Chat Log for SchoolsMovingUp Webinar, “Supporting Students in Alternative Education Settings”
November 18, 2009
Resources suggested on this webinar are highlighted in yellow.*
I'm a counselor at an alternative high school in Colorado.
My name is Barbara Berman
Adjustment Counselor/Director at Newton Central High School (Alternative HS) in Newton, MA
I am Peggy Mascio, staff development teacher, from Bethesda, MD
I'm Terry Jones, PD Coordinator for the Antelope Valley Union High School district in Lancaster, CA.
This is Barbara Berman. I do not have a check mark yet. I am with the Contra Costa County Office of
Education in California.
I am a consultant with Project Forum at NASDSE, from Alexandria, VA
Mary from Green Bay, Wisconsin
Rhonda Educational Consultant in Bureau f Sped in CT
I'm Kris Davis from the Fresno County Office of Education (IT Specialist)...will have other teachers
joining me.
hi my name is sondra. im at the new horizons program in oceanside, ny
I am Vicki Ford, Categorical Coordinator, San Bernardino County Schools, CA
co-op tech district 79, nyc
Jackie_Finckler I am from an alternative school in Kingston Washington
This is Mary from Green Bay
Dawn and Katie from Minneapolis
This is Barbara Berman. I do not have a check mark!! What do I do?
Hello My name is Jessica I am a school counselor with Hillside Childrens Center Varick and Snell
Campus School in Western New York K-12
Christine, Mary, and Brittany from Maine.
Fresno County Office of Education, Fresno, CA
If you need any technical help please click on jduffie on the right hand side of the screen and send me a
private chat message or send an email to eventhelp@wested.org
I' a Alternative School Coordinator in Putnam County Ohio
Hi, I am an AmeriCorps member in an alternative school based Even Start program in the UP of Michigan
Hi, this is Lucy Vezzuto from the Orange County Dept of Education in California.
Cheryl-instructional coach alternative programs in So. CA
Evaluation Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education
Ruth Brinkerhoff, psychologist Reno, NV
COULD SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME? I AM NOT YET CHECKED IN. PLEASE HELP!!!!
This is Lisa and Ron from Virginia. We oversee an alternative setting in our division.
Hi! Tina from New York
Hi I am Cindy Maciel I run our Teen Pregnancy Program and Ed Hilton our Math/Techno Coach. We
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*Resources suggested by SchoolsMovingUp in response to participants' questions and by webinar participants are highlighted in yellow.
Please note that opinions and suggestions about resources on the November 18, 2009, SchoolsMovingUp webinar are the views of individuals
only and do not necessarily reflect the views of either SchoolsMovingUp or the presenters.
work at our Continuation/Alt Ed Program in Tahoe/Truckee, CA
click the check mark Barbara
Hi, this is Robert Adams and Eileen Yip from Southern Westchester Boces Alternative HS in Westchester
NY.
i am unable to check by my name
Hi I am Kimberly Morden from MI.
Hi, Tom, Jim and Michelle from Arizona
Thanks, Anu. I'm all set.
I live in Austin, Texas and am with SEDL.
Eileen is a Social Worker and Rob is a Guidance Counselor
This is Mary from Green Bay, WI. I am an assistive technology specialist supporting our alternative ed
sites.
It is the check mark under your name Virginia
hi, james forman from dc
To hear audio, dial 1-866-939-0190, and when prompted, type in the participant code: 894-7100#. You
will be connected. Dial *6 to mute your phone.
thank you I'm not sure why it wasn't working as I started it
What is the breakdown of your english learner population?
Hello everyone, Cami will show a slide presenting the demographics of different groups of students served
in her district. :-) Anu.
is there a don't know button?
We are using the California State Standards, not different ones...
