Snowline presenters outline tiered restructuring for Chaparral and switch to paper-based Snowline Academy pathway

Snowline Joint Unified School District staff on Tuesday presented plans to reorganize Chaparral’s nontraditional program and to retool Snowline Academy’s independent-study pathway, aiming to increase student access and keep more families enrolled in district programs.

District speakers said Chaparral (SHAP) will adopt a three-tier model: a universal Tier 1 of daily grade-level core instruction in the morning, Tier 2 afternoon workshops for credit recovery and targeted interventions, and Tier 3 individualized plans with specialists and project-based learning for students who need intensive support. "We're trying to find something that works for more students more of the time," said Chad Brooks, a district staff member who led the Chaparral presentation.

The presenters said Tier 1 will include six morning classes of roughly 37 minutes, structured lessons aligned to power standards and PLC planning. Students who are on track may leave after lunch; students needing extra help will attend afternoon Tier 2 sessions, the presentation said. "Our tier 2...focus[es] on acceleration versus remediation," Brooks said, adding that the goal is to keep students working on grade-level content rather than only reteaching prior material.

For Chaparral the staff also proposed an earlier transition team with Serrano High School to identify and transfer students who are academically far behind sooner, rather than waiting until late in a senior year for large credit recovery tasks.

On Snowline Academy, district staff described a shift to paper packet instruction for TK–8 and a two-pathway high school model that would keep an online Edgenuity option for a‑g university‑bound students while building a robust in-person support structure. Presenters said every student would be required to come to campus at least once a week for a live lesson; students below grade level would attend more frequent intervention sessions and open lab hours. "Education should be about creating opportunities, not barriers," said Rose Beasley, a district staff member involved in the presentation.

Presenters said the packet model aims to reduce dependence on constant internet access and address families’ stated preferences: more than 300 families reportedly had chosen charter paper-and-pencil models, the presenters said. They described transportation arrangements to help families get students to weekly lessons and said staff will continue refining packets and building teacher-created projects and supports.

Board members asked about benchmarks and measurement. A board member asked, "What kind of benchmarks are in place over the next year...to see if you are meeting your goals?" Chad Brooks answered that the district will track enrollment changes and disaggregate where students come from, use STAR baseline testing on entry and periodic STAR checks, and run quarterly PLC data reviews to monitor academic progress.

Presenters emphasized continuous improvement: packets will be iterated based on teacher feedback and student performance. The district said Snowline Academy families and staff were surveyed; roughly 7% of respondents said they did not like the proposed change, the presentation said. No board action was taken; the item was presented for information and discussion.