1 Wendell J. Callahan, Ph.D. San Diego County Office of Education September 2011

 Introduction  The domains of best practices  The review process  Dissemination via the web  Research findings  Comparison to other ASAM schools  Common elements in best practice  Discussion 2

 Began in 2006 to as a demonstration project to collect and disseminate information to the field about best practices in alternative education  Collaboration between San Diego COE, California Dept. of Education, El Dorado COE and key alternative education organizations  Funded by NCLB Accountability Research funds  Applications were collected and reviewed annually  Applications focus on program narrative and integration of relevant outcome data 3

 Assessment, Evaluation and Data Management  Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Technology  Leadership and Staff Development  Student Support, Retention and Transition 4

Reviewers (7 to 10) participate from:  Juvenile Court, Community and Alternative School Administrators of California (JCCASAC)  California Consortium for Independent Study (CCIS)  California Continuation Education Association (CCEA)  Community Day School Network (CDSNet)  WestEd  Calif. Dept. of Ed. Educational Options Office  El Dorado County Office of Education 5

 Measurable Impact on Student Achievement  Based on ASAM Indicator data and other outcome data  Innovation  Replicability/Generalizability  Program Integration/Coordination  Teacher/Staff Training  Resource Demand/Allocation  Collaborations/Outreach 6

 54 practices have been reviewed to date  23 identified as best practices (43%)  Focus on narrative, integrating outcome data  Every effective alternative school has a story, usually not articulated well by standardized testing and accountability data  The Best Practices website:  Ideally, educators view the narratives, contact practitioners and discuss practices 7

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 A subgroup of the project review panel reviewed all Practices for common elements  Basic requisites versus common elements of best practice:  Active, standards-based instruction  Adequate and up to date curricular materials  Student assessment  Engaged leadership  We found the following super ordinate themes of best practice:  Engagement  School Culture  Administrative Environment  Change in Student Time Horizon/Perspective 16

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 Preliminary CERI Ratings of the Practices ranked the following elements the highest:  Engagement  Enthusiasm  Encouragement  School Culture  Caring  Commitment  Administrative Environment  Central/District Administration supports experimentation  Responsiveness to student needs and outcomes  Change in Student Time Horizon/Perspective  Relevance and practical application  Students feel school is there for them 18

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 Online Professional Learning Community  Free to join  Post content, videos, lesson plans, comments, etc. 

 Contact Information  Wendell J. Callahan, Principal Investigator   Stephanie Johnston, Project Specialist  21