A Message from the Board
To Our Alt. Ed. Community,
On behalf of the CDE, we’re excited to announce a model school award for community day schools. The Board would like to thank the tireless efforts of all the individuals who took a stake in seeing this project to completion. Below is an excerpt from our website and a link to the application:
“CDE and CCEA Plus extended the Model School award program to community day schools in 2023. The newly developed ‘Model Community Day School’ (MCDS) Recognition Program is based on the longstanding MCHS Program. In addition to celebrating excellence, a major goal of this program is to create and maintain a resource of exemplary programs for school visitations and other forms of peer mentoring to support other schools to adapt successful approaches and practices of these model schools in their own communities.”
Apply for Model Community Day Schools (MCDS)
Sincerely,
CCEA Plus Board | Meet the Officers
Save the Dates
Upcoming Dates for Model School Applications, as part of the MCHS (continuation) program and the new MCDS (community day) program this year:
- October 6, 2023 — Northern Applications for MCHS Reviewed & Rated | Apply to be a Reader
- October 13, 2023 — Southern Applications for MCHS Reviewed & Rated | Apply to be a Reader
- October 13, 2023 — Model Community Day School (MCDS) “Intent to Submit” Due by 4 PM | Submit your intent
- October 20, 2023 — Model Community Day School (MCDS) Applications Due by 4 PM | Apply now
- October 16 – December 15 — Site Validation Visits for MCHS
This Month’s Spotlight is On…
Strong Systems of Staff Leaderships
Village Oaks High School (VOHS) is proud to be a school in which strong leadership can be found throughout its staff. High levels of trust exist among the adults which enables various collaborative efforts on campus.
Teacher leadership is the cornerstone of the Viking Council. The council meets regularly to problem-solve the academic and social-emotional needs of students. The council uses an exploratory process to dig deeper into the causes of their students behavior and academic needs. Game plans are developed and interventions are mobilized. Furthermore, all teachers are involved in a Professional Learning Community for family engagement.
Classified staff are also involved in leading change and improving the lives of the students they serve. The Campus Safety Officer manages the community resources for VOHS. Students in need have access to clothes and a well-stocked food pantry. Additionally, to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism, truancy and tardiness VOHS donates bicycles to student who can benefit from this mode of transportation. The VOHS Outreach Worker restores and repairs bicycles donated by the community. The Campus Supervisor also serves as “Victor” – the VOHS Viking mascot to enhance school spirit. The Office Supervisor leads by wearing many hats in order to support students and families.
Next Steps
VOHS is committed to improving the success rate of their students well beyond high school. To achieve college and career readiness, the Viking staff have identified literacy development to be the next area to which they would like to focus their efforts. After reviewing ELA SBAC data, VOHS staff agree their students are not performing at the level in which they are capable. VOHS is using various assessments to better gauge their students abilities and areas of need. School and district assessments along with ASVAB are but a few tools used to get more detailed and timely data on student ELA levels. The schoolwide implementation of a common formative assessment in writing furthers literacy development. Additionally, VOHS uses the data to identify areas of strength and weaknesses for each student to develop strategies to best serve and prepare student for college and/or career.
Demographics
Location: Stockton, CA
District: Lincoln USD
District Pop: 8,530
Feeder Schools: 1
School Pop: 150
Certificated Staff: 17
Total Staff: 31
Model School Since: 2018
Tip of the Month
Village Oaks is committed to changing outcomes. VOHS has identified key factors, both formal and informal, as their best practices to see change.
- Listen to student voices.
- Have an open door policy to admin and counseling services.
- Family Engagement Committees to improve attendance.
- All teachers are literacy teachers.
- Teacher mindset of no failure.
- Walk the halls to monitor student affect.
- Admin sit in classrooms.
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support for SEL.
Principal’s Message
Our goals for all of our students are not only to earn a high school diploma but also to begin planning for life after high school. We strive to make connections to students’ interests in colleges and careers. Students have the opportunity to enroll in classes at Delta College. The counselors hold regular meetings with every student to discuss their options after high school and also meet with students whenever needed to assist them with applying for jobs, colleges, or training programs. Access to regular and ongoing counseling for academics, as well as social emotional health, sets our school apart from traditional high schools.
We are The Village, one diverse group working together toward the common goal of developing skills for adulthood and at the same time creating safe spaces for individuality. We are The Vikings who are determined in our pursuits toward success.
-Veronica Tigert, Ed.D
The Value of Model Schools
CCEA Plus has partnered with the CDE to implement the Model Continuation High School Recognition Program since 1990. The Continuation High School Model Recognition Program seeks to highlight continuation high schools that are innovating how they offer educational programing to students that are in danger of dropping out or failing out of high school. There are over 400 continuation high schools across the state and only 100 schools to date hold the distinction of Model Continuation High School.
The changes over the last few years have compounded the difficult work required of continuation schools, yet a school does not have to do this alone. Becoming a Model Continuation School allows your school to share best practices and opens up networks that can bring continuation schools together to increase outcomes of their students. If you do not think your school is ready to submit, consider volunteering to be a reader. Being a reader is another great way to learn about the Model Continuation School Application Process and certifies the reader to conduct Model Continuation High School visits. 
The school representative that participates will become acquainted with every step of the process. You can get more information about this opportunity using this link or by reaching out to us on our Facebook page. CCEA Plus is excited to partner with you as we move forward together.
New this year: Community day schools can now apply this fall to become a Model School. CDE and CCEA Plus have developed and launched the new Model School program for community day schools. Applications for the MCDS program will be accepted by October 13th for any California community day school that meets the eligibility requirements.
Recent News & Resources
Announcing the 2024 Conference: April 25 – 28 @ Marriott Los Angeles, CA | Event Details
Photo by Kris Reynolds during the 2023 Gala | View more photos
Upcoming Opportunities
Volunteer at the 2024 Conference | Google sign-up form Sign Up to be a Model School Reader | Sign-up form “The Spotlight” Feedback Form | Google feedback form — want to be featured?More Useful Links
2023-2024 Model Community Day School (MCDS) Application Now Available | Application page (due October 13th) Webinars From Previous Conference | Member area — requires login Professional Award | Nominations Page 2023 Model School Awards Gala Photos | Photo gallery Download and Share this Newsletter | PDF versionJoin Us on Social Media
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