(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Eleven alternative education programs have been selected as Best Practice Sites in an effort designed to recognize the work of educators and programs that serve at-risk students.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) began the project in 2009 to highlight exemplary practices in A5 and A6 programs in public school districts. A5 programs are school district-operated and -housed instructional programs that provide services to at-risk students with unique needs, and A6 programs are district-operated instructional programs that are located in non-district facilities or schools that serve youth who are considered state agency children through the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Community Based Services and/or the Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services.
The programs were nominated in three categories:
· Category 1: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
· Category 2: Culture, Support and Professional Development
· Category 3: Leadership, Resources/Organization and Planning
The 11 programs named as Best Practice Sites for 2010 are:
|
SCHOOL DISTRICT |
PROGRAM |
RECOGNITION |
|
Boyd County |
Ramey-Estep High School |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Calloway County |
Calloway County Alternative Education Center |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Calloway County |
Calloway County Day Treatment Center |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Christian County |
ACE High School |
Exemplary in Category 2 |
|
Jefferson County |
Bellewood Presbyterian Home for Children |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Jefferson County |
The Brook KMI School |
Exemplary in Category 1 |
|
Jefferson County |
Peace Academy |
Exemplary in Category 3 |
|
Jessamine County |
The Providence School |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Madison County |
Bellevue Learning Center and Day Treatment Center |
Exemplary in Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Perry County |
Buckhorn Children’s Center School-Buckhorn Alternative School |
Exemplary in Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 |
|
Simpson County |
Learning Opportunities Center |
Exemplary in Category 2 |
School districts nominated their programs for recognition based on criteria developed by the KDE Alternative Education Advisory Committee. Applications were screened, and finalists received site visits from a KDE review committee.
The goal of establishing Best Practice Sites is included in the KDEs Action Plan for Alternative Education Programs. This plan, approved by the Kentucky Board of Education in February 2008, establishes a number of initiatives to ensure that students in A5 and A6 programs continue to receive high-quality educational services.
Each program selected as a Best Practice Site will receive $1,000 for instructional support and will be formally recognized at a future meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education. Information on the schools also will also be posted on the KDE website, so that other schools can use the program as a model.
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