Examining independent study high schools in California

ISSUES& ANSWERS REL 2009 No. 074 At WestEd Examining independent study high schools in California U. S. D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n

ISSUES& ANSWERS REL2009 No.074 At WestEd Examiningindependentstudy highschoolsincalifornia June2009 Preparedby VanessaX.Barrat WestEd BethAnnBerliner WestEd U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n

WA OR NV CA ID UT MT WY CO ND SD NE KS MN WI IA IL MO MI IN OH KY WV PA VA NY VT NH ME At WestEd AK AZ NM TX OK AR LA MS TN AL GA NC SC FL Issues & Answers isanongoingseriesofreportsfromshort termfastresponseprojectsconductedbytheregionaleducationallaboratoriesoncurrenteducationissuesofimportanceatlocal,state,andregionallevels.fastresponseprojecttopics changetoreflectnewissues,asidentifiedthroughlaboutreachandrequestsforassistancefrompolicymakersandeducatorsatstateandlocallevelsandfromcommunities,businesses,parents,families,andyouth.allissues&answersreports meetinstituteofeducationsciencesstandardsforscientificallyvalidresearch. June2009 ThisreportwaspreparedforIESunderContractED 06 CO 0014byRegionalEducationalLaboratoryWestadministered bywested.thecontentofthepublicationdoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsorpoliciesofiesortheu.s.department ofeducation,nordoesmentionoftradenames,commercialproducts,ororganizationsimplyendorsementbytheu.s. Government. Thisreportisinthepublicdomain.Whilepermissiontoreprintthispublicationisnotnecessary,itshouldbecitedas: Barrat,V.X.,andBerliner,B.(2009).Examining independent study s in California.(RELIssues&Answers Report,REL2009 No.074).Washington,DC:U.S.DepartmentofEducation,InstituteofEducationSciences,National CenterforEducationEvaluationandRegionalAssistance,RegionalEducationalLaboratoryWest.Retrievedfromhttp://ies. ed.gov/ncee/edlabs. Thisreportisavailableontheregionaleducationallaboratorywebsiteathttp://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.

Summary Examiningindependentstudy highschoolsincalifornia REL 2009 No. 074 ThisexaminationofCalifornia