No RAM Left Behind

SILVER STATE ACADEMY
Newsletter
Created by the staff and students for the stakeholders of Silver State Academy
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No RAM Left Behind
“Improving the lives of youth”
SSA Steps up, Students Succeed
Fall 2007
WHAT’S INSIDE
AYP met 4th year running . ... . 1
Assessments.com . . . . .. . . . . . . 2
Judge William Voy . . . . . . . . . 3
Probation officer Tojo Thomas . 3
Ram Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Education/Vocation Update . . .. 6
Meeting the academic performance levels under the No Child Left Behind act ensures that graduates of Silver
State Academy leave with essential skills.
R
ite of Passage Charter High School,
serving students at Silver State
Academy and the western region, has
met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
requirements for the fourth straight year in a
row under California and federal education
laws.
This is a very significant
accomplishment, especially because many
schools across the nation with high
percentages of “at risk” students often
struggle to achieve this level of academic
performance. It is also significant because the
performance criteria become more difficult in
succeeding years when a school makes AYP.
California assigns an Academic Performance
Index (API) to every school in the state. Four
years ago, the API at Rite of Passage Charter
High School was 325, but the API for the
2006-2007 school year was 634. This is
another indicator of dramatic improvement in
student achievement.
Breaking Through...
Student artists leave their mark.
page 6
Four years ago the school began a
comprehensive process to improve learning
and become accredited. The school received
full accreditation from the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges during
the 2005-2006 school year. As a part of the
accreditation process, the school closely
examined student achievement data, academic
standards, and its curriculum. The school’s
curriculum was closely aligned to essential
academic skills through a curriculum
mapping process, and the teachers committed
to teaching these essential skills in every
setting. As a result, essential reading and
math skills are taught not only in academic
settings, but in vocational settings as well.
The biggest limitation on student achievement
appears to be the limited amount of time the
school has to teach its students. We don’t
have four years to help students master a full
high school curriculum, but we can have
positive effects on their ability to demonstrate
essential skills.
Now that the school’s curriculum is “mapped”
the focus will shift to using more effective
instructional strategies. The staff has studied
research from leading educational experts and
will focus on implementing specific strategies
during the 2007-2008 school year.
It will become increasingly difficult to make
AYP in the future because the criteria will
continue to rise, but the staff is committed to
providing high quality instruction in essential
skills regardless of the final outcome.
Industry Bulletin
Using Assessment to Do What Works
Over the last few decades, researchers in the
field of criminal justice have determined
traits of correctional programs that have
reduced recidivism. Labeled What Works,
their research is based on meta-analysis, a
statistical technique that integrates and
analyzes the results of many studies, thereby
increasing the validity and reliability of the
information. Rite of Passage is applying the
key principles of this research to improve its
program and provide effective treatment for
juvenile offenders.
Treatment interventions that successfully
reduce these criminogenic needs result in
reduced recidivism.
Therefore, an effective corrections program
needs an assessment that accurately identifies
criminogenic needs, matches offenders to
interventions that address them, and
intensifies services for higher end offenders.
The PACT performs these functions well.
Most importantly, it enables interventions to
focus on dynamic factors, those
circumstances or conditions in a youth’s life
that can be potentially changed such as
substance abuse, anti-social peer relations,
and dysfunctional family relationships.
Interventions are more successful when they
address the factors that can be changed rather
than the static factors that are part of a
youth’s history (e.g., age of first offense,
family structure, etc.).
Research also
indicates a significant correlation between
lower recidivism rates and an increase in the
number of criminogenic needs targeted
(Genreau, et al., 2002).
To enhance the implementation of the What
Works research, Rite of Passage is utilizing a
new risk/need assessment tool called the
Positive Achievement Change Tool, or
PACT. The PACT is a population-validated
actuarial assessment, which is proven to be
superior to subjective or clinical methods for
predicting criminal behavior (Holsinger,
Lurigio, and Latessa, 2001). Furthermore,
the PACT has a variety of important
functions that will help Rite of Passage
address each principle of the What Works
research.
In addition to assessing criminogenic needs,
the PACT is designed to identify protective
factors, traits in a youth’s life that reduce the
likelihood of a youth committing another
crime. Pro-social relationships, a functional
family environment, and a positive outlook
towards the future are just a few of these
protective factors. This PACT capability
enables Rite of Passage to resume its longheld strength-based treatment approach,
which is an intervention model that is
receiving increased attention(Roberts &
Corcoran, 2005).
The Risk Principle
According to the research, correctional
treatment programs should target the
offenders who pose the highest risk of reoffending. Latessa, the notable criminal
justice researcher, refers to this principle as
the who — as in “who is targeted by the
program”(2007).
