Competency 8: Legal Related Task: 8.3 Knowledge of laws related to adolescent behavior. Specific Task: 8.3.

4 Participate in discussion with local police and juvenile authorities. Summarize important aspects. Narrative description of specific task: I will meet with current law enforcement officers that work within the schools, including police liaisons and community officers and gain information on the current trends of deviancy within school populations. I will also use contacts within county probation to tour and question the Juvenile Justice Institute (JJI) and county youth lodging. This will serve to expand thinking and understanding on the subject of law in regards to adolescent behavior, as well as create connections to better collaborate with these entities. This will also double as time to observe the setting and style of teaching that incorporates the e2020 credit recovery program. Currently, I am the district administrator for e2020, but I have not been on site to help adjust programs or ensure uniformity in standards.

When I first envisioned this competency, I originally had meant for it to be related to understanding the process and transitions for students that are lodged in detention center or placed in the Juvenile Justice Institute. JJI is a program that is court ordered for youth between the ages of 12-16 that have been in many problems with probation, school and law enforcement. It is part of the students probation order, and legal fees and punishment could result if a student does not attend and work successfully at JJI. Upon meeting with the new director about a student making the transition back to HPS, I came across a far different problem than figuring out a social transition. While JJI uses the e2020 program in order for students to gain credit, the classes were not aligned with state standards or district standards. Essentially, students were taking full year courses in classes they only needed a half credit, and were also being held responsible for material they did not need to learn, or would not be responsible for learning until later years. This was a huge detriment to students at JJI because much of their credit was being wasted and would not help them at their home schools.

Solution: Upon identifying the problem, I met with Holland High Assistant Principal Anna Clawson to determine a course of action. We looked at classes and curriculum together and decided to offer JJI with replacement classes that were aligned to state standards. VR Tech had done this work several years earlier when we were one of the first all E2020 schools in the country. By using existing created classes, this would save JJI (and myself) an enormous amount of time and effort. To this end I met again with the director of JJI and the lead teacher. I showed them the curriculum maps and the comparison classes. Using this information we edited the classes to match state standards and included all of the classes available to HPS students. While JJI serves all schools within the ISD, most of these courses would align with curriculum maps for these districts as well. I have included a comparison of an unedited algebra I class in comparison to an aligned course. The aligned course is marked as VR Tech Algebra I.

The first obvious contrast between the two courses is that the unedited algebra is a year long course. This can become problematic when trying to distinguish credit values on an uncompleted course. The VR Tech course is already identified as a semester class. Secondly, the amount of total assignments in the edited A and B courses is far less than the unedited version. A student would take 86 quizzes with 490 assignments at HPS to achieve a full years credit in Algebra I. In the old model at JJI, students would take 117 quizzes along with 686 assignments. If this were just one class this would be bad enough, however, every core class comparison was met with similar results. This has resulted in JJI granting much fewer credits than they should have. Now, with edited courses, JJI should be aligned with most schools in the ISD and students will benefit.

Lessons Learned: While Holland Public had worked with JJI for many years, it was apparent that the relationship had never evolved into anything collaborative. Both systems existed separately, rather than working together. This realization has pushed me to think of other systems of separation that exist within a school district, and between school districts and outside agencies. I firmly believe that if we as educators and leaders collaborate, that many problems that were holding back the effectiveness of these institutions in regards to students can be eliminated. This type of collaboration is not natural and requires hard work and leadership, but it is extremely beneficial and necessary to maintain vibrant community and inter-disciplinary relationships.Currently, VR Tech has a much more fruitful relationship with JJI, and we are are already currently working on creating more successful transitions for students back to school. Administrators must take care to not become insular and look at things only through the lens of their building. By involving oneself in a wider scope of community, administrators can expand building success, and create future opportunities for students. In the end, if administrators are not willing to step outside of their comfort zone and collaborate, why should any administrator

expect teachers and students to do the same? The problem I stumbled into has turned out to be a great blessing of perspective and opportunity.