The 6th Annual Alternative Accountability Policy Forum (AAPF) convened 285 educators, advocates and policymakers that work with at-promise students. Forum presenters and attendees from 21 states emphasized that despite obstacles, all students can succeed. Participants were presented with 22 concurrent sessions that addressed: effective alternative accountability policies; workforce, community and post-secondary partnerships; relevant teaching and learning strategies; and addressing student trauma. Our Keynote Session was provided by noted Civil Rights activist, education reform advocate and academic, Dr. Howard Fuller. Our closing session was presented by Congressional education staff experts Mandy Schaumburg and Jacque Chevalier.
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AAPF participants are leaders in advocating that the education of at-promise students’ needs to be the focus of attention at the national, state, and local levels. As a group, they called for a rethinking of policies, practices, and partnerships for building instructional and alternative accountability approaches that support excellence and equity in schools as well as account for the difficult circumstances of at promise students. The Summary of Proceedings is a summary of the key points as presented in each session, along with policy and practice recommendations from the 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum.
View the Summary of Proceedings.

The California State Board of Education has approved a change to its accountability system that would allow alternative schools — such as dropout recovery schools — to report one-year graduation rates instead of the percentage of students who earn a diploma within four years.
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Beginning this fall, the change would apply to the category of alternative schools — known in California as those with Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) — that enroll students behind on credits for graduation, but who are expected to complete the requirements within a year.
 
At a meeting last week, the board approved a method for calculating a one-year rate as part of a larger effort to create a set of measurements that better capture what takes place in DASS schools. 

California’s State Board of Education approved implementation of a one-year graduation rate for alternative schools at its Wednesday, May 9th meeting. The State Board of Education oversees regulations and policy development for California Schools. As part of California’s Accountability Dashboard, the State Board has adopted multiple indicators of school success including high school graduation rates. At it’s May 9th meeting, the Board approved a new metric for measuring graduation success for alternative schools. Until then, all schools were measured by the four year graduation rate.

Recognizing that alternative schools serve high risk students who are frequently highly mobile, credit deficient or out of school for years at a time, the California Department of Education established an Alternative Schools Taskforce to explore alternative ways of meeting the state’s accountability indicators. The one-year graduation rate is one of the first metrics to receive Taskforce support. Among the 24-member Taskforce were RAPSA participants Elisha Arrillaga, Maryann Dewan, Daisy Gonzales, Diana Grotjean, Phil Matero, Elsbeth Prigmore, Roger Rice, Ernie Silva, and Diana Walsh-Ruess.

The Taskforce was coordinated by the Gardiner Foundation’s Jorge Ruiz de Velasco of Stanford University. The Department of Education provided support including detailed modeling of one-year cohort options. Several of the Department’s staff outlined California’s approach at the 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum including Cindy Kazanis and Jenny Singh.

The one-year graduation rate has been a frequent topic of conversation at RAPSA’s Alternative Accountability Policy Forum scoring among the top 3 issues in AAPF polling. The one-year graduation rate was also among the 10 recommended policy needs in the Summaries of Proceedings prepared by WestEd and PACE. In testimony supporting the action, Ernie Silva said, “the Department has brought you an opportunity to be on the leading edge of policy development, but not the bleeding edge. Other agencies that have successfully implemented a one-year rate including Portland Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools.” In addition, to alternative schools, school districts and county offices of education, the initiative was supported by education equity advocates including Public Counsel and EdTrust West.

In recent years, representatives of Portland Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools have participated in the Policy Forum and shared their approaches. Rather than a cohort of every student who graduates four years after entering ninth grade, the one-year rate accounts for all students who graduate by using a cohort of all students expected to graduate within a year based on credits earned. This approach accounts for students who are credit deficient or who have dropped out for a period of time and would otherwise not be credited in the school or districts four-year graduation rate. Information about California’s one-year rate can be found at:
The California Department of Education presented a RAPSA webinar on metrics for alternative schools on April 27th. A recording of that webinar is at: view recording.
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RAPSA Board President, Linda Dawson, expressed her satisfaction of the Board’s action, “I am absolutely delighted that the California State Board of Education has acted on this important alternative accountability measure. It shows the emerging strength of RAPSA’s network to see so many of our members engaged in the state’s Taskforce. I look forward to hearing more about the success of those of you in other states in the coming months. See you at the Policy Forum in November!”

Don't Miss the 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum
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There's still time to register for the November 15-17, 2017, Alternative Accountability Policy Forum in San Diego.
 
Here's a partial list of who will be presenting strategies for success:

 
AAPF17 Presenters 

• Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor of Education, Marquette University
• Elisha Smith Arrillaga - Chief of Staff, Ed Trust-West
• Jacqueline Chevalier, Director of Education Policy for the Democratic staff, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce
• Linda Dawson, Superintendent and CEO of SIATech
• Carinne Deeds, Senior Policy Associate, American Youth Policy Forum
• Jody Ernst, Vice President of Research and Policy Analytics, Momentum Strategy & Research
• Terry Grobe, Director of Youth Pathways, Jobs for the Future
• Amy Lansing, Director of Cognitive and Neurobehavioral Studies, University of California, San Diego
• Judith Martinez, Director of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement, Colorado Department of Education
• Phil Matero, CEO, YouthBuild Charter School of California
• Curt Peterson, South Seattle College and Highline Public Schools
•  Nicole Pyle, Utah State University
• Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, Stanford University Graduate School of Education
• Mandy Schaumburg, Deputy Director, House Education and Workforce Committee
• Thomas Showalter, NYEC
• Nelson Smith, Senior Advisor, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
• Vanessa Threatte, Executive Deputy Director for Best Practices and Partnerships,  SUNY Charter Schools Institute
• Diana Walsh-Reuss, Come Back Kids, Riverside County Office of Education
• Christina Weeter, Director of the Division of Student Success Kentucky Department of Education
• Darren Woodruff, Chair, Public Charter School Board, Washington DC

 
See the other 40 acclaimed presenters! 
PRESENTERS

 
Awards and Scholarships Luncheon

Courage Award:
The November 16 RAPSA Awards Luncheon will recognize five Courage Awards for students overcoming obstacles and pursuing academic excellence.
 
Heart Award: 
The Heart Award for the capacity to see beyond the trauma faced by at promise students.
 
Vision Award:
The Vision Award will recognize a policymaker who has demonstrated exceptional understanding of the challenges faced by at promise youth.

 
Closing General Session
The Closing Session will answer your questions of what's really going on at the federal level with answers from key House Education and Workforce Committee staff.  And in between it all are opportunities to collaborate and to build and strengthen your networks with 250 education, workforce, and community leaders who understand your students and share your challenges. We hope you will join us.

 
Register today before it's too late!
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​The RAPSA Vision Award honors a legislator or policy maker who demonstrates vision in pursuing creative policies that lead to the reengagement of at promise youth. Nominations are open for policy makers who have demonstrated exceptional understanding of the challenges faced by at promise youth and pursued policies to facilitate their engagement. Nominees may include legislators, governmental officials and other policy makers who develop and implement creative policies or programs to attract and retain students who would otherwise be left out of traditional school programs. It's not too late to show your appreciation for a legislator or other policy maker who supports your students.

California Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia was the 2016 Vision Award recipient. Assembly Member Garcia is now the Principal Co-Author of ACR 102, the Opportunity Youth Reengagement Month resolution.  
 
Assembly Member Garcia has a strong vision for the types of education and workforce development policies that make a lasting impact on the reengagement of at promise youth. He has served as Chairman of the Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and Employment Committee, and the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color.  Recognizing the importance of job training for out of school youth, Assembly Member Garcia introduced legislation to provide employment training funds for individuals who face multiple barriers to self-sufficiency; to support prison reentry strategies including fatherhood involvement, family reunification and family strengthening; to expand funding for culturally relevant parenting, and young male mentorship to decrease the risk of violence, suicide, and other trauma by providing education and early intervention referrals to parents, families, and children at-risk.  His community work and connection with at promise students in his community evidence a core understanding of the challenges faced by at-promise students.  

The 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum is the only national professional development event targeting education leaders who reengage opportunity youth back into high school.  ​

Join your colleagues at the 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum to expand your work to engage opportunity youth in relevant educational settings. Discover new networks and strategies of leaders from across the country.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

​Matthew LaPlante
The importance of advocating for your students and programs will be addressed by dropout recovery warrior and Journalism Professor Matthew LaPlante. LaPlante's introduction to the national stage came from former FOX personality Bill O'Reilly who said, "I just want everyone to know who Matthew LaPlante is...Matthew LaPlante isn't a journalist. I believe this man is an ideologue who's out to hurt you, and he shouldn't be working in any major newspaper." LaPlante will challenge you to support your students' use of technology and media by being fearless in telling their stories.  Before teaching journalism, LaPlante served as national security reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune from 2005 to 2011, where he covered military operations in Iraq, Kuwait, Germany and throughout the United States. He understands what being a warrior for dropout recovery means.

​Tony Simmons
A session on reengagement in the struggle for educational equity will be hosted by Tony Simmons, Executive Director of High School For Recording Arts.  Simmons will moderat  e a session of invited California Legislators representing the State Legislature's Latino Caucus, Black Caucus and Select Committee for Boys and Men of Color. The conversation will focus on how education leaders can impact policy development that supports reengaging youth of color. High School for Recording Arts is dedicated to providing all young people a chance to realize their full potential, despite any previous setbacks through music and the exploration and operation of the music business. More than just earning a high school diploma, HSRA prepares students for a positive post-secondary education and life

​Be prepared to gain a national perspective on educational relevance from national organizations focused on workforce development in the education context including America's Promise Alliance, American Youth Policy Forum, Civic Enterprises, Jobs for the Future, and National Youth Employment Coalition. State Departments of Education presenting include those of California, Colorado, and Kentucky. Multi-jurisdiction authorizers presenting include the State University of New York and Washington DC's Board of Education.   

​The 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum is the only California professional development conference which focuses on alternative accountability. Enjoy two hosted receptions with delicious carving stations as well as two breakfasts. Celebrate success at an awards luncheon honoring the students and leaders who overcome major hurdles to succeed in school.

​This year you will hear from Dr. Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, Stanford University, Project Staff  Director, Alternative Schools Task Force, along with other experts from across the country about accountability measures that reflect the needs of students and schools who focus on opportunity youth and other critically at-risk students.
 
On Wednesday, November 15th, the Department of Education will discuss the strategy for incorporating alternative accountability metrics into the California Accountability Model & School Dashboard. On Thursday and Friday, November 16th and 17th, continue the exploration of accountability for alternative schools by discussing what's been successful in states including Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, and others. Leading national experts will discuss what ESSA-compliant means for schools serving opportunity youth and other over-age and under-credited students. Join with colleagues to share best practices and explore what can be done to advocate for your students.

The Policy Forum concludes with a DC Perspective panel to discuss what the 115th Congress is doing to address the challenges of opportunity youth and the leaders who serve them.
 
RAPSA is a non-profit professional development association that serves education leaders providing a hand up to students who are at-promise of success. RAPSA serves school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that focus on reengaging students and providing pathways to career and college. If you want a place where your challenges are understood and meaningful options are presented, you need to be at the 2017 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum this November.
 
Praise from prior attendees -
 
 "Very specific, concrete examples of accountability measures used for alternative education schools."
 
 "For me, the session really represented the essence of the forum - learning from best practices in alternative accountability. This presentation needs to be in front of policy makers at state agencies."