Alternative Curriculum and Assessment at an Alternative High School

Abstract

Academic decathlons and continuing education high schools seem an unlikely mixture, but not for students at Alta Vista High School, a continuing education school in Southern California for teenagers who have had difficulty in traditional high schools. The students made an impressive showing in the academic decathlon sponsored by the Orange County Department of Education. In keeping with the esprit de corps of the academic decathlon, teachers at Alta Vista High School created the Environmental Studies Academic Pentathlon (ESAP) for its students.