The following pages contain an outline of a new alternative school being proposed to the Board for secondary students in Arlington. This proposal is the result of much reading, visitation and discussion over a long period of time by many in the Arlington School District. Undoubtedly, aspects of the program described here will need to be changed, refined or even eliminated as time goes by. But it is important to the students of Arlington that we make a beginning and seek to help the many students who have hitherto not been served by a program such as this.  

    I would like to personally thank the high school and the middle school teams who have worked hard on this subject. Their input has been invaluable. I also wish to thank the secondary principals, Mr. Brooks, Mr. Celenza and Mr. Kerins, for their time and input on this subject as well. Special thanks are in order to Mrs. Donegan who visited alternative schools with me and has provided much thought as we have sought to forge our own program.  

STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

    The founding philosophy of this alternative school is that students are not succeeding in the traditional school environment because they have become disaffected, detached, disconnected or otherwise out of synch with their school and other students. The disaffection is in all likelihood manifested in realms of life other than just school. It may be manifested in interpersonal relations, family relations, police/court venues, religious and health areas as well. The primary source of the disaffection may not be the school itself and school may only be a part of the situation. Regardless of the source, the solution is to be found in only one place: the individual.

    It is the belief of this alternative program that academic progress is blocked, overwhelmed and smothered when the internal balance of the student is interrupted.

    An individual student cannot develop intellectually when self-esteem is diminished. The mind is not interested in higher pursuits such as the search for knowledge or intellectual stimulation when self-esteem and self-worth issues are paramount. Self-destructive behaviors prevail when esteem is low. Learning can find no quarter in a mind preoccupied with issues of satisfying needs that have not been met.

    It is the further belief of this alternative program that the first order of business of an individual so situated is that they must first be willing to confront these inhibiting issues that produce low self-esteem, low self-worth and self-destructive behavior, before they can begin to proceed on a path of academic progress.

    An individual will only benefit from this program if they are willing to first accept the premise that they must deal with the physical, mental and social aspects of their own well-being as a pre-requisite to academic success.

POSSIBLE CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS FOR
THE ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM*

MAJOR PROGRAM FEATURES

• THE PROGRAM WILL SERVE STUDENTS IN GRADES 7 - 12.
  
  
• THE PROGRAM'S INTENT AND PURPOSE IS NOT TO "REPAIR" STUDENTS AND PREPARE THEM TO RETURN TO THE TRADITIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAM. HOWEVER, IT MAY BE DESIRABLE FOR SOME MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO GO ON TO THE TRADITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL.
  
  
• STUDENTS WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE WILL NOT BE ADMITTED INTO THE PROGRAM.
  
  
• STUDENTS MUST WANT TO BE IN THE PROGRAM AND APPLY FOR ADMISSION.
  
  
• THERE WILL BE NO SMOKING OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE ALLOWED. IF STUDENTS SMOKE PRIOR TO APPLICATION, THEY MUST BE WILLING TO ATTEND A SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM AS A CONDITION OF ADMISSION. STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE MUST BE DRUG AND ALCOHOL FREE BEFORE BEING ADMITTED.
  
  
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTION WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE CAMPUS AND WILL CONSIST PRIMARILY OF WALKING, RUNNING OR HIKING REGIMENS. PHYSICAL HEALTH AND CONDITIONING WILL BE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE STUDENT DAY.
  
  
• COMMUNITY SERVICE WILL BE A REQUIRED ELEMENT IN THE PROGRAM. STUDENTS MUST BE WILLING TO GIVE BACK TO OTHERS.
  
  
• INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION MAY BE SUPPLEMENTED AND ENHANCED THROUGH COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION. GROUP INSTRUCTION WILL OCCUR IN SMALL CLASS SIZES (10 - 15 STUDENTS).
  
  
• THE BASELINE LEVEL OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT WILL BE THE COMPLETION OF A GED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. HOWEVER, THE GOAL FOR MANY STUDENTS WILL BE THE ATTAINMENT OF A REGENTS LEVEL DIPLOMA AND PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE LEVEL WORK. THE GOAL FOR 7TH AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS WILL BE TO COMPLETE MIDDLE SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS.
  
  
• THE PROGRAM WILL BE LOCATED AT AN OFF-SCHOOL SITE.
  
  
• IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF DIFFERENT CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS OF ADOLESCENTS, THE SCHOOL DAY WILL BEGIN AND END AT A LATER TIME THAN THE CURRENT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE.
  
