Welcome to the website of the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA)! For thousands of California students, the Continuation School is a second chance, and in some cases the last chance, to re-direct their academic and socio-emotional path from one of imminent failure and dropping out to graduating with a high school diploma. As an alternative educational option, California’s Continuation Schools have “saved” thousands of students changing their trajectory into becoming productive members of society.
New Initiatives
This is an exciting time for Continuation Schools. With the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), school districts will be more accountable in how their Continuation Schools perform. For example, under LCFF school districts receive supplemental funding as an additional 20% of the base grant based on the unduplicated count of Low Income (LI), English Learners (EL) and Foster Youth (FY). An additional 50% of the base grant is funded if the district’s unduplicated count of these subgroups is 55% or more. In my school district the unduplicated average for these students was 20% higher in the two Continuation Schools than the rest of the district. I would argue that this is a trend throughout the state.
Under LCAP, school districts will be held accountable for increasing their graduation rate. Again this is where Continuation Schools have a significant stake. For example, my school district’s graduation rate is just over 90%. Significantly, the two continuation schools in my district account for 8% of that total. I would argue that many of our Continuation Schools also have a significant effect on their district’s graduation rate. This data suggests that school districts pay serious attention to, and support their Continuation Schools with adequate and appropriate resources.
Model Schools
With that said, my challenge to ALL of California’s Continuation Schools is to get WASC accredited and apply for California Model Continuation High School designation. This designation raises the quality level of the school which is good for students, staff, parents, school district, and community. In my opinion it is the right thing to do for the entire community and elevates the school’s positive reputation. Any Continuation School that needs a “role model” or peer support can check out the 62 current model schools on the CCEA website at: http://cceanet.org/awards/model-school/
Become a CCEA Member Today
This is also an excellent reason to become a member of CCEA as well. It is a great way to connect with colleagues around the state and know that you are all part of the same “club.” When Continuation educators get together they “get it” – they speak the same language. The Professional Membership is designed for the educational employee, certificated or classified, who supports continuation education. Professional members a personal copy of the State Newsletter, and a discount registration for the state conference along with a special President’s Reception at the state conference. Professional Members are the driving force behind CCEA and continuation education.
This is going to be a great year. We will continue to make our website more user friendly and make it a valuable resource for the Continuation educator. Please become a member and help move your school to the next level. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, the state officers are listed on the CCEA website and you can also contact me. Have a great year and we hope to see you at our annual conference at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, May 1-3, 2015.
CCEA — Contact us