2.
College Connection Curriculum
High School Classes
American Government (First Semester-Independent Study)
This one-semester class is a basic survey course. Students work independently on assigned text readings, respond to selected questions, and take regular quizzes and tests.
Performance-based activities that develop decision-making, organizational, and public speaking skills are also emphasized. Students will also be expected to read current periodicals, journals, and newspaper articles to stay abreast of the sundry social issues and policies in the United States today.
English 12 (First Semester and Second Semester-Independent Study)
This yearlong class focuses on essay writing and strategies to produce a successful research paper along with the "Senior Project" as a required element. Students will learn the following: What it means to research, how to identify and use library resources, how to record information, how to design and implement a writing plan, how to make revisions by editing and proofing, and how to document appropriately. Students will also read selected literary works in world literature and do basic literary analysis.
College Survival Skills (First Semester-Independent Study)
This one-semester class emphasizes those resources, techniques, and attitudes that make for a successful transition to college. Students will examine specific study skills
(i.e. note taking, time-management, learning styles, test-taking, etc.), college support services (i.e. tutorials, counseling/advising, financial aid, etc.), library resources (i.e.
Internet, data-bases, specific reference titles, etc.), and personal attitudes (i.e. motivation, purpose, work ethic, etc.). Becoming a Master Student is both the goal and the title of the text in this course.
Economics (Second Semester-Independent Study)
This one-semester class is a basic survey course in beginning economics. Topics focus on both micro and macro economic concepts and issues. Students work independently on assigned readings from the text, respond to selected questions, and take regular quizzes and tests. Students will also be expected to participate in simulations that parallel key free-market activities.
Career/Life Planning (Second Semester-Independent Study)
This class has the student looking to an educational future beyond high school by examining the following: Discovering self through interests, aptitudes, personality and values; the world of work and occupational alternatives; educational alternatives and major/minor possibilities; the decision-making process; and preparing for the workplace in the twenty-first century. Guest speakers from various careers and academic disciplines will contribute regularly to the curriculum.
Resource Lab/Advisement (First and Second Semesters-Traditional Study)
This class meets every morning at Butte College and attendance is mandatory. Its purpose is to create an advisement time for all College Connection students in a group setting, focusing on group needs as well as on individual issues and problem areas in all other classes taken.

College Classes
In addition to the required high school classes students take through independent study,
College Connection students will take Butte Community College courses for a minimum of nine, but not more than eleven, college credits per semester. Students are directed to take classes that will, first of all, fulfill the specific requirements needed to graduate from
Paradise High School in May. This requires a close look at the student's transcript and identifying any deficiencies she/he might have in, say, fine arts, physical science, physical education, or electives. One advantage to taking these classes at Butte is that a single credit at the college is worth 3.3 credits at the high school. Hence, a three-unit class, like
Art Appreciation or Health and Wellness, will be worth 9.9 (rounded up to ten) credits at the high school. A student can complete two semesters' worth of class requirements in a single semester.
After a plan is established to ensure high school graduation requirements are met by year's end, students are encouraged to take classes that will meet the general education requirements of California State Universities and/or Universities of California, or the specific requirements of other schools or alternative programs; however, this is by no means mandatory. If a student prefers to take two demanding college classes, like
Introduction to Psychology (3 credits) and College Algebra (4 credits), then he or she might choose to take a ceramics class (3 credits) to lighten the load. These decisions will ultimately fall on the student, parent, and advisor working together to achieve a schedule that meets the needs of the individual student.
It should be mentioned that an average of "C" grades or better is expected of students taking college classes through our program. In many cases a "D" will not contribute to general education requirements, nor will it allow students to move forward in math or
English sequences at Butte College.
"Tuition" for a semester of 11 credits is $39.00, which covers a student's $19.00 nonnegotiable health fee and a $20.00 technology fee. Normally, tuition is $46.00 per unit
(and holding steady), so 11 units would cost over $500.00, in addition to those fees our students pay. Students might incur additional lab or materials fees, depending on the class, and, of course, there is always the cost of college textbooks. Help is provided for this, as the high school gives a one-time $150.00 credit to be used towards the purchase of texts. Books purchased with this credit will be returned to me, and added to my office library, where students have the opportunity to borrow books on a first come, first served basis. They often find one or more of the books they need there, which can really help when textbooks can cost well over $100.00 each.

3. Selection Process and Paperwork
The College Connection Program was not designed simply as an avenue for the very best students with the highest GPA's to leave high school and start acquiring college credits. It was designed to serve the best students, yes, but also those students who for one reason or another have not experienced a lot of success at the high school, but have displayed the potential to succeed in a more rigorous and mature environment. Students are selected from a variety of grade point averages based on a detailed rubric which includes scores earned for the following:
1. College Connection Application (available on the PHS website), which includes: a. Informational Data b. Student Essay c. Parent Statement
2. Evaluation of Current High School Transcript a. Units Completed b. Courses Required c. GPA d. Has the student explored available high-level courses at the high school?
3. Butte College Application (completed online)
4. Butte College Assessment Test Results
5. Three PHS Academic Teacher Recommendations
6. Personal Interview
7. School Records a. Attendance b. Disciplinary Actions
In addition to the College Connection Coordinator, a counselor and administrator from the high school will also participate in the selection process. As you can imagine, this can involve some very tough decisions. Trust that we take this process seriously, and strive to do what is best and fair for the greatest number of students. Letters will be sent home as soon as possible after the interview process is concluded informing students of their status.