55th Annual JCCASAC Conference

This practical session equips school leaders with strategies to identify high-impact opportunities for AI integration in their administrative work. Participants will evaluate their current tasks and prioritize those most suitable for AI enhancement. You will leave with a clear plan for optimizing workflows, allowing you to streamline workflows and reclaim valuable time for instructional leadership.

School Districts across California are facing unprecedented times in education with challenges in the areas of mental health and behavior. This session will explore the steps that one district took to initially develop a support team to address identified gaps for student with severe mental health and behavioral needs in California's largest single SELPA high school district. Learn how that district support team has transformed into cross-collaboration county-wide to support incarcerated and expelled students being served at County operated Court and Community schools to promote success. This session will equip you with the tools you need to identify gaps and needs in your current educational setting for students with behavioral, mental health, or learning loss related needs. You will have ideas and resources to develop a plan for your students in a collaborative fashion with district partners and community stakeholders. Come follow Kern County Office of Education Special Education Director, Michelle Taylor-Langham and Kern High School District Special Education Director, Holly Mell on their journey through the past five years of creating and implementing a successful support team for critically at-risk youth.

A continuation of presentation provided in 2024 to include a hands-on component

Just as every student's needs are different, so are the needs of every intervention program unique. When we talk about customizable academic intervention programs through tutoring, what does that actually mean and what can that look like? 

• In-person services, virtual or hybrid?
• Push-in, pull-out, during school, or after school?
• Focus on one subject area of need or multiple subjects with subject matter experts?
• What about SEL components and potential mentoring roles?

We'll dive deeper into the tailored models that StudentNest, in collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education and the Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, employs to boost student learning and adapt to the ever-evolving needs of students and programs.

This session will cover restorative and mindful practices that are used for both students and staff. The presentation will include how these have been implemented at Shasta County Juvenile Court School and the impact that they have had on both students and staff since they have become part of our system. There will be time to interact with the practices during the session. Participants will leave with multiple examples that they can use in their school setting. 

"El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) has a robust Threat Assessment process utilizing best practices in Threat Assessment. EDCOE developed a Level One Threat Assessment tool and trained school staff, SROs, law enforcement, and county mental health agencies to form site-based teams and conduct their own Threat Assessment assessments. They also have a well-established Level Two team consisting of multiple agencies in the county, including County Behavioral Health, CPS, EDC Sheriff’s Office, EDC Probation Department, and EDC DA’s Office. The Level Two Team serves all 15 school districts in El Dorado County. The process is designed to prevent targeted school violence and utilizes best practices in Threat Assessment to address and prevent, address, and provide support to the most volatile youth and families in the county.
This training will provide participants with specific information on how to create and implement their own Threat Assessment process. This will include access to El Dorado County’s Level One Tool and will walk participants through conducting their own Threat Assessment using a real-life scenario. "

Career Technical Education (CTE) plays a critical role in preparing students for the future. CTE course data still suggests a large disparity of students with disabilities, students of color, and English Learners being unable to access these relevant learning opportunities. Join us as we share how we created CTE programming opportunities that were previously unavailable and inaccessible to marginalized youth.

We will explore the student voices, partnerships, and logistics that any school or district can use to increase access for students. We will also share the data findings related to academic achievement, attendance, and the decrease of undesired behaviors that often arise when our systems are not meeting the needs of our students.

Recognizing one of the largest challenges to opening access to CTE courses are interventions and support classes; we will demonstrate how we used an assessment of instructional minutes, master schedule creativity, connection to innovative teacher’s, and collaboration with community colleges to design CTE Masterclasses. These courses meet the equivalency of State mandated high school courses as well as the demand for A-G approved courses and labor market industry certifications.

Acknowledging that many schools and programs do not have funding to spare, we will explain how we approached sustainability through grants and explore best practices for finding success in CTE grant submissions.

You too can have engaged students, excited teachers, and CTE Pathway completers!

Have you ever been frustrated watching a good kid wind up in the streets with the wrong people? Been stymied by the seeming impossibility of disrupting the gang cycle? This presentation is designed for the educators that see the good in at risk youth but are stuck with what they can do to work effectively with gang-affiliated youth. Dr. Ashley Brown and Emily Aihara are clinicians that have a combined 14 years of experience working directly with incarcerated youth. Both have experiences watching youth make extraordinary changes and leave "the life" behind to pursue something better. Learn the ins and outs of gang dynamics as well as effective interventions to promote positive change.