By targeting offenders
who are more likely to commit another
crime, resources are spent on the youth who
actually need them, not on those who might
be better served in less restrictive
environments.
The Treatment Principle
The treatment principle describes the ways in
which a program should target risk and need
factors in treatment, what Latessa refers to as
the how(2007). Interventions should be
“evidence-based” approaches that address
behavior. Furthermore, these behavioral
approaches should focus on present
circumstances, be action-oriented, and
should teach pro-social skills. According to
the Washington State Institute for Pulic
Policy, to be considered “evidence-based,” a
program must “have scientific evidence from
at least one rigorous evaluation that
measures. . . outcomes, and that it be a
A population-validated assessment, the
PACT serves as a reliable prediction tool,
enabling Rite of Passage admissions
managers to ascertain a youth’s risk level and
determine the placement that will best meet a
youth’s needs. The goal is to match the risk
level of the offender to the appropriate levels
of treatment and to target the high-risk
offenders.
The Need Principle
The need principle refers to focusing on
criminogenic needs, those factors that are
highly correlated with criminal conduct.
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program capable of application or replication
in the ‘real world.’”
Again, the PACT serves as a useful tool for
Rite of Passage in meeting this principle.
After the full assessment is completed, the
PACT provides treatment recommendations
that are used to create an effective,
individualized case plan for each youth, and
these recommendations directly correlate to
the evidence-based programs Rite of Passage
currently uses — Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, Aggression Replacement Therapy
(ART) and Thinking for a Change social
skills education, and Active Parenting, a
family skills program for parents and their
children.
A myriad of other issues, all of which Rite of
Passage is committed to addressing, also
contributes to program effectiveness. These
include looking at responsivity factors such
as lack of motivation, developmental delays,
or other barriers that influence a youth’s
participation; monitoring the offenders in
care; providing training for a well-qualified,
professional staff; and ensuring fidelity by
evaluating the quality of the treatment
program and delivering it as designed.
Rite of Passage will use the What Works
research to inform its practice. By utilizing
the PACT assessment tool, the Rite of
Passage program will meet many of the core
principles of the research, which leads to one
more very important finding: “the more
factors a program adhered to the more
effective
it
was
in
reducing
recidivism”(Lowenkamp, et al., 2006).
Works Cited
Gendreau, P., French, S. & Taylor, A. (2002). What works (what
doesn’t) revised 2002: The principles of effective
correctional treatment. Unpublished manuscript,
University of New Brunswick, St. John, New
Brunswick, Canada.
Holsinger, A., Lurigio, A., & Latessa, E. (2001). Practitioners’
guide to understanding the basis of assessing
offender risk. Federal Probation, 65(1), 46-50.
Latessa, E. (2007). From theory to practice: What works in
reducing recidivism? Unpublished manuscript.
Lowenkamp, C., Pealer, J., Smith, P., & Latessa, E. (2006).
Adhering to the risk and need principles: Does it
matter for supervision-based programs?. Federal
Probation, 70(2), 3-8.
Roberts, A., and Corcora, K. (2005). Adolescents growing up in
stressful environments, dual diagnosis, and sources
of success. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention,
5(1), 1-8.
A C A D E M Y
Community
Spotlight On Judge William Voy
W
ith Clark county Las Vegas over 1
million in population, District Judge
William Voy is a busy man.
Spotlight on Probation Officer
Tojo Thomas
Having served as a “JAG” officer in the Army he
understands and lives the commitment of service. A
graduate of Willamette River Law School in Salem
Oregon he moved to Las Vegas in 1989 and was
appointed to District court Family Court Division
in 1998.
He currently oversees Juvenile Delinquent cases in Clark County and is very involved with
youth and families in Drug court, and looking for alternatives to detention through cochairing J.D.A.I (juvenile detention alternative initiatives).
For over 2 years Judge Voy has been placing youth in the Silver State Academy, and has says,
“Silver State Academy provides me a positive alternative for youth who are either hard to
place or who have not had good success in other placements. The kids I send there do
remarkably well and come home with a newfound motivation to stay in school, work and stay
out of trouble. I think one of the keys to ROP’s success is building social responsibility
through teamwork and praise.”
Lessons Learned
Student Athletes reach out to youth in the community
A
restorative justice approach to
treatment is one that allows
the students to give back to the
community. Ten student athletes from
Rite of Passage Silver State Academy had
the opportunity to give back to the
community during the 2006-2007 school
year.
The student athletes were given the
opportunity to speak to Yerington Middle
School about a variety of different topics.
These topics included bullying, avoiding
negative peers, their own life stories, and
avoiding drugs.
“This was a great program and the S/A’s
did a good job of telling the students how
to handle situations,” said Case Manager
Nate Landa. “They were able to tell the
students how the mistakes they made have
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cost them time with their family and an
opportunity to do many things that
teenagers are able to do.”
