State Recognizes Redwood High as Model Continuation High School

was one of 25 California schools that were named by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson as 2012 Model Continuation High Schools for their programs designed to help struggling students stay in school.

“Every student comes to school with a different set of needs, and our job is to provide them with the best chance to succeed,” said Torlakson. “That’s why it’s so important to provide students who are having trouble staying in school with great continuation high schools.”

Continuation high schools meet the needs of students aged 16 years or older who lack sufficient school credits, are still required to attend school, and are at risk of not graduating.

Many of these students have jobs outside of school because of family problems or other circumstances.

Continuation high schools offer these students an alternative high school diploma program that focuses on school-to-career education, individualized instructional strategies, intensive guidance and counseling, and flexible school schedules.

More than 69,000 students attended the state’s 504 continuation high schools in the 2010–11 school year.

The Model Continuation High School Recognition Program is a partnership of the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA).

The goal of the partnership is to identify and recognize outstanding programs and create a resource list of quality programs other schools can visit and emulate.

 To be eligible for the recognition program, applicants must be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and demonstrate exemplary program effectiveness in school management, curriculum, instructional strategies, educational climate, and guidance and counseling.

As part of the application for recognition, parents, students, and community members are required to submit written statements in support of their schools.

A total of 27 continuation high schools applied for the recognition and were visited by a review team. Based on their evaluations, 25 were recommended for model school status.

The selected schools retain their title for three years and must file an annual assurance statement of compliance with model school guidelines in order to maintain the designation. With the addition of the new Model Continuation High Schools, there are now 64 Model Continuation High Schools in California.

For information on continuation education, please visit the CDE Continuation Education Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/eo/ce/index.asp. For information on the CCEA, please visit the CCEA Web site at http://www.cceanet.org/.