Independent Study Description

Independent Study is a strategy of educational delivery, not a program. Legally, Independent Study may be offered in any instructional program as an optional strategy. Due to the complexities of the legal requirements for compliance, the District Director of Special Programs coordinates the attendance recording, record-keeping documentation, coursework content, technology integration, staff development and teacher allocation.

Independent Study students may be full-time or part-time. Participation is strictly voluntary and parents and students must sign the Master Agreement which outlines the obligations they agree to fulfill as participants in Independent Study.

Students in Independent Study are still residents of their home school. They retain most of the rights of any other student on campus.

In the regular academic program independent study may be available on a single subject basis for special circumstances. Parents should contact the school counseling office for information on single subject independent study. Students participating in full-time Independent Study are served at the Alternative Learning Center.

Full-time Independent Study requests should be submitted to the students counselor or vice-principal who will review the application and forward it to the site Alternative Placement Committee for review and final decision.

At an absolute minimum a student must attend the Center once per week. Students are encouraged to attend more frequently. The purpose of attending is o meet with their teacher so that there assignment can be reviewed for completeness and accuracy and their mastery of the assignment will be assessed (tested). Assuming satisfactory completion of the assignment new assignments will be given. It should be noted that if a student fails to show minimal mastery of the assignment content the assignment will be reassigned for the following week.

Also during this meeting any questions the student may have about their assignment will be answered, their academic progress is monitored and any other questions or concerns they may have will be addressed.

How a student satisfies the California Compulsory Education laws is one of the most unique features of Independent Study. If a student submits a satisfactorily completed assignment they are credited with full attendance for that entire week. If, however, a student fails to submit their assignment or if the assignment is incomplete or unsatisfactory the are marked absent-unexcused for that entire week. Physical presence at school DOES NOT constitute attendance. It should be noted that there are NO "excused absences" in Independent Study.

Although not the norm it should be noted that the length of time between being given an assignment and the date the assignment is due can be more than one week. These longer duration assignments can be made for instances such as a families need to be out of town for things such as a parents’ job requirements, the loss of a family member, medical reasons, etc.

A student is normally assigned work in one subject at a time; not the 5 or 6 as in the traditional program. The idea being to progress through each course as quickly as possible and complete the same 5 or 6 courses over the length of a semester. The reason for this is that years of experience have taught us that when a student is essentially on their own to master the content of a course they are more successful if they are able to concentrate on a single subject area.

NovaNet. What is it? NovaNet is a company to which the Antelope Valley Union High School District subscribes that offers "on-line" instruction in a wide variety of subject areas. Each Independent Study Center is equipped with a computer lab having access to these courses. Students that participate in the lab can be taking a course totally separate from the textbook course they are taking. Nearly all the assignments and tests are completed on-line which results in little or no homework. An easy way to think of on-line learning is the computer screen is your textbook and the keyboard is your pencil and paper. Participation in the lab requires NO computer skills. This is a great way to not only experience a different learning style but also to accelerate the earning of credits toward graduation. Arrangements for participation in the lab can be made with the students teacher. It should be noted that participation in the NovaNet lab requires daily attendance for 1 hour per day.

Each course offered in Independent Study is broken up into assignments. As a general rule each assignment is equal to 1/10^th of a year-long course. In high school a year-long course is worth 10 credits towards the 230 credits required for graduation. Therefore, each assignment is worth 1 credit.

A typical school year is divided into 2 semesters, each being approximately 18 weeks long. Therefore, if a student spent an entire semester in Independent Study and faithfully completed the minimum of 1 assignment per week they would earn 18 credits that semester and 18 credits in a full school year. A student in the regular program has a schedule of 6 classes per semester each being worth 5 credits if passed. This equates to 30 credits per semester and 60 credits per year which is normal progress toward a 4 year graduation. Obviously, doing the minimum requirement in Independent Study will only serve to put the student seriously behind in their progress towards graduation.

If a student completes 2 assignments per week, which most students are very capable of, they will earn 36 credits in a full semester and 72 credits in a year which equates to progress in excess of the "normal" rate.

Participation in the NovaNet computer lab will also help a student earn credits toward their graduation.

The City of Palmdale has a truancy law whereby a student found anywhere in the city without lawful purpose during school hours may be given a citation (ticket). The fines for these "tickets are quite expensive". It is the posture of the school, the high school district, the city, the Sheriffs Department and the Court that enrollment in Independent Study does NOT exempt from this law. During school hours Independent Study students, unless they are out for some lawful purpose, are expected to be at home engaged in their school assignments. It is extremely important that Independent Study students carry their school ID with them at all times.