Most of the speeches were to small 30
student classes but S/A Patrick H., S/A
Lupe S., S/A Victor R., and S/A Donald
W. were chosen to speak to all the boys in
Yerington Middle School. “It was a great
experience for the students,” said Case
Management Coordinator Sande Kemp.
“There were 200 students listening to
what the S/A’s have been through and you
could tell that it made an impact.”
Throughout the year the students were
asked a number of questions about their
life. The one common theme all the
students talked about was that you had to
make good choices and when you do
make a mistake learn from it before it’s
too late. Of one student, Ms. Kemp
commented, “Patrick H. did a great job of
really showing the students what the
consequences are for negative actions. He
answered their questions and really
brought it down to a level they could
understand. This is a service we would
like to continue to offer.”
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Probation Officer Tojo Thomas (left) at a
recent graduation.
T
ojo Thomas began his career as a
Deputy Probation Officer with
Alameda County in 2001. Shortly
thereafter, having already completed his BS
degree in criminal justice from Cal State
Sacramento, Thomas received his master’s
degree in counseling psychology from the
JFK masters program. With his education
and experience, Thomas hopes to one day
serve in an administrative role for the
probation department. In his spare time,
Tojo Thomas enjoys sports, dancing, church,
and spending time with family and friends.
Rite Of Passage applauds Tojo Thomas for
his commitment and passion for improving
the lives of youth. Tojo supports
probationers by attending graduations,
setting goals, holding clients accountable
and family reunification. When Tojo was
asked what he likes about ROP he said, "I
like how staff work with probationers and
the positive changes they make".
Showing Their Support
San Bernardino County Probation officials Division I Tracy Reese, Southern California
Admissions Manager Shawn Lenahan,
Probation Officer Yvonne Vences, Probation
Supervisor Laura Davis, and Director of
California Admissions William Large at the
recent Silver State Academy Graduation.
A C A D E M Y
Ram-Page
Rite of Passage hosted its annual Run, Ride, Swim, Survive event August 3, 2007
in Minden, NV. The event brings student athletes from every site together for a
mega-triathlon of sorts with a run up the back and down the front of Jobs Peak, a
14-mile bike ride, swimming events, ultimate Frisbee, a three-mile cadence run, the
5/20 calisthenics competition, and "wacky" team relays.
Volunteers cheer on their favorite teams during the swimming
competition (left). Silver State Academy was a crowd favorite during
the 5/20 competition (below).
Medals depicted a
new logo for the event
(right) and were
designed by recent
graduate Student
Athlete Brian G.
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The Q-House team poses after receiving their medals (above),
and the team from Silver State shows off the award for their
second-place finish (right).
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Admissions Manager Shawn Lenahan (above) congratulates a
student athlete on an award-winning performance.
Silver State’s culinary
program catered the Run,
Ride, Swim, Survive event
providing both lunch and
dinner. Culinary students
(far left) tend to the grill
while participants (left)
enjoy their hard work after a
long day.
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their
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celebrate at
the July
graduation
ceremony.
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Vocational and Education Update
Exploring Geometry
Students use engaging learning activities to understand math concepts
concepts in order
understand them.
Teachers often find it very
challenging to help students to
understand and apply difficult
concepts,
especially
in
mathematics. Students often need
to see concrete examples of the
to
complete the task successfully.
This required some complex,
higher level thinking skills, and
the students rose to the challenge.
fully
To that end, Mrs. Shari Tibbals, the
Title I support teacher at Silver State
Academy recently implemented a
lesson that helped her students
understand complex geometric
shapes. The lesson also required the
students to follow complex, detailed
instructions.
The assignment
directed students to create three
dimensional objects from a single
sheet of paper. Every student had to
complete the project independently
by following verbal and written
directions. Mrs. Tibbals was quite
pleased with her students’ ability to
Sometimes people erroneously
assume “at risk” students are only
capable of basic academic
activities. But given an engaging,
difficult challenge, the students
successfully completed it with
great enthusiasm.
Never
underestimate our students’
capabilities, we just need to find
the right way to motivate and
challenge them.
Exploring Art
Artist in Residence program at Silver State Academy produces improvements to Rams' Lounge
The Rams’ Lounge at Silver State
Academy has some new improvements
courtesy of the students who
participated in a recent “Artist in
Residence” program. The students
painted two large scale three
dimensional murals to decorate the
walls of the Rams’ Lounge.
The project was funded by a special
grant from the California Department
of Education, which allowed the
school to a hire Emily Silver, an
accomplished professional artist, to
work with our students. Mrs. Silver
has worked with students at all levels,
from elementary age to adult, and
when she arrived at Silver State
Academy, proposed a variety of art
projects the students could create. The
mural project was selected because the
students would learn a variety of skills,
would have to work together, and
world produce a long lasting final
product.
