Schools

Alta Vista High Named "Model School"

Mountain View's continuation school receives statewide recognition by the California Department of Education.

in Mountain View has been named one of 25 continuation high schools recognized as "model schools" by the state superintendent of schools today.

Alta Vista joins Calaveras Hills High School in Milpitas and others up and down the state in earning the recognition. This is the fifth time AVHS has been selected to served this three-year term.

"It's a big honor that we've been a model school now for fifteen years," said Bill Pierce, principal of the 125-student Alta Vista. "It means a lot that the staff is able to provide the kind of programs they do for the kids and have it recognized by the California Department of Education."

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Continuation high schools cater to students ages 16 and older who run a risk of not graduating. It emphasizes academics and all of Alta Vista's teachers are credentialed in the areas they teach, which explains the school's over 90 percent average in attendance and graduation, according to Pierce.

Some of these students hold jobs to support themselves or their families, and these schools typically accomodate work schedules and help students catch up on the class credits they might lack. These school offer job training and extra counseling for students, among other services.

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"Every student comes to school with a different set of needs, and our job is to provide them with the best chance to succeed," said Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction.

"That's why it's so important to provide students who are having trouble staying in school with great continuation high schools," Torlakson said. "The schools we are recognizing today have gone the extra mile to help kids get the education they deserve and need to succeed in life and careers. Congratulations to them all."

The Model Continuation High School Recognition Program honors outstanding continuation schools so other programs can look up to and emulate them, state officials said. The program is a partnership between the CDE and the California Continuation Education Association.

Pierce likes the "idea of being a model program for other school to come and learn." He sees it as a reciprocal process.

"We are happy to share what we do," he said. "But we get our ideas from other schools too."

Twenty-seven schools applied for the honor this year and 25 were chosen, according to state officials. This brings the number of model continuation schools in California to 64.


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