Pacha Kucha Kinte Presentation; Notes for

Slides
1. Introduction slide
PVCS alternative education school
currently an independent study only
school program
located in Eureka, but serve students
from around the county, including
Arcata, Mckinleyville, Fortuna, Loleta,
Rio dell, and Ferndale
we have a k-6 grade program on
Henderson St in Eureka, new this year
2. PVCS Intro (cont.)
I serve primarily grades 7-8,
but some home-schooled
lower grade students as well
We serve grades K-12
have very small classes (I am basically a
tutor for my students, high school
classes are between 6 and 12 students
on average)
weekly communication between staff
about all of our students, as well as
communication with parents regarding
students who are not performing or
making adequate progress

3. Needs of Students

 the history of PVCS

our school has changed through
the years
began in 2000 as an independent
study online program, first in Loleta
then in Henderson center briefly
moved to current Moore Ave
location and became an IS and sitebased program until the 2013-2014
school year
our first stages we
allowed/encouraged students to
take concurrent enrollment college
classes
4. Mission Statement
to help all students reach their potential
create challenging, supportive, and
individualized learning opportunities
ensure and support high levels of
achievement for students and staff
use technology in the teaching and
learning process
provide a challenging and accredited
curriculum
identify and address the learning styles
of each student

5. Changes

 we have become more of a credit

recovery school, both for junior high and
high school students
50-70% of our students are currently in
credit recovery status
30-40 % special education enrollment at
any given time period
But we love what we do, providing small
classes with low student to teacher
ratios, and helping them feel successful!

6. Current PVCS Campus

we are now a WASC accredited high
school program (2012)
we are currently an IS only program for
all grade levels
High school students have one-to-one
ratio chromebooks for their courses
use online curriculum for almost all
students
most of our students utilize daily
learning labs for courses

7. Student Success
We want every student to achieve
success

 What does that mean for each student?

For some, the current CQ courses will be
sufficient
These are common core aligned courses
Teacher support for every courses
But what about those who need/deserve
more challenge?
8. PVCS Technology
Chromebooks for every student
Small student to teacher ratio (i.e. lots
of help as needed!)
High degree of teacher to parent
communication (different from large
school)

9. College Classes
How can we improve the options for our
students who are ready and capable for
a challenge beyond CQ?
College courses!
We have all of the tools necessary for
these students to excel and achieve
their goals

10. What would this entail?

online college class enrollment ideal

 currently free tuition for all students, but

BOG waiver for those who qualify if that
changes
increase GPA for passing college course
grades
books could be paid for by school, order
through amazon and the like
11. How could this not work?
win-win for all involved
jump start on college credits
Expedite high school credits so that
students can pursue goals more quickly
(after school jobs, etc.)
Improve college ready skills with a
teacher for one-to-one assistance

12. When I surveyed our teachers/students

the following was made clear:
75% of the students surveyed were
interested in taking concurrent
enrollment classes
Several teachers indicated interest in
assisting students with their college
level classes
Administration gave me the OK to
pursue the idea in more depth
Director gave me the current school
policy on concurrent enrollment..

13. There were some obstacles that I ran

into

 Students must have principal approval

Students must be enrolled in a minimum
of 4 PVCS classes (senior), 5 PVCS
classes if a junior (not really a big deal)
College classes will count toward
accelerated GPA
BUT college class credits would not
count toward a Pacific View graduation
subject requirement!
14. Why do these policies (which seem to be
a deterrent to students to enroll in concurrent
classes) exist?
Directors wanted to make sure that all
GE classes were completed before a
student takes any college classes
(History of students not doing this)
We purchase a common core aligned
curriculum through CalIqity for each
student each year (so these courses are
already available)

15. So how to move ahead with the project?

I could try to get the policy changed and
I did talk to director briefly about
this.would not happen this school year
anyway
But he did explain the rationale, and
encourages students who are capable of
higher end math, elective courses and
the like to go for it!

16. What next?

 Research which colleges offer online

courses
Some of these are listed here
Currently tuition is free to high school
students, at least at College of the
Redwoods and College of the Siskiyous
17. Some of the CR classes that would work
are the following:

Art history
Art appreciation
Game development (a computer course)
Career planning
Psychology
Philosophy
Sociology

18. To make this whole process work, I need

a teacher who can supervise and provide
support for the high schoolers who are going
to take these classes.
This is Susan Currier, our H.S. English
teacher
She is willing and ready to help students
during her computer lab each afternoon

19. Future of learning .

 We already rely a great deal on

technology
Not all students are ready for this type
of program and need for face to face
I would like to see a change in our
concurrent enrollment policy that
encourages students to be more
challenged if they are ready
Some schools are moving toward (or
already there) a dual enrollment
program
At least give our students options
20. Keeping Pacific View Charter School alive
and prosperous depends on maintaining our
current students and recruiting new ones, as
we are not a school of residence. We need to
keep our options for students open to new
ideas that will keep them challenged and
meet the needs of each and every student we
enroll!