The Governing Board desires to provide a variety of innovative education programs accommodate students diverse learning needs and interests, foster student engagement in the schools, and enhance student achievement. Toward this end, the Board may establish and maintain alternative schools or programs of choice.
A District alternative school or program of choice may differ from the traditional program in its academic emphasis, sequence of curriculum, educational philosophy, instructional strategy, structure, setting, size, scheduling, targeted student populations, decision-making process, and/or other components. All alternative schools or programs of choice shall offer enrolled students the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve District content standards in core academic subjects and shall provide access to the course of study required for high school graduation.
(cf. 6011 - Academic Standards)
(cf. 6143 - Courses of Study)
(cf. 6146.1 - High School Graduation Requirements)
(cf. 6158 - Independent Study)
(cf. 6172.1 - Concurrent Enrollment in College Classes)
(cf. 6178 - Career Technical Education)
As necessary to provide flexibility to alternative schools or programs of choice to improve student performance and/or streamline operations, the Superintendent or designee may request that the Superintendent of Public Instruction waive any provision of the Education Code except provisions specified in Education Code 58509.
(cf. 0420 - School Plans/Site Councils)
PROGRAM EVALUATION
The Superintendent or designee may establish an advisory committee of staff and community members to evaluate proposals for alternative schools. The Board shall approve or disapprove proposals after considering the recommendation of the committee and the Superintendent or designee.
(cf. 1220 - Citizen Advisory Committees)
Alternative schools or class groups shall off the Board-adopted core curriculum. With Board approval, they may differ from ongoing programs in other ways that include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. They may emphasize a specific element of the approved curriculum.
2. They may present the approved curriculum in a sequence different from that used in other schools.
3. Their staff may emphasize specific instructional strategies.
4. The decision-making process for their governance may differ from the processes used in other schools.
Alternative schools shall comply with state and federal law and Board policy regarding nondiscrimination in District programs.
(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
The Superintendent or designee shall annually evaluate alternative schools in accordance with law. (Education Code 58510)
He/she shall report the evaluation results to the Board.
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
(cf. 6190 - Evaluation of the Instructional Program)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35160.5 Intradistrict open enrollment
41505-41508 Pupil Retention Block Grant
48980 Parental notifications
52052 Academic Performance Index
58500-58512 Alternative School
CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
1068 -1074 Alternative schools accountability model
11705 Charter schools as alternative schools
COURT DECISIONS
American Civil Rights Foundation v. Los Angeles Unified School District, (2008) 169 Cal.App.4th 436
Management Resources:
U.S. DOE PUBLICATIONS
Innovations in Education: Successful Magnet High School, September 2008
WEBSITES
CDE, Alternative Schools of Choice: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/eo/as
Foundation for California Community Colleges, Early College High School Initiative: http://www.foundationccc.org/ECHS
U.S. DOE, Office of Innovation and Improvement: http://www.ed.gov/about/ofices/list/oii
Policy EL DORADO UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: June 22, 1999 Placerville, California
revised: September 22, 2009
revised: October 13, 2020