Today’s episode is the final part of our series to kick off the new school year. Parents, students, and educators were assuming that things would be back to normal by the beginning of the 2021 school year, but we are still in a state of uncertainty. Since COVID-19 has impacted schools in many ways during the past two school years, we have seen many adjustments to learning. CA Assembly Bill 130 addresses the independent study (IS) options, not to be confused with virtual learning. We’ll dive into the bill’s provisions and what it means for school districts and your students. Join us!

Show Highlights:

• Independent study options have existed in many variations at different schools; IS varies from virtual learning in that students are required to do a lot of work on their own without teacher instruction.
• IS is a common element for students with IEPs and students in special situations that require them to leave school early, arrive late, or do coursework away from school.
• What’s new about IS in AB 130? School districts in CA are now required to offer IS as an option to students.
• Why the change? The state recognized that some students aren’t comfortable with full-time in-person learning.
• What is independent study? Independent study is not the same as virtual learning as it requires a lot of reading and work with much less teacher instruction.
• The fact is that IS is not a great option for students with IEPs who may not be comfortable with 100% in-person schooling right now.
• Main components of AB 130:
• A high standard of strict curriculum instruction minutes
• Student-to-teacher ratios equivalent to in-person learning
• Access to Wifi for all IS students
• Concrete plans to monitor and record student participation
• The problem is that not all districts are complying with the provisions of AB 130; some are only requiring a one-hour weekly check-in with a teacher.
• There is an exception to AB 130 that allows IS to be waived for this school year if low enrollment/participation creates an unreasonable fiscal burden for the district.
• Like most education bills, AB 130 pleases some advocates, but for others, it doesn’t go far enough.
• Listeners outside of CA should check out what’s happening with education legislation in your state for this school year.

Links/Resources:

Thank you for listening! We welcome your questions regarding the new school year, guidelines, and protocols, so send them in!

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