alternate program review

ALTERNATE PROGRAM
REVIEW
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 27
(Cariboo-Chilcotin)
February, 2014
Prepared by:
Beverly Rundell
Retired Superintendent of Schools
Dealing with students with difficult behaviours and learning styles continues to present
challenges to our education system. In the winter of 2013- 2014 a review of alternate programs
was taken by an outside consultant. The review was focussed on secondary school aged
students.
It should be noted that the District restructured secondary schools in the fall of 2013.
This review of alternate programs in School District No. 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) was to deal with
the following questions:
1) Level of staffing in all alternate programs, FTE generated versus expenditures
2) Will these programs survive 1701 audit
3) Examination of administration structure
4) Process of student admission into alternate program
5) Examination of facilities
6) Examining educational programs in the alternate programs for level of success.
School District No. 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) has several programs that could be considered as
alternate programs. The programs are housed in the “regular’ secondary schools as well as in
offsite programs. Please see attached appendixes for descriptions of these programs as outlined
by the staff at these sites.
Administrative, teaching and support staff were interviewed as part of the review process. There
are many dedicated, passionate and committed professionals in the district working to support
students in these programs.
During this process, considerable information and ideas were gathered. It is impossible to reflect
and mention all details of conversations. Clearly the ideas and recommendations will not be
implemented without further discussion and possible changes. It is hoped that this report will
stimulate further discussion and will lead to supporting changes that will improve services for
this group of learners and support teachers and administrators providing these services.
Alternate programs visited:
 Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School, Junior and Senior Alternate Programs, The
Outback Storefront School
 GROW Centre – Williams Lake and 100 Mile House
 Lake City Secondary School, Junior and Senior Alternate Programs
 Skyline Offsite Alternate School
 Transitions Program – Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
The Director of Instruction, District Principal Student Support Services, District Vice-PrincipalHealthy Schools Healthy Students, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Secretary
Treasurer - were also interviewed as part of the process
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Level of staffing
Please see attached – Alternate Education Staffing
The Secretary Treasurer will present an analysis of revenue and costs
School based services
Staffing for some of the alternate programs at the two secondary schools comes from the Student
Support Services budget and is augmented by secondary school staffing.
Both secondary schools are dealing with new structures and this has changed some staffing
formulas.
Teacher staffing
Staffing for programs is adequate for alternate programs in schools and the District. Programs
are supported by Youth Care Workers, Teacher Assistants, and First Nations Liaison Workers
and this level of staffing is also appropriate.
Clerical Staffing
I recommend that clerical staffing for GROW and Skyline be reviewed to see cost savings.
Currently there are four clerical positions for approximately 3.5 FTE
Will these programs survive 1701 audit?
A sampling of files was reviewed, as well as meetings with teachers and administrators to
discuss processes.
The District may be at risk for a variety of reasons. The concerns are as follows:
 Students entering and exiting programs may not have been through a school-based team
process
 No District screening team for entry and exit into off site alternate programs
 Transition and student goal plans were minimal and in some cases non-existent
 Registration process for students – no requirement to show proof of “ordinarily resident”
of British Columbia (see also District Policy 5118.2)
 No evidence of a District policy on the requirement and process for registration (as per
Distributed Learning requirements)
 Course outlines were not available or kept up to date (Continuing Education and
Distributed Learning)
There appeared to be a lack of consistency among programs and schools on processes for entry
and exit to programs.
School-based team meetings were not required for entrance into some programs. A District
screening team does not exist for screening students in and out of District alternate programs.
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Recommendations
1) Develop a consistent District screening intake and transition process for alternate
programs
2) That a school-based team process be used for all students transitioning in and out of
alternate programs
3) Student goal and transition plans be developed and regularly reviewed
4) Update District policy to ensure that all new registrations in the District meet
requirements of “ordinarily resident” of British Columbia
5) That course outlines are regularly updated and are on file with principals
Process of student admission into alternate program
The process for admission and transition back to regular school is inconsistent across the
District. There currently is no requirement or policy for file reviews and school-based team
meetings to take place prior to students being placed in alternate programs. Although it is
commendable that there are good relationships amongst teachers and administrators between
schools and programs, without a consistent process and policy, students may not be as well
served as possible.
