Continuation high school

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Not to be confused with Continuing education.

A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits at a quicker pace.

Denmark

Historically, there has been a tradition to detain unruly or criminal youth at continuation schools (Efterskoler) rather than juvenile halls.[1] The Danish continuation schools cover 8th to 10th form. Recently fashion like hip-hop for wearing T-shirt with the term "Inmate" and names of foreign jails have meant an increased demand for voluntary admission of normal youth at the continuation schools in order to appear tough among peers.

The association of Danish Industry has criticized this new development as too costly for society, and a waste of a full year in during a labor shortage.[2][3]

Disciplinary precautions are limited, restraints are not allowed, which results in up to between 25 to 33 percent of the youth to be expelled during a year at some schools. A single incident (January 2000) led one school to expel 23 percent of its students at once.[4]

Lately, parents who have immigrated to Denmark and have little understanding for the highly developed Danish youth culture are seeking strict orthodox Christian Continuation school for their children.[5] The number of teenagers placed at these school seemed to have been increased since the Danish government took action against re-education stays in the originally homeland. For a number of years the association of Continuation Schools have tried to target this parentgroup with an offer to detain their children and keep them "safe" from the challenging parts of the normal youth culture.[6] In 2010 the Danish government announced that they would reduce the grants for students so the parents would have to pay a larger percentage of the cost for having a child attending the schools. A massive press campaign launced by the "Efterskoleforeningen" (Association of Danish Efterskoler) forced the government to adjust the grants slightly.[7]

Some of the continuation schools in Denmark offer therapy and are similar to therapeutic boarding schools but this term is not known in Denmark.

California

In October 2008, there were 525 continuation high schools in California with an estimated enrollment of 70,937.[8]

California qualifying process for continuation high school

Counselors, site administration, and/or district administration can determine candidates for continuation high school; most candidates are recommended by on-site school counselors. Baseline qualifications for continuation high school vary district to district but all qualified candidates must undergo an academic review process. Schools that receive additional counselor funding under California AB 1802 state legislation are required to follow the bill stipulations for students who are at risk. First, the stipulations include using an academic review process for all students and thus identifying students who are at risk of not graduating on time. Qualifications for being classified as at risk include, but are not limited to, credit deficiencies, poor attendance, drug users, and/or behavior issues. Second, stipulations require counselors to develop a list of coursework for continuing his or her education if he or she fails to meet graduation requirements. As a result, in many cases continuation high school fits the needs of those students who were identified as at risk.[9]

Features of continuation high schools in California

Continuation high schools in California were created with the objective of meeting the needs of high school students. For such purpose, students from sixteen to eighteen years of age attend these schools. In order to graduate, students must complete the requirements set by the Department of Education in California. Continuation high schools require students to take the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), which measures student growth in mathematics, reading, and writing. However, students still receive a high school diploma once they have completed the required credits.

Continuation high schools are required, by law, to provide classes for students for a minimum of fifteen hours per week or 180 minutes per day. However, some schools choose to run the school day for a longer period of time. A unique feature of continuation high schools in California is the variety of programs offered to students. Such programs include career orientation and counseling, work study assistance, job placement, etc.

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Når børn begår kriminalitet (When youth commit crimes), by Helle Harbo Sorensen, TV2 news, September 9, 2007
  2. ↑ Information about continuation schools (In Danish), Center Validering - research center
  3. ↑ Efterskoler sætter elevrekord (New record in students at continuation schools - article in Danish), Politiken, May 23, 2008
  4. ↑ "18 elever bortvist - de sniffede". B.T. (in Danish) (Copenhagen: Berlingske Media). 16 March 2000. Retrieved 2009-04-22. "Efterskolen i Kragholm ved Rudkøbing har sat en tragisk rekord i dansk efterskole-historie: Man har måttet bortvise ikke færre end 18 elever på en gang for at sniffe lightergas - næsten en fjerdedel af skolens elever. ROUGH TRANSLATION: The continuation school in Kragholm ,near Rudkøbing, set a tragic record in the history of Danish continuation schools. It became necessary to expel no fewer than eighteen pupils at once for sniffing butane lighter fuel, nearly a quarter of the schools enrollment."  revised 21 November 2006 by Erling Andersen
  5. ↑ Gudløshed skræmmer mere end tro, by Jeppe Bangsgaard og Bodil Jessen og Christian Nørr, Berlingske Tidende, January 26, 2009
  6. ↑ Efterskolen kan give unge indvandrere kørekort til livet, by Maria Bendix Olsen, Kristeligt Dagblad, May 1, 2007
  7. ↑ Besparelser på efterskoler rammer færre, Danmarks Radio, November 6, 2010
  8. ↑ http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/eo/ce/cefcontinuationed.asp
  9. ↑ http://www.hatchingresults.com
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