River Oaks Academy Charter School
Independent Study Teacher-Student-Parent Meeting
1. Meeting Purpose: Explain to the parent(s):
a. The legal requirements governing the student’s independent study;
b. Student must complete the course assignments issued by the Supervising Teacher (“ST”) in order for the Student to remain enrolled in the independent study program
c. If the Student fails to complete these assignments, then the Charter School cannot claim average daily attendance and student may be disenrolled.
2. Responsibilities of the Supervising Teacher
a. Supervising Teacher: is the certificated teacher employed by the Charter School assigned, as noted in the written agreement, the responsibility for coordinating, evaluating, and providing general supervision of the student’s independent study.
b. General Supervision: The general supervision provided by the ST includes, but is not limited to the following:
i. Continuing oversight of the study design, implementation plan, allocation of resources, and evaluation of the student’s progress;
ii. Personally determine the time value of the student’s work products;
iii. Meet with the student and parent(s) to provide lesson plans, consultation, collect student’s work product, and resource check-out;
3. Responsibilities of Parent: The responsibilities of the parent(s) include, but are not limited to the following:
a. Provide student with daily instruction as designated by the ST;
b. Utilize the state aligned curriculum and materials issued and certified by the Charter School;
c. Meet with the ST to evaluate the educational program of the student and modify as necessary;
d. Ensure timely submission to the ST of all student work and attendance; and
e. Comply with the applicable independent study laws.
4. Assignment Requirements
a. Completion Date: The maximum length of time that may elapse between the time an independent study assignment is made by the ST and the date by which the Student must complete the assigned work must not be more than twenty (20) school days, or as modified by an assigned credentialed teacher at the time the work is assigned to the student.
b. Missed Assignments: A missed assignment is one that has not been turned in to the ST, or evidenced as completed by the student by the due date of the assignment. After three (3) missed assignments an evaluation shall be conducted to determine whether it is in the best interests of the student to remain in the independent study program.
5. State Standards & Curriculum: The Charter School’s Independent study program and curriculum must comply with Common Core State Standards in the same manner as any other public school.
a. Supplemental material may be used to foster student interests and learning styles.
b. Independent study may include Individualized alternative education that is designed to teach the knowledge and skills of the core curriculum.
c. Materials that are sectarian in nature are not to be used pursuant to the California Constitution, Article IX, Section 8.
d. Independent study lesson plans must be aligned to state standards.
6. Certified Courses: Courses must be taught by a certificated employee of the Charter School and the courses must be annually certified by the Charter School to be of the same rigor and educational quality as equivalent classroom-based courses, and shall be aligned to all relevant local and state content standards.
7. Daily Engagement: The Charter School may only claim attendance for the student if student is engaged in educational activities required by the Charter School on days when the School is in session. As a result, only student work done on assignments issued by the ST can be counted for attendance purposes.
8. Time Value of Work: The Charter School may claim apportionment credit for independent study only to the extent of the time value of the student’s work products, as personally determined in each instance by the student’s ST.
9. Attendance Accounting & State Funding Apportionment
a. According to the California Department of Education (“CDE”), the Charter School may only collect state funding apportionment for any daily engagement of the student on course work assigned by the ST, but only for days the Charter School is in session (not holidays or weekends).
b. The ST must personally determine the time value of the student’s work product to arrive at the total attendance of the student.
c. The Student must complete the assignments provided by the ST in order for the Charter School to claim attendance for the student and receive state funding apportionment.
d. Course work not assigned by the ST is not considered valid for purposes of attendance accounting, as the course curriculum and materials not issued by the ST are not certified as being in alignment with all relevant local and state content standards.
10. Student Evaluation
a. General Education Students: If the student is not making satisfactory educational progress and/or missed more than three (3) assignments the student will be evaluated to determine whether it is in the best interests of the student to remain in the independent study program.
i. The student evaluation may consider some or all of the following factors:
1. Attendance based on completion of assignments as quantified by the ST;
2. Demonstration of skills;
3. Standardized test scores;
4. Written tests and reports, if appropriate;
5. Oral or written presentation;
6. Punctual attendance at scheduled appointments;
7. ST observation of student’s strengths and weaknesses in the independent study environment.
b. Students with a Section 504 Plan or IEP:
i. If the student who missed more than three (3) assignments has a Section 504 Plan or IEP, the Charter School shall conduct a manifestation determination (“MD”) to evaluate whether the student missed assignments as a result of:
1. The student’s disability; or
2. The Charter School’s failure to properly implement the student’s Section 504 Plan or IEP.
ii. If the answer to either (1) or (2) above is yes, then the missed assignments are a manifestation of the student’s disability.
iii. If the MD finds that the cause of student’s missed assignments is a manifestation of the student’s disability, the Charter School shall convene an IEP Meeting or Section 504 Meeting to:
1. Determine whether the independent study program is in the best interests of the student and providing the student with an educational benefit; or
2. Whether the student should be referred to an alternative placement and educational program that would better satisfy the student’s unique needs.
iv. The Charter School shall provide parent(s) with the applicable Procedural Safeguards.
11. Appeal Advisory Committee: If it is determined that it is not in the best interests of the student to remain enrolled in the independent study program, the parent(s) shall be provided opportunity to appeal the decision to disenroll the student.
a. Parent(s) may assert counter arguments and present evidence at a public meeting to an advisory committee, which consists of the Charter School Principal and two (2) teachers who are not the teacher of the student at issue or retired teachers, in support of maintaining the student’s enrollment in the independent study program.
b. Parent(s) shall have no more than forty-five (45) minutes to present any arguments and/or evidence to the advisory committee.
c. After a reasonable period of private deliberation the advisory committee shall issue its decision to the parent(s).
d. The ultimate decision of the advisory committee shall be final and binding upon the parent(s) and student and cannot be subsequently challenged.
Board adopted: 11/5/15
River Oaks Academy Charter School Page 3 of 3
Independent Study Parent-Teacher Meeting