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modified them based on staff input.
Mrs. Silver pointed out that this
process helped the students understand
how artists need to understand the
needs of their clients, not just design
projects that meet their own tastes.
The project allowed the students to
develop and demonstrate their artistic
abilities, as well as learn organizational
and teamwork skills. The project was
completed on time, and the reaction
from everyone who has seen the
murals has been positive.
The students initially explored a
variety of themes and created a series
of prototype designs. They formally
presented their designs to the staff and
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This type of project definitely added a
new dimension to the students’
experience at ROP, and many have
chosen to continue their art training
when they return home. They also
learned how a person can make a
career in commercial art and related
fields.
A C A D E M Y
Spotlight
Profile
Peter Woods
Qualifying House Manager
Rite of Passage would like to welcome Mr. Peter Woods, the new Qualifying House
Manager. Mr. Woods brings with him several years of experience; although he is not new
to ROP. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Woods was a coach at RTC before transferring to the
Qualifying House where he organized the Cross Country Team. During this time, he also
served ROP as an EMT/Medic. A little known fact about Mr. Woods is that he qualified for the Olympic Trial in 1992 and
represented England for sveral years for Cross Country. Mr. Woods is excited to be working again with ROP and is
enthusiastic about the future of the Q-Houses. In addition to the newly renewed relationship with the Eagle Valley
Children’s Home to provide community service, many projects are on the horizon for the Qualifying Houses. New
leadership and new opportunities will result in what Peter Woods hopes is a program whose “reputation speaks for itself.”
Employees of the Month
MAY
Keith Lawson - Group Leader Keith Lawson has been with ROP since June, 2005.
Originally from California, Keith attended Southern Oregon University where he
received his BS in Video Production and Mathematics. In addition to substitute
teaching and coaching football at ROP, Keith plays semi-pro football for the Rouge
Valley Warriors. GL Lawson recently returned to ROP after attending the Marine
Corps Officer candidate school and will be ordered to Basic School in 2008.
JUNE
Paul Huston - Group Leader Paul Huston began his career with Rite of Passage as
a coach counselor in March, 1998. Paul is originally from Utah and attended
Bonniville High School in Ogden, UT. In his spare time, Paul enjoys sports. GL
Huston served with the Military Police in the U.S. Navy from 1989 to 1997 and was
stationed in Fallon, NV.
JULY
Jarred Deutsch - Coach Counselor Jarred Deutsch was hired in May, 2007. He has
made many friends since joining ROP and enjoys working with the students. Jarred
is from Susanville, CA and has an AA in Liberal Arts from Lassen Community
College. He enjoys all sports, but especially likes coaching baseball and has plenty
of experience. He was the assistant coach for the baseball team at his alma mater for
5 years and also coached the summer American Legion team. In his spare time
Jarred spends time with his family and with his girlfriend and her 6 year old son,
Caleb.
AUGUST
Mark Urban - Coach Counselor Mark Urban was hired in May, 2007. He has lived
in Nevada for the last12 years, but is originally from Texas. Coach Urban graduated
from Alamo heights High School and like ROP his school won their first state
championship this year. Mr. Urban retired from Navy after 20 years. He was on 5
different ships, two shore duties and did numerous deployments to the South Pacific.
He was at RTC for a summer and prepared 7,000 meals per day to the troops. In his
spare time, he enjoys watching the San Antonio Spurs and the Oakland Raiders.
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A C A D E M Y
Rite of Passage
100 Rosaschi Road
Yerington, Nevada 89447
Phone (775) 463-5111
Fax (775) 463-2379
www.riteofpassage.com
www.silverstateacademy.com
Equal Opportunity Employer
Printed on Recycled Paper
Fall Season Schedule
Football
9/22
9/29
10/6
10/12
10/19
10/25
11/3
11/10
11/17
Cross Country
Football vs. Pershing County 11 AM and 1:30 PM
Football @ Silver Stage High School
Football vs. Mineral County 1 PM
Football @ Battle Mountain 5 and 7:30 PM
Football vs. Independence 1:30 PM
Football @ Yerington 5 & 7:30 PM
Football playoffs
Football playoffs
State Football Championships
9/14
9/15
9/19
9/26
10/3
10/12
10/19
Cross Country @ North Tahoe Invitational
Cross Country @ North Tahoe Invitational
Cross Country @ Yerington High 3 PM
Cross Country @ Sparks High School 3 PM
Cross Country @ Truckee Invitational 3 PM
Cross Country @ Lowry Invitational
Cross Country hosting R.O.P. Invitational
Be sure to visit our website for more details
and/or updates.
www.silverstateacademy.com
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