The Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE) provides educational services as the Dan Jacobs School to the youth housed in the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) through the Juvenile Court School Program, as mandated by law. These services are provided onsite at the JDF, utilizing three classrooms within the facility, for both Yolo County youth and the unaccompanied youth population housed through a contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
Educational Services (non-ORR youth)
The Dan Jacobs School is operated by YCOE with teaching staff providing a curriculum aligned with Common Core standards. Students are enrolled in the school program due to their incarceration by police authorities or violation of their probation and court orders. They are assigned to a classroom based on their living unit which takes into consideration the number of prior detentions, severity of prior offenses, violence level, gang related activity, criminal sophistication, substance abuse, sexual offense history, and many other factors.
It is not unusual for a classroom to serve an extreme range of academic abilities. For some classrooms the ability in the class can range from a 2nd/ 3rd grade level to high school. Therefore, school administration customize the courses to meet the needs and capabilities of the students based on their anticipated length of incarnation. All students are provided the opportunity to work towards a high school diploma.
Stakeholders are encouraged to be involved in the educational process of the students. These stakeholders include school personnel, the Juvenile Justice Commission, probation staff, medical staff, and students’ parents.
As displayed in the table below, enrollment in the program has reduced over the past fiscal year, but coincides with the reduction in the overall JDF population. Otherwise, attendance has remained high at around 97%.
| |
FY 2017-2018 |
FY 2018-2019 |
| Average Enrollment |
10.66 |
6 |
| Average Daily Attendance |
10.65 |
6.78 |
| Percent of Students that Attended Class |
97.09% |
97.58% |
ORR Educational Services
While at the JDF the ORR youth receive comprehensive programming that includes educational services through the Dan Jacobs School. Due to the variability in detainment status for ORR youth, the enrollment of ORR youth in the educational program can be unpredictable and inconsistent. Therefore, in 2018 YCOE decided to expend additional funds in order to maintain two classrooms, one for ORR youth and another for Yolo County youth. This expansion was approved and funded by ORR.
In response to the additional ORR funds and the need identified by YCOE, on July 24, 2018, the Board of Supervisors approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between YCOE and Yolo County to provide educational services to youth enrolled in the ORR program at the JDF, effective from August 13, 2018 until August 12, 2019. Through the MOU the Yolo County (using ORR grant funds) paid YCOE $150,000 to support the youth enrolled in the ORR program with 1 fully funded certificated teacher and 0.75 FTE of a para-educator that are bilingual. The MOU also strengthens site administration and provides a technology specialist, English language development testing/academic support, academic counseling, and supplemental academic experiences. These educational services are managed collaboratively between Probation and YCOE in order to identify practices to best assure quality service delivery that optimizes the success of the ORR youth.
Overall enrollment for ORR youth in the Dan Jacobs School is larger than that of the Yolo County youth, as they represent a larger portion of the JDF population. Enrollment has decreased slightly in accordance the with overall decrease in the JDF population, but still exhibits a high attendance rate at 97.95%.
| |
FY 2017-2018 |
FY 2018-2019 |
| Average Enrollment |
18.58 |
15.3 |
| Average Daily Attendance |
18.92 |
14.83 |
| Percent of Students that Attended Class |
99.29% |
97.95% |
Academic Results
The Dan Jacobs School tests the academic progress of students using three tests. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) as well as the Renaissance Star Math and English Language Arts Assessments (Math/ELA) are taken by both the Yolo County and ORR youth. An additional test, the English Language Proficiency Assessment of California (ELPAC) is provided to youth whose primary language is not English to assist in determining their level of proficiency in English. While the CAASPP data is not publicly available, the results for the Math/ELA and ELPAC are provided in Attachment A.
Programmatic Updates
In FY 2018-2019, YCOE has implemented several enhancements to the educational program at the JDF. This includes a number of new staff that have been instilled in the program such as new administration staff, an academic counselor, academic instructors, class room support staff, and general support staff in accordance with YCOE’s MOU with the County. Additionally, YCOE has expanded program services to include the following:
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports: YCOE has sought to reduce and prevent negative behaviors for students through targeted interventions and supports. This includes offering formal social skills instruction, establishing positive adult role models, and fostering positive active supervisors and reinforcement. Some priority areas for intervention were identified through a JDF and YCOE staff survey and included a behavior support team, clearly stated youth expectations or rules posted throughout the facility, and a system for identifying problem behaviors with a distinction between behaviors in the classroom and facility.
- Physical Education: Provision of one hour of structured physical education which includes games such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, and exercise stations.
- Culturally Relevant Curriculum: YCOE has partnered with Sacramento Areas Youth Speaks and Culture Co-Op to train staff in culturally relevant competencies.
Future Opportunities
There are several opportunities for the educational program to develop and strengthen career technical education offerings at the JDF. This can include exploring opportunities in construction training from Northern California Construction Training, information and communication technology courses, and courses aligned with the Yolo County Career Academy.
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