From the state level, we have suggestions, but not different standards
no - we use CA state standards
We are using California State Standards
Yes - we have state standards in CA
We use NY State standards
Evaluations are based on the Calif. Standards for the Teaching Profession
The curriculum team used the state standards to create course agreements that focus on needs of Alt Ed
studnets
"We use the California Standards for the Teaching Profession"
Teacher evaluation rubrics are based on the CSTP's (California Standards for the Teaching Profession)
we are piloting a new eval with this
Thank you for sharing everyone
Unions & he state make it difficult to change standards for teachers in alternative programs.
In California, the is a Verification Process for Special Settings
Is there a way to get the rubric if we cannot read it from the powerpoint?
In the PDF is is clearer soI'd like to suggest downloading the PDF in fill format at the web site
I can not find the pdf
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*Resources suggested by SchoolsMovingUp in response to participants' questions and by webinar participants are highlighted in yellow.
Please note that opinions and suggestions about resources on the November 18, 2009, SchoolsMovingUp webinar are the views of individuals
only and do not necessarily reflect the views of either SchoolsMovingUp or the presenters.
Do you facilitate students developing the expectations/rules for the classroom - as a community?
not currently
The pdf "Supporting Students in Alternative Education Settings - Slides" is on the right-hand side of the
web page for this webinar, near the top, at http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/arradropout2
Thank you everyone for doing the polls if you are using a peer coaching model please feel free to share
Was this program funded through a grant? I am just wondering how it is funded?
We will post the the rubric as a single document on the site so you can downlaod it after the event
Is there particular support for students with special needs?
What about the students with severe learning disabilities and/or mild intellectual disabilities...are they
supported differently?
Do you pay your peer coaches?
What is the mobility rate of your students in voluntary settings, i.e. how long are they with you?
In California, we have a 5 stage model that includes basic readiness for school and learning at the lower
end
What is a "successful" outcome. How long is the student to be tracked to determine "success?"
What accountability measures have you found useful with short term students and highly mobile
populations?
Thanks for sharing
Do you use value-added measures of student progress - looking at improvement as well as comparison to
absolute standards?
cami, looking at the big picture, how do you get the public, media, opinion leaders to focus on this
population of students? they seem drowned out of today's policy discussions.
Can't figure out how to post answers
Guess I just figured out how :)
Cammi
can you give examples of how to motivate these students who have often "learned" over their time in
education thus far that school is not "For them" How do you change that focus?
We do use gains analysis (primarily the TABE) to look at student growth academically
Cami, do you think the change in policy that will allow 5th year graduating students as completers rather
then dropouts encourage a population of GED students to get their high school diploma and will your
intake process reflect that?
We are working towards even more sophisticated value-add working keeping in mind the student's prior
school history and additional challenges (e.g., reading level upon intake)
What is the lowest level that you have for your GED program. We T.A.B.E. students and they have to test
out at 8th grade level or higher in order to be acceptied into our program.
NYC has considered 5 year rates as part of the progress reports. This does help provide additional
incentives for adults to be all the more persistent in getting all students to obtain a HS diploma. We have
always sent that message at our referral centers - a 5 (or even 6 year) diploma is vastly better than a GED.
We happen to work in a system that promotes that. We should all promote this - while not taking the
urgency that most students need.
Thats great. Our dilemma at Boces in Westchester NY is that the home schools are paying the tuition and
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*Resources suggested by SchoolsMovingUp in response to participants' questions and by webinar participants are highlighted in yellow.
Please note that opinions and suggestions about resources on the November 18, 2009, SchoolsMovingUp webinar are the views of individuals
only and do not necessarily reflect the views of either SchoolsMovingUp or the presenters.
often are not willing to pay for a 5th or 6th year for an alternative HS program unless the student has an
IEP and a savvy parent.
