VISION STATEMENT

Continuation Education Schools in the Kern High School District are designed to provide academic and counseling services to students who have not performed satisfactorily at the regular high school. Continuation schools are not alternatives to learning.  They are designed to provide students alternative ways of fulfilling district and state requirements necessary for graduation.  The Continuation High School program will meet all Federal and State guidelines while providing students the opportunity to complete the required academic courses of instruction needed to graduate from high school.

 

School Administration

 

  • The role of the Continuation High School administrator is to work in a myriad of capacities.  Typically, all administrative duties are taken care of by the site administrator or his/her designee.

 

Curriculum & Instructional Strategies: Implementation & Monitoring

           

Each Kern High School District Continuation High School shall:

 

  • Emphasize individual attention and personalized instruction (KHSD Admin. Code 303.8.5(5)).
  • Provide a program of instruction that leads to a high school diploma.
  • Provide instruction that addresses the California State Standards and will help students pass the California High School Exit Exam.
  • Maintain the student-teacher ratio at a level that allows teachers and students to foster positive relationships.
  • Utilize alternative and varied instructional strategies that include:

ü      The facilitation of the open entry/open exit into the school and classes.

ü      The ability to earn variable credits when appropriate.

ü      Cooperative learning

ü      Computer Assisted Instruction

ü      Individualized Instruction

ü      Teacher-Directed Instruction

ü      Group Instruction

Such instructional strategies will benefit students due to the open entry/open exit policy and in the accumulation of variable credit.

  • Create a directed study system that allows the teacher to manage coursework and determine mastery learning assessment both in and out of the classroom.
  • Create subject specific courses of study to assist instructors in outlining what course objectives and material will be taught. (Due to open entry/open exit and variable credit policies).
  • Create subject specific rubrics that are designed to assess student mastery of California State Standards.

 

 

 

 

Counseling: personal, academic, vocational, career

 

  • Education Code Section 49600 requires that all Continuation Education students receive extensive personal, academic, and career counseling.  Continuation educators have a professional and legal obligation to meet state mandates.
  • Academic, personal, and career/vocational counseling will be provided to support student achievement. 
  • Counseling services will also be provided to deal with behavioral or emotional issues.

 

 

Teachers- Role of the teacher/counselor

 

  • The state of California does not mandate that a credentialed counselor be made available to Continuation Education students.
  • Direct counseling services should be provided to students by teachers or staff when a credentialed counselor is not regularly available to students.
  • Each school site will maintain both a teaching and counseling staff that are committed to working with at-risk students.

 

Communication

 

  • Each Continuation High School shall maintain ongoing departmental and school wide collaboration with an emphasis on increasing student success.
  • “In addition to the duties which employees are required to perform during the regular workday, employees may be required to perform other assigned duties outside of the regular workday.  Such duties include attending faculty, departmental, and grade level meetings, and conferencing with pupils, parents, staff, and administrators”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      (KHSD Certificated Agreement 2003-2006, Article X, B(1)).

 

Student Discipline

 

  • If a student’s classroom behavior is deemed inappropriate by the instructor, the student should be referred to the school counselor or site administrator.
  • Instructors should attempt to make parent contact if the student’s classroom behavior is disruptive or inappropriate.
  • If a Continuation High School student violates school rules, Education Code, or district policies, the normal due process of suspensions or expulsions should be followed.
  • At no time, should a student’s grade be used as leverage to correct or control classroom behavior.

 

 

 

 

Other Areas of Interest

 

  • Extra curricular and/or co-curricular activities should be made available to students.
  • To ensure student safety, extra curricular and/or co-curricular activities should be supported and/or supervised by staff.
  • Teacher coverage of classroom when a substitute is unavailable:

“When period substitutions are assigned a teacher’s preparation period, they shall be assigned to volunteers when possible.  If the site administrator or designee is unable to assign a volunteer to period substitution duty, a non-volunteer shall be assigned.  Such non-voluntary assignments shall be rotated to the extent practicable” (KHSD Certificated Contract 2003-2006, Article X, C).

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

            Since 1919, California law has mandated Continuation Education.  Originally, the law’s intent was to provide an educational alternative designed specifically for those students not successfully meeting the goals and programs of the traditional high schools.  It was also designed for students who were working full or part time to support families, those who had responsibilities at home that precluded full time attendance in high school, or for those who had already dropped out and were desirous of earning a high school diploma (CITIATION HERE).  In 1965, the law was revised to include a broader range of students and serve as the primary dropout prevention and retention programs for California teens ().  Currently, there are over 600 Continuation High Schools in the state of California that serve over 100,000 students each year.  Coupled with other educational options available to teens, over 500,000 students are enrolled in some kind of alternative education each year.

            Alternative educational programs are available in all 50 states.  However, there is no concrete definition that fits all students who attend alternative education programs. In some cases and alternative educational program is considered a positive option for students. In others, it has taken on the aura of something negative and that only “bad” students attend such programs.  In California the alternative education program options include a wide range of opportunities, such as GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Magnet Programs, Continuation Education, Independent Study, Opportunity Programs, and Court and Community Schools.  Within the Kern High School District, the district charter school, Workforce 2000, and Migrant Education are also included within Alternative education. While alternative educational programs fulfill a myriad of functions, the one constant is that they are all designed to be comprehensive in nature, and either support or augment the traditional educational program.

            Continuation High Schools provide students with a way to continue their educational purposes and goals when failed by the traditional high school system.  There are numerous reasons why some students find this school setting to be a more appropriate place for them to learn than the standard traditional high school setting. Some students find continuation education more desirable due the size and the sense of intimacy it offers.  For other students, it allows them to connect with their need to be acknowledged as an individual.  In some cases, the decision is dictated by the lack of other viable options available for staying in school (Stits, 1). 

            The fundamental philosophy of Continuation Education is to design an educational program that serves as the primary drop out and retention program for students who are at serious risk of not receiving a high school diploma. Instructionally, the program is also designed to: 1.) provide a program of instruction that leads to a high school diploma, 2.) provide instruction that addresses the California State standards and will help students from the class of 2006 and beyond pass the California High School Exit Exam ( CCEA, 3).  While