Legal Requirements for Independent Study
A comprehensive list of basic requirements for operating a legally compliant independent study program.California Education Code (EC) Section 51747
requires that local educational agencies that claim apportionment for independent study must first adopt and implement written specified policies relating to independent study. The required written policies must be developed as specified in the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 11701.
In addition to the required written policies, the following are legal requirements for apportionment:
- Every student engaged in independent study must be enrolled
in a specified school of a school district or county office
of education (EC Section 51748). This enrollment should
be evident from the written agreement.
- The Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for independent study
must fall within the teacher-to-ADA limits set by EC Section 51745.6 to be eligible for apportionment.
- Students who are age nineteen to twenty-one must have been
continuously enrolled since their eighteenth birthday for their
ADA to be eligible for kindergarten through grade twelve apportionments (EC Section 46300.1).
- No ADA may be claimed from independent study until the
written agreement is completed (EC sections
46300.7, 51747[c][8]).
- No ADA is earned unless (i.e., "to the extent that")
supervising teacher judgments of the time value of pupil or
student work have been made personally in each instance (i.e.,
assignment) for each student engaged in independent study (EC Section 51747.5).
- No ADA from independent study may be claimed by a district
if it has provided any funds or other things of value to the
student or his or her parent, guardian, or caregiver that the
district does not provide to students who attend regular classes
(EC Section 51747.3[a]).
- No ADA is earned from the independent study of any student who resides outside the local county or the adjoining county (EC Section 51747.3[b]), except as provided in EC Section 51747.3(b)(2).
Charter Schools
Nonclassroom-Based Instruction
Additional requirements for independent study in charter schools.
Appendix A of the Independent Study Operations Manual
Appendix A (PDF) provides a detailed listing of the California Education Code sections and California Code of Regulations, Title 5 sections that govern independent study.
Contact Information
Programmatic matters
Yvonne Evans, Education Programs Consultant
916-323-2562
yevans@cde.ca.gov