Students should not ask for something to be repeated - they should ask for it to be explained in a different
way - this shows they believe they can learn if teaching matches their learning strengths and style
We serve all students - regardless of reading level and have an intensive approach for non-readers. When
they get above a 6th grade level, they transition to a more "GED preparation" program - but it all one
continuum.
ok. I'm done. Thank you.:)
Does and one else have questions for either Cami or Lucretia
Has the foundation look at setting up an elementary component focused on prevention and early
intervention
James - NYC is "leading the charge" in graduation rates at 60%! Unreal - that means 40% are STILL not
graduating (and a much lower number if you count who is "college ready". It is my firm belief that we
won;t crack the national drop out code until we become experts in working with the types of students we
are discussing. This isn;t an "alternative schools" issue - it's mission critical to solve the national drop out
crisis.
SchoolsMovingUp has abstracts, with links to full text, of resources on dropout prevention. Two excellent
ones are the Institute of Education Sciences' Dropout Prevention: A Practice Guide,
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/rs/15039
and Early Warning Systems That Support Students at Risk of Dropping Out of High School
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/rs/16880
As for funding GED programs for students under 18 - I am not sure we should have them quite honestly.
Cumpulosry aged students should be pursuing a HS diploma.
As for on-line credit recovery, I am all for thinking out of the box and embracing technology but I think
we have to be very careful about looking for computers to replace rigorous classroom instruction. It
shouldn't be GED v. Oddyssey per say. It should be "second chance" HS track programs so piece of which
could legtimitaley be on-line.
Thanks Cami for addressing some of the questions that came up earlier!
At what age can students take the GED?
Yes thank you Cami !
state lawe varies but generally you have to have completed the school year in which you turn 17 to sit for
the exam
We do hire and manage the school staff in the involuntary settings - including jails like Riker Island
What is the staffing ratio?
How many teachers?
depends greatly on the site and length of stay but it is quite a bit smaller than a community school
How are you handling kids at widely different academic levels. I am aware of the "packet" problem for
students. Thanks!
If you need to leave early please give us your feedback by going to
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gIHWF8tJAx4U7d2YNaZGcg_3d_3d
Is the transition center just for young men?
See SchoolsMovingUp's abstract, Career and technical education’s role in dropout prevention and
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*Resources suggested by SchoolsMovingUp in response to participants' questions and by webinar participants are highlighted in yellow.
Please note that opinions and suggestions about resources on the November 18, 2009, SchoolsMovingUp webinar are the views of individuals
only and do not necessarily reflect the views of either SchoolsMovingUp or the presenters.
recovery, http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/rs/19920
Are there any other questions?
To follow up with what Cami just said about post-secondary education, we'd like to invite you to our
webinar next Tuesday, “Assessing 21st Century Skills to Maximize Student Readiness for Higher
Education and Careers,” http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/21stcentury
key integration of CTE and "traditional" curriculum is helping students to see that being a student directly
involves the development of "soft" work skills
i agree with dan
Please submit your questions/comments now thank you
no student should go to a first job interview believing they have never worked - being a student is holding
a job
Virginia and Dan, This will be discussed on the 21st century skills webinar. Please come!
I agree with Dan, too!!!
agree as long as "soft skill" are taugh well with clear goals and effective instruction; this is often not the
case
thank you for your response
The model continuation high schools, especially, should have this strength - contact Dennis Fisher (or me
as a back-up_
also CCEAnet.org
Thank you everyone for particpating today and thank you to our presenters!!
Working with our English language learners effectively can help prevent them from dropping out. We’d
like to invite you to our December 2 webinar, “Making Math Accessible for English Learners,”
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/ellmath2
Please give us your feedback
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gIHWF8tJAx4U7d2YNaZGcg_3d_3d
Also, please attend the next webinar in our ARRA series focusing on student dropout, “What Happens to
High School Dropouts Who Return to School?” on December 8,
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/arradropout3
Thank you Cami and Lucretia!!!!
And our 21st century skills webinar, http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/21stcentury
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*Resources suggested by SchoolsMovingUp in response to participants' questions and by webinar participants are highlighted in yellow.
Please note that opinions and suggestions about resources on the November 18, 2009, SchoolsMovingUp webinar are the views of individuals
only and do not necessarily reflect the views of either SchoolsMovingUp or the presenters.