At times the process is simply a phone call made between principals. This works well in times
when a student needs to be placed quickly, but it may not allow for all the critical information
about how best to serve the needs of the student to be properly shared.
At any time when a student is moved from a regular school program, there is always a risk that
the student may not make the transition smoothly. File reviews and school-based team meeting
minutes are very important to ensure the best possible plan for student success is made.
There was also inconsistent use of student goal and transition plans. Although not all students in
alternate programs need an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Behaviour Plan as for
Ministry of Education designation process, there should be a plan for students to indicate their
academic and social goals and transition plan.
Recommendations
Please see recommendations above.
Examination of administration structure
School-based programs are administered by school-based administrators. The current schoolbased staffing is sufficient to support alternate in school programs. The amalgamation of the
two secondary schools in Williams Lake has resulted in a new structure of administration for
Lake City Secondary School. The closing of a school in 100 Mile House has also amalgamated
two schools. The administrative teams in these schools are working diligently to educate
themselves on all the alternate programs now housed in their schools.
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The administrative support of one principal for Skyline and Grow is appropriate.
There appears to be several District staff positions that have some responsibility for some
alternate programs.
The District Principal of Special Education has some responsibilities for designating special
education staffing to schools and programs.
The District Vice-Principal Healthy Schools Healthy Students has responsibility for the
Transition Program and District Behaviour Support Team and suspension hearings.
The Director of Instruction-Education Services has responsibility for an on-line secondary
school.
However at present there is not a designated District staff administrator that oversees all alternate
programs. This leads to lack of coherence, direction and support for these alternate programs.
There is no requirement for reporting of data on transition, success rate, and longitudinal tracking
of alternate education students.
Recommendation
Hire a Director of Instruction-Student Support Services to provide among other duties:
1) Supervise all aspects of student support services
2) Collaboratively develop a process for intake, transition, and follow up on all students in
alternate programs
3) Develop professional development for staff working with vulnerable students
4) Develop connections with community agencies to support transition of students to world
of work
5) Receive and review all minutes of school-based team meetings
6) Review alternate student data
Examination of facilities
Alternate programs are housed in various ways.
100 Mile House
Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School: The junior and senior alternate programs are housed in
portables on the school site. The junior program is housed in two connected large portables, the
senior in one regular size portable. Although at times, portable classrooms cannot be the ideal
classroom space, these portables work well for the alternate programs. Students and staff are
still connected to the school. Students are able to access programs and services in the main
school and yet have the space needed to allow for more flexible dealing with behaviour and
social issues.
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Peter Skene Ogden Outback Storefront School is situated in a leased space in 100 Mile House.
This off-site space works well for the students this program it serves. Most of the Outback
students are some of the most vulnerable students in the District and this site provides flexible
programs and intensive wrap around support for these students.
GROW Centre-100 Mile House is housed in a leased commercial property in the downtown area
of 100 Mile House. This is a very large space for the number of students it serves and is a
significant cost item for the School District.
Williams Lake
Lake City Secondary School: The alternate programs are housed within the two campuses. This
provides for flexible scheduling and support for students.
Skyline Offsite Alternate School is an annex situated on the site of Marie Sharpe Elementary
School which is an ideal site for the various programs offered. It contains classrooms, office
space, and has the use of the school gym. The school has also developed a kitchen space to be
able to offer some elective skill training and support the hot meals program for Marie Sharpe
Elementary School.
The Transitions Program takes place in the Boys’ and Girls’ Club. This is a very good
partnership and offers a quiet space for these very vulnerable students.
Recommendation
Move the GROW Centre-100 Mile to a more appropriate size and cost effective site.
Examining educational programs in the alternate programs for level of success
Success for students can be measured in many ways. Our school system must help to improve
the life chances of our students every day in every way. The standard for success in our system
is the Dogwood Graduation Certificate. This is the certificate that will open the most doors to
students. The goal would be to have all those students who CAN, graduate with the Dogwood.
