Community Day Schools
Purpose
Legislation enacted in 1995 established the requirement that, at the time an expulsion of a student is ordered, the governing board of the school district shall ensure that an education program is provided to the student during the expulsion period. The same legislation authorized school districts to establish community day schools (CDS) to serve these, and other at-risk/at-promise students. Subsequent legislation, in 1998, extended the authorization to also allow county offices of education to establish community day schools.
Program/Services
Students are expected to participate in academic programs that include high-level expectations from staff and students, and that are comparable to those available to students of similar age in the school district. The 360-minute minimum instructional day includes academic programs that provide challenging curriculum and individual attention to student learning modalities and abilities. CDS programs also focus on the development of pro-social skills and student self-esteem and resiliency. CDS is intended to have low student-teacher ratios. Students benefit from learning support services that include school counselors and psychologists, academic and vocational counselors, and student discipline personnel. Students also receive collaborative services from county offices of education, law enforcement, probation, and human services agency personnel who work with at-risk youth. Laws specific to CDS are in Education Code (EC) sections 48660-48667. More information is available on the Educational Options CDS Web page and the CDS Network (Outside Source) Web site.
Outcomes
The desired outcome is fully engaged students who are learning in a manner best suited to their needs. This will also result in:
- Closing the achievement gap
- Decreasing the dropout rate
- Increasing the graduation rate
Funding
EC Section 48664(a) provides that, in addition to funds from all other sources (including base revenue limit funding) supplemental apportionments are paid for each unit of average daily attendance (ADA) that is reported at the annual apportionment for a student's attendance at these schools.
The levels of supplemental funding for CDSs in 2007-08 (adjusted for inflation per EC Section 42238.1) are as follows:
- District-operated CDSs: $5,485.53 per unit of ADA
- County-operated CDSs: $4,162.46 per unit of ADA
Section 48663(c) further provides that:
- Attendance of six or more clock hours of the required school day shall generate one whole day of attendance credit for the additional funding.
- Attendance of five clock hours of the required school day shall generate only one-half day of attendance credit for the additional funding.
- Attendance of less than five clock hours in a school day shall generate no attendance credit for the additional funding.
Districts and county office of educations operating CDSs are eligible to receive additional funding for a longer supervised day beyond the 360-minute required instructional day (EC Section 48664[c]).
The district may receive $5.25 for each hour (up to a maximum of two hours) each school day for each student who remains at the CDS following the completion of the full 360 minutes of instruction (EC Section 48664[c]).
During these additional hours, the students must be under the supervision of an employee of the district/county office of education that reports the attendance for apportionment funding.
Students Served
CDS serves: expelled students, students referred by a School Attendance Review Board or probation,and other high-risk youth, referred through a district-level process, who need a separate setting that is better matched to their academic, social, and emotional development needs than what can be provided in a traditional school setting.
Results
Although the Educational Options Office does not have specific reports on the efficacy of CDSs; it has prepared a research paper and compendium of resources entitled Zero Dropouts for California. This paper contains information regarding the dropout crisis; recommendations for the State, counties, districts, and the California Department of Education; and an extensive bibliography of resources.
Contact Information
The CDS program is administered by:
California Department of Education
Secondary, Postsecondary, and Adult Leadership Division
Educational Options Office
1430 N Street, Suite 4503
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dan Sackheim
Education Programs Consultant
916-445-5595
dsackhei@cde.ca.gov
