and community
engagement
• Ongoing and plenty of it
Kentucky Center for School Safety
School/District Support
• Promotion throughout district to create
positive status
• Financial resources
• Transportation resources
• Guidance/counseling resources
• Family Service/Youth Resource Centers
• Extended School Services
• Food Services
• Career planning/preparation
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Partner Involvement
• Multi-agency
• Parent-Guardian
• Community
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Program Evaluation
• Needs assessment—always begin with
the end in mind…a systems approach
• Well-defined programmatic goals
– Demographics and student success
standards
– Work plan which includes activities,
responsible parties and completion dates
– Universal behavior management policy
• Measurable student outcomes
– Pre- and Post- academic and behavior data
– GPAs
– Attendance
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Kentucky Models
• Tri-County Alternative Education
Center’s Four-Mile Creek Outdoor
Classroom
• Daviess County Comprehensive and
Universal approach
• Boone County Alternative Center’s
High-tech/High touch approach
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Tri-County Center
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Outdoor classroom allows for
integrated curriculum and
engaging, student-centered
instruction
Strong service learning
component
– Native America Pow-Wow and
houses (wigwa)
– Butterfly garden
– Greenhouse horticulture with
gravity-fed irrigation system
– Birdwatching screened area
– Marked nature trails
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Strong district and community
support from/for three counties
Prosocial skills connected to
project-based curriculum provides
teachable moments
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Beacon Central
• Multi-level emphasis
• Elementary (less than 1%
continued as alt ed students)
• Middle (strong behavior and
reward system
• High School (high level of
community involvement
• Guiding Principles Contract
signed by staff, student, parent
• Strong service learning
connections to content
throughout curriculum
• Discovery program six “P’s”
• Consistent and comprehensive
data collection for student and
program evaluation
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Boone Alternative Center
• Non-traditional Compterbased but Humanmediated instruction
• Student-Staff ratio of 5:1
(max 10:1)
• Student-centered lifeskills
training involving parents,
staff and outside agencies
• Comprehensive behavior
and academic
assessment/goal setting
• Family Nurturing Center
• Collaborative assessment
of achievement by staff,
employer, parent and
student
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Tips…or where do we start?
Why alternative education?
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Kentucky law mandates all students achieve at high levels, attaining proficiency according to
KERA standards by 1014. No Child Left Behind emphasizes the same ideal.
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It is in your community’s best interests to ensure a high level of educational competency, at least a
high school equivalency.
How do we recognize a good alternative education program?
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Based on current research for effective programs
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Student-centered learning emphasis
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Focus is on student goal-setting and creative learning environment
Where do we go to create or evaluate a research-based alternative education program?
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Start with a district-wide needs assessment
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Review current research to learn what is effective with similar populations
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Create well-defined goals for the program
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Focus on measurable outcomes with quantitative and qualitative pre/post measures
Who should be involved?
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Referring school personnel (teachers, staff and administration) should understand the focus and
capabilities of the alternative school
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District personnel should build a positive identity for the alternative settings
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School Board members should visit the alternative school at least once each year, and have
students and staff report to them at meetings about school data.
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Next steps…
For every 100 men
chopping at the
branches of evil,
there is one man
chopping at the
root.
Henry David Thoreau
Kentucky Center for School Safety
KENTUCKY CENTER FOR SCHOOL SAFETY
877-805-4277
www.kysafeschools.org
Doris Settles
Clearinghouse Coordinator
250 TEB, University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0001
[email protected]
Kerri Schelling
Training Coordinator
260 Democrat Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
[email protected]
Kentucky Center for School Safety