  
• CROSS-AGE TUTORING WILL BE ENCOURAGED AND UTILIZED.
  
  
• SWEARING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. IT DEMEANS THE PERSON SWEARING.
  
  
• ENROLLMENT IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION IS EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 35 AND 50 STUDENTS. IT WILL EVENTUALLY SERVE APPROXIMATELY 125 STUDENTS.
  
  
• PLACEMENT EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN TO EACH STUDENT IF DEEMED NECESSARY TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION.
  
  

(The following section is adapted from the Handbook of the Alternative School at Tillson run by Ulster BOCES.)

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INITIAL ELIGIBILITY

• ALL MATERIAL AND INFORMATION REQUESTED BY THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE SCHOOL BEFORE A STUDENT WILL BE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM.
  
  
• ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE APPLYING WILL NEED TO HAVE UP-TO-DATE ACADEMIC AND ACHIEVEMENT INFORMATION.
  
  
• STUDENTS MUST BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE PROGRAM AND ESTABLISH WRITTEN GOALS.
  
  
• STUDENTS WITH SEVERE OR EXTREME BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT NEEDS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE.
  
  
• STUDENTS WITH A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE WILL BE EVALUATED IN DEPTH FOR ELIGIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR ADMISSION.
  
  

ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY

• STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO SCORE AT OR ABOVE THE 5TH GRADE LEVEL IN READING, MATH, AND LANGUAGE IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED INTO THE SCHOOL.
  
  
• STUDENTS WHO TEST AT THE 4TH GRADE LEVEL IN ANY ONE OF THESE AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FURTHER REVIEW IN DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY. OTHER FACTORS THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED ARE: PRIOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, IQ TESTING, STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES, AND TEACHER EVALUATIONS.
  
  
• STUDENTS WHO TEST BELOW THE 4TH GRADE LEVEL IN ALL AREAS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE INELIGIBLE FOR ADMISSION. EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE BY THE SCREENING COMMITTEE FOR A STUDENT WHO DEMONSTRATES ACADEMIC ABILITY THROUGH OTHER METHODS OF ASSESSMENT.
  
  

• STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE A MINIMUM SCORE OF 7TH GRADE LEVEL IN READING, MATH, AND LANGUAGE IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED INTO THE SCHOOL.
  
  
• STUDENTS WHO TEST BETWEEN 5TH AND 6TH GRADE IN ANY ONE OF THESE AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FURTHER REVIEW IN DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY. OTHER FACTORS THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED ARE: PRIOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, IQ TESTING, STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES, AND TEACHER EVALUATIONS.
  
  
• STUDENTS WHO TEST BELOW THE 6TH GRADE LEVEL IN ALL AREAS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE INELIGIBLE FOR ADMISSION. EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE BY THE SCREENING COMMITTEE FOR A STUDENT WHO DEMONSTRATES ACADEMIC ABILITY THROUGH OTHER METHODS OF ASSESSMENT.
  
  

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:

• STUDENTS WHO ARE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM WILL BE ON A SIX WEEK PROBATIONARY PERIOD TO DETERMINE IF THE PLACEMENT IS APPROPRIATE AND THE SCHOOL IS ABLE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. DURING THIS PROBATIONARY PERIOD STUDENTS WILL BE EVALUATED WITH REGARDS TO ABSENTEEISM, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, AND STUDENT/STAFF RELATIONSHIPS.
  
  
• IF A STUDENT IS HAVING DIFFICULTY, PARENTS AND THE SCHOOL WILL BE NOTIFIED AND ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE STUDENT'S PROGRESS. IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT A STUDENT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE PROGRAM, IT WILL BE RECOMMENDED THAT THE STUDENT RETURN TO HIS/HER SCHOOL.
  
  

STAFFING

    The school will be administered by a part-time director/teacher. It may be necessary to designate one of our building principals as the administrator in charge.

    We will need to begin with at least one teacher for each of the core subjects: English, Social Studies, Math and Science. Special subjects will be taught by the core teachers. We will also need to start with one guidance counselor or social worker. Staffing will also be required for the GED component of the program.

    Naturally, the staffing levels will need to grow in the future as more students are enrolled.

    It will be necessary to engage these staff members in curriculum writing to organize curriculum and materials for the start of the next school year. This work should begin this semester and continue into the summer, if necessary.

    Staff members will be recruited via postings in the district. Our own staff will be considered first for this program.

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