Newsletter October 1998, Page 5

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#Fair View Peer

MODEL SCHOOLS

Are you thinking about applying for Model School status this coming year? It's not too early to begin organizing yourself to submit your application. The application can be found on the CCEA Website at www.cceanet.org where you can easily download it. All of the criteria and instructions are included. (A reminder: This is a program of the California Department of Education, not CCEA. We do provide support and assistance to the CDE, however, and our committee will be happy to assist you in any way we can.)

The first thing to do is to make sure that the entire staff believes that this is a good idea. Then, once you have secured consensus, take a really good look at your school and the programs you offer. Are you doing things that truly mark you as the "best of the best," or is what you are doing somewhat ordinary? Is your curriculum and delivery innovative and creative? Is it exemplary? Do you have support from your students, parents, the district office, the board and the community? Are you willing to be a model for others who seek to improve their programs and will want to learn from you? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then you are ready for the next step: to complete the application and compile your letters of validation. While the application is not due until early February, this gives you plenty of time to make sure you submit a complete application. One of the main reasons why schools are not visited for validation is incomplete applications. As you collect your letters, ask for more than one in each category and then select the best. Be sure to adhere to the guidelines of only a single page. You will need letters from the following individuals: the principal, a teacher, a student, a parent, and a community member. In addition, a short explanation will need to be written in the five major areas. Once this is completed, have it proof read by at least one other person for completeness and to see if it makes sense and truly does respond to the questions and meet the criteria in the application.

Some of the things the committee looks for as they proceed through the validation process of the application include: a student/staff ratio of approximately 20:1; an ADA of at least 75%; integrated, interdisciplinary instruction that is not packet driven; all criteria must be in place; the exact same requirements for graduation as are required at the traditional high schools in your district; counseling services provided by a credentialed counselor; opportunities for students to participate in additional programs such as ROC/P, taking community college classes or taking classes at the traditional or feeder high school. Once the school has met the criteria for the paperwork, then a visitation is scheduled. Usually a team of two people will visit your school to determine that the paperwork matches up with the reality of what is going on in your school. They will probably spend a half day talking with the principal, students and teachers and visiting in classrooms. They will then write their report and send if to the California Department of Education. It is then up to the CDE to notify you that you will be designated a Model School or that you have not been validated and why. If you have questions, you should call the CDE and speak with Clara Chapala, our liaison in the department. The final step is the award presentation on the final day of our conference. If you are so designated, it is for a five year term. Then, you must reapply. Good luck! Congratulations to all of our new Model Schools who were named in April, 1998! They will be listed in the next newsletter.

FAIR VIEW PEER MEDIATION TEAM IN CHICO BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS

The Peer Mediation Team at Fair View High School, Chico, was established January 2, 1995. The purpose of the Team is to teach students a way to non-violently solve problems with people while maintaining their self-respect and the respect for the other person. The Team consists of the assistant principal, the school psychologist, a community services police officer, a school probation officer and students. Students must first satisfy a set of elective classes which also satisfy graduation requirements. Those classes include Beginning Peer Mediation which is designed to help students unlearn old, maladaptive ways of dealing with conflict. Successful completion of this class earns the students the Peer Mediation button plus they are eligible to be referred to assist students with mediation of their problems, both personal and interpersonal. The second class is Advanced Peer Mediation in which the class makes community and school presentations on such topics as peaceful solutions and stereotyping. These students assist Butte County Office of Education personnel in county wide training of students and adults in peer mediation and conflict resolution techniques. These students must adhere to certain behavior standards in order to remain eligible for the Team: no physical fighting on or off campus; ninety percent (90%) average attendance per session; a favorable evaluation from the majority of teachers; and drugs and alcohol must not be a major factor in their lives. The concern of two teachers can result in probation or expulsion from the program.

There have been many positives from this program, not the least of which is a relationship between the students and law enforcement authorities. This did not just happen, but took weeks of building trust on the part of law enforcement. A three day conference in Southern California was the final piece in the puzzle of achieving this trust when the students found that the police liked the same kind of music and dressed the same as they did. Thus, the two groups have begun to break down barriers and stereotypes between them.

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President's Letter --- Legislative Update --- Exemplary Programs --- Teacher of Year --- Model Schools