Students in alternate programs should be given every opportunity and encouragement to stay on
the Dogwood Certificate path and not be counselled to take the Adult Dogwood path.
Overall there appears to be a lack of consistency across the District of tracking data for these
most vulnerable students. This has made it very difficult to give an overall impression of how
successful students are in these programs.
From the limited data available and from conversations many students that move to alternate
programs will not graduate with a Dogwood diploma but on an Adult Dogwood. The Adult
Dogwood does not open as many doors to students as they transition to post-secondary, trades
training, or the world of work.
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The Ministry of Education data on six-year completion rates, transition from grade to grade, and
provincial exam marks can paint the overall picture of achievement of the district.
Six year completion rates
District
All students
2009/10
65.4%
2010/11
67.7%
2011/12
65%
2011/12
69.6%
Province
All students
79.7%
79.7%
81%
81.3%
Grade to Grade Transitions: (percent moving to next grade)
All Students
Grade
9
10
11
9
2008/09
93
86
70
87
2009/10
99
89
71
83
2010/11
91
85
70
81
2011/12
92
86
85
83
Aboriginal
10
77
81
75
70
11
53
59
69
76
The provincial averages for these same years for grade to grade transitions is in the 95% range,
for grade 9, 90-92% for Grade 10, and in the 84–87% range for grade 11.
Provincial exam results
Comparing the number of students registered in grades 10, 11, and 12 and the number that have a
“blended mark” (school mark plus exam mark), basically a credit for the course, it appears that
many students are not receiving credit or courses required for Dogwood diplomas. Does the
District currently have data on who these students are, what school do they attend, why are they
not receiving credit, are they all students in alternate programs and how are aboriginal students
being supported?
Examples from 2012/13 results (source - Ministry of Education data)
# grade 10 students
# receiving a blended mark
English 10
483
372
Aboriginal
177
80
Science 10
483
375
Aboriginal
177
88
# grade 11 students
# receiving a blended mark
Social Studies 11
514
339
Aboriginal
162
69
# grade 12 students
#receiving a blended mark
English 12
543
287
Aboriginal
163
61
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Graduation – Alternate (source - Ministry of Education data)
Regular Dogwood
Adult Dogwood
2012/13
GROW
3
9
Skyline
3
18
2011/12
GROW
1
3
Skyline
6
0
2010/11
GROW
2
5
Skyline
1
0
Course completions (results provided by school)
Skyline Offsite Alternate School
2009/10
280
2010/11
295
2012/13
421
GROW Distributed Learning
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
162
73
62
65
GROW Continuing Education
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
213
192
126
116
Please also see in attachments - grade to grade transition and graduation rates for GROW and
Skyline.
The grade to grade transition and graduation rates are a cause for concern. Although course
completion rates seem to be strong these are not being realized in grade transitions or graduation
rates, regular Dogwood or Adult.
The onsite alternate programs are able to offer students more integration into elective courses
and provide opportunities for courses leading to the Dogwood program.
Students at Skyline Offsite Alternate School have more difficulty having options for a range of
elective courses to support them staying on the Dogwood diploma route. They have developed
an innovative foods program and are encouraged to look at other opportunities to offer elective
courses to students so they are more able to graduate with a Dogwood diploma.
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Recommendations
1) Schools will provide a yearly report to the Superintendent of Schools indicating:
 Number of students in alternate programs, disaggregated into male, female, male
aboriginal, female aboriginal
 Names and number of courses taken per student and final mark
 Names of students successfully integrated into “regular” stream
 Yearly tracking and reporting of these students to indicate on which Dogwood
diploma they graduated
 Number of students from alternate programs who graduated on Dogwood diploma
2) Skyline Offsite Alternate School to seek more opportunities for electives for students so
they can graduate with a Dogwood diploma
With the recent amalgamation of secondary schools in the District, it is an opportune time to
revision how schools support students with alternate learning needs. The District has many
talented, hardworking teachers, support staff, and administrators who come to work every day
committed to doing what is best for students and to support improving the life chances for all of
them. The District has the capacity to put into place the recommendations in this report.
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