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Show Modesto pleon instills student responsibility By Steven Wallis i'P'ili Nwi Edilor Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part series dealing with the Modesto Plan of school discipline Mch began last year in the Uintah School District. This series will develop into a weekly column dealing ith educational topics as suggested the Community Council Public Relation's subcommittee. for years the American tradition as been one of "we're getting better every year," but findings of the Na-taal Na-taal Commission on Excellence in Education and other studies indicate that "we're" slipping in education. Educators in the Modesto City 1 District foresaw the down trend "education in 1976 and decided that i 11 something wasn't done, things wouldn't change. Thus the Modesto flan was implemented. In 1976 the Modesto Plan was implemented im-plemented in California with good success, suc-cess, and last year a modified form of the plan was adopted by the Uintah School District. The Modesto Plan calls for a return to the basics: reading, writing, arithmetic and responsibility. Minimum competencies in math, reading, and writing were established for each grade level. "We were careful to define minimum competencies as 'the lowest acceptable level of attainment required re-quired for reasonable progress at the next grade level'," Dr. James C. Enochs, assistant superintendent, Modesto City' Schools, said. Unless students had at least these skills, they didn't make it to a higher grade the next year. Beginning in the fourth grade, the Modesto district chose to assess writing skills by having hav-ing students write, not by objective tests. Upon entering high school, students, with the approval of their parents, are required to select one of three curriculum cur-riculum plans: academic, vocational or general. Each plan carries with it a set of special course requirements beyond the general education courses required of all students. The annual assessment of competency in reading, writing and arithmetic, begun in grades K through 8, continues during the freshman and sophomore years of high school. The plan urges written student conduct con-duct codes setting forth student rights, responsibilities, and specific infractions infrac-tions and their consequences for grades K through 6 and 7 through 12. The conduct code handbooks were distributed to every student in the district and included a verification of receipt to be signed by the parents and returned to the school. Dr. John Childs, Principal at Vernal Junior High, said a conduct code will be published next year for Vernal Junior High and West Junior High. The junior highs have also implemented im-plemented a provision for evaluating student in-class citizenship. Using uniform guidelines, each teacher assigns a quarterly citizenship mark in addition to the students' academic grade. Dr. Enochs said that total implementation im-plementation of the plan at the Modesto City Schools, a school district ' of 20,000 students, costs about $25,000 a year. Major costs to the program was for analysis of the program success and printing the student code of conduct. One last requirement of the Modesto Plan is that it should be put into effect for at least two years. "You can't expect an immediate turnaround," turn-around," Dr. Enochs said. In the Uintah School District, the Modesto Plan has been spearheaded by Dr. John Childs who requested the school board to implement a modified version of the program. The program has been implemented to some degree at Vernal Junior High, Uintah High School and West Junior High, but now the Uintah School Board is awaiting the recommendation of a subcommittee, subcommit-tee, yet to be formed, that will study the program. The task before the Community Com-munity Council subcommittee will be recommendations on how to further implement the Modesto Plan for the Uintah School District in areas of adoption of minimal competencies by grade level, adoption of a discipline program for the district, definition of expectations, and development of policies and procedures to manage the elements of the Modesto Plan. "I can only suggest that I live in California where the future comes earlier," said Dr. Enochs as a final word. "And since 10 percent of all Americans live here, I may be pardoned pardon-ed for my sense of concern and urgency." |