California Department of Education
Taking Center Stage – Act II

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ACE Class Description
Silverado Middle School

ACE Intervention class is a one- or two-semester class designed to help students in their core academic classes. Its purpose is to teach students how to:

  • Plan
  • Study
  • Organize
  • Complete homework and projects
  • Interact with adults and peers for success
  • Maintain a positive attitude and successful behavior.

The class has a regular routine that helps teach the students how to organize and complete their work

  1. As students arrive, they get out their planners while appointed representatives from core academic classes write down the homework from those classes on the board (for example, “Tom” lists the math homework; “Jessica” lists language arts assignments, etc.)

  2. While the student reps finish writing homework assignments on the board, the teacher quickly checks student planners to see that they have written the assignments down.

  3. The teacher then leads the class in a review of what is coming up during the week (test in math; project due in social studies, etc.). If there are tests, the teacher helps the students determine when to place a “study” reminder in their planners.

  4. One day each week, the teacher has a “backpack check” to help students put forms that need to go home in their planners and to toss old papers.

  5. On Thursdays, students take weekly progress reports home from each core academic class. If all the students return the signed progress reports on Fridays, the class holds a celebration of some sort.

  6. Also on Fridays, the class celebrates each other’s successes. As each student tells about a success (“I got an A on my social studies test”) the others cheer.

Since self-knowledge and reflection are important skills to learn, the class holds a joint reflection at the end of each trimester. At that time, they work both individually and in pairs on an “ACE Class Reflection” worksheet” that asks if the student(s) did or did not use their time wisely, and how ACE could change to be even more helpful.

The class also uses a journal where students write personal and academic goals. At regular intervals, the students take time to review the goals as a class and to reflect on how they are progressing toward those goals.

Peer tutors are available to help with homework in all the core content areas.

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