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Letter Head: Jack O'Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Phone number 916-319-0800

September 17, 2007

Dear School Site Administrator:

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SERVICE-LEARNING LEADER SCHOOLS AWARD PROGRAM

Congratulations! Our records indicate that your school has met all of its Academic Performance Index (API) Growth Targets for the past two years, and therefore is eligible to apply for the California Department of Education’s (CDE) new annual Service-Learning Leader Schools Award. This award is being jointly sponsored by the CDE and State Farm Insurance.

This will be the first year that the awards will be given. However, because of limited resources, only selected high schools are being invited to apply. The awards are scheduled to be presented by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI), Jack O’Connell, at the annual California Service-Learning Leadership Institute at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose on March 3-4, 2008. In order to compete for the award, your school must:

  • Regularly use service-learning as an instructional method at your school site.
  • Complete a CDE Service-Learning Leader School Award Application form, which can be downloaded online from the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/sl.
  • Read, complete, and include a hard copy of the Service-Learning Sustainability Index (RMC/SEANet Sustainability Index), which can be obtained online at http://www.slqualityindex.com (Outside Source).
  • Provide documentation indicating institutional support for service-learning.
  • Submit at least three letters of support.
  • Obtain the sponsorship of your school district superintendent.
  • Submit the completed application, with attached documentation, to the CDE Counseling, Student Support, and Service-Learning Office by close of business on October 5, 2007.

Award winning schools will have:

  • Indicated "Mostly Achieved" or "Completely Achieved" on a high percentage of their RMC/SEANet Sustainability Index questions.
  • Provided supporting documentation (two-page limit) for their responses to the RMC/SEANet Sustainability Index (including but not limited to questions 1, 5, 7, 11, and 20).
  • Provided documentation indicating institutional support for service-learning. Examples might include school or district governing board’s policy in support of service-learning or inclusion of service-learning as an instructional strategy in the school site’s Single Plan for Student Achievement.
  • Submitted at least three letters of support consisting of one letter from the school site council, and two or more additional letters of support from key community partners that are involved in service-learning program activities. Letters of support should include examples of how the service-learning activities have been of benefit or met key community/school needs.
  • Received sponsorship for their application from their school district superintendent.
  • Received verification of their application by the school-site review team.
  • No outstanding significant fiscal or academic program audit exceptions.

All application packages will be evaluated and scored by teams of selected school district staff under the general supervision of CDE staff. Award eligible schools will have a site visit scheduled in early January 2008 to verify the accuracy of the school’s application. Site visits will also be conducted by teams of selected school district staff under the general supervision of CDE staff. Final selection of schools will be approved by the SSPI. Award winning schools will be notified of their selection by the CDE in late January 2008.

We estimate that in the past two years, approximately 300 high schools have met their API Growth Targets. Approximately 150 of these 300 schools currently have service-learning projects. We anticipate that approximately 75 schools, or half of the 150 schools that currently have service-learning projects, will choose to complete the application process.

At the awards ceremony, winning schools will be given a plaque and flag, which may be displayed at the school site advertising their achievement for up to five years. If your school is interested in applying for this award, we suggest you review the enclosed "Helpful Hints" before submitting your application.

Again, congratulations on meeting your API Growth Targets and being eligible to apply for this award.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Patrick Chladek, Education Programs Consultant, Counseling, Student Support and Service-Learning Office, at (916) 445-5737 or by e-mail at pchladek@cde.ca.gov; Terry Shorey, Education Programs Consultant, Counseling, Student Support and Service-Learning Office, at (916) 319-0227 or by e-mail at tshorey@cde.ca.gov; or Mike Brugh, Education Programs Consultant, Counseling, Student Support and Service-Learning Office, at (916) 319-0543 or by e-mail at mbrugh@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Cliff Rudnick, Administrator
Counseling, Student Support, and Service-Learning Office

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Enclosures

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