Alternative Schools of Choice Legislation
State law (California Education Code [EC] sections 58500 through 58512) provides that school districts may establish and maintain alternative schools and programs of choice. These EC sections provide a definition of alternative schools of choice, declare the purposes of alternative schools of choice, and stipulate the requirements that alternative schools of choice must meet. Among these requirements are that both the teachers and the students must be selected from volunteers, that alternative schools of choice must be maintained and funded at the same level of support as other educational programs, and that the school district must annually evaluate such schools and programs.
Districts may apply to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) for waivers of sections of the EC on behalf of alternative schools of choice. A goal of alternative schools and programs of choice is that they be “operated in a manner to maximize the opportunity for improvement of the general school curriculum by innovative methods and ideas.” (EC Section 58507) The SSPI may grant waivers of specific provisions of state law, on request, to provide alternative schools and programs of choice the flexibility to innovate.
Goals for Alternative Schools and Programs of Choice
The goals of alternative schools and programs of choice, as stated in EC Section 58500, are the following:
- Maximize the opportunity for students to develop the positive values of self-reliance, initiative, kindness, spontaneity, resourcefulness, courage, creativity, responsibility, and joy.
- Recognize that the best learning takes place when the student learns because of his or her desire to learn.
- Maintain a learning situation in which maximum use is made of student self-motivation and in which students are encouraged to use their own time to follow their own interests. These interests may be conceived totally and independently by the student or as a result of a presentation by the student's teacher(s) of choices of learning projects.
- Maximize the opportunity for teachers, parents, and students to cooperatively develop the learning process and its subject matter. This opportunity must be a continuous, permanent process.
- Maximize the opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to continuously react to the changing world, including, but not limited to, the community in which the school is located.
The Need for Change
The findings of the California Commission for Reform of Intermediate and Secondary Education (RISE Commission, 1975) indicated the need for and desirability of full-scale reform of the state's intermediate and secondary schools.1 In its report the Commission pointed out that California's schools, like schools everywhere, have evolved out of the needs of society and the individual within society.
Alternative schools and programs of choice provide a way of adapting
an educational program to meet the individual needs of students,
and, more importantly perhaps, provide a vehicle for examining
new methods of teaching and new ways of learning in a changing
society. As individuals, educators may favor different instructional
methods and different course and program content. But as professionals,
educators must be committed to supporting educational environments
that are suited to students' varied developmental needs, both
academic and personal.
The RISE Commission was asked to determine ways of making schools
more effective, more enjoyable, and more conducive to a continued
interest in learning. Among the Commission's recommendations were
the following:
- Recognize and accept each learner as the principal client of the school.
- Provide a system of learning options in terms of time, place, programs, and formats to give learners a wide choice of ways to achieve their learning goals.
- Plan continued experiences that enable learners and staff to be in contact with people whose racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or cultural backgrounds are different from their own.
1 Report of the California Commission for Reform of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Sacramento: California State Department of Education, 1975.
Basics
Persons involved in planning, implementing, and maintaining alternative schools and programs of choice should bear in mind the following:
Do:
- Organize your support, know your resources, and set realistic goals.
- Provide for ongoing planning and program monitoring.
- Maintain communication with personnel in the regular programs.
- Share information with others.
- Seek help and ask questions.
- Select staff members who are enthusiastic and who have credibility with their colleagues.
- Remember that all students do not learn in the same way, even in alternative programs of choice.
Do not:
- Expect too much too soon.
- Be afraid to make mistakes.
- Take criticism personally.
Other Options
The following are other options that districts may offer.
- Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college preparatory program for economically disadvantaged and underachieving students in middle and high schools. It enables disadvantaged secondary students to succeed in rigorous curricula, enter mainstream activities in school, and increase their opportunities to enroll in four-year colleges.
- California Partnership Academies serve students in grades ten through twelve and are structured as a school-within-a-school. At least 50 percent of the students in the academies have been identified as at risk of dropping out of school. Academies have a career focus and integrate the career focus with rigorous academic courses. Business partnerships provide mentors and internships, and teachers work as a team to support student success. Academies are grant-funded. (See EC sections 54690-54697.)
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is an internationally recognized high school diploma program. All IB diploma candidates are required to engage in the study of languages, sciences, mathematics, and humanities in the final two years of high school. Universities may grant college credit or appropriate placement to students who pass the IB examination.
- Specialized Secondary Programs are initially funded by grants that provide start-up funds for schools to design and establish a new, advanced specialized program. The programs are expected to be models for standards-based instruction, based on the development of new curriculum and provision of varied instructional methodologies that emphasize advanced, in-depth study of a targeted content area. The acquisition of technology skills and their use as a tool for instruction and learning are also emphasized in these programs. (See EC sections 58800-58806.)
