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Paloma Creek High School honored as model continuation school; ACE Academy highlights graduate‑profile curriculum
Summary
Board recognized Paloma Creek High School as a 2025 model continuation high school and heard a detailed presentation from Paloma Creek and ACE Academy on a six‑element graduate profile and proficiency scales used to support alternative‑education students.
The Atascadero Unified Board of Trustees recognized Paloma Creek High School on its model continuation high school designation for 2025 and heard a presentation on the school’s integrated graduate‑profile curriculum that also guides ACE Academy’s alternative education program.
Why it matters: The model continuation recognition and accompanying WASC accreditation speak to site‑level progress in serving students who have experienced trauma, chronic absenteeism or academic setbacks. Trustees and staff said the work supports students’ academic and social‑emotional outcomes.
Dr. Libby Matting, principal of Paloma Creek High School and ACE Academy, described a yearlong approach that integrates six graduate‑profile elements — including self‑directed individuals, effective communicators and college/career/citizen readiness — across six rotations per year. “We guarantee that these are the things that our graduates will do when they finish,” Matting said, noting the site also earned a six‑year accreditation and that the school has repeated the model continuation award three times.
The presentation described proficiency scales tied to those elements, a daily homeroom curriculum at Paloma Creek and a one‑on‑one model at ACE. Matting said students self‑rate weekly against proficiency levels and staff send a weekly "Bulldog update" to families to connect school and home learning. At ACE Academy, teachers use individualized lessons and monthly newsletters to involve families.
Program highlights cited at the meeting included: a reported increase in attendance over three years (presenters said more than 500 additional days of attendance and a double‑digit percent improvement in student attendance for a portion of the population), student certifications in CPR/AED and Narcan training, partnerships for mentoring and service activities, and a “Jump Start to College” program that helps some students earn an associate degree while finishing high school.
Trustees praised the site’s work. Superintendent Butler and trustees highlighted the WASC visitation as evidence of consistent classroom rigor and high expectations at the district’s secondary sites.
Next steps: Matting encouraged trustees and community members to review the proficiency scales and lesson samples provided to the board and offered to host site visits and follow‑up discussions about scaling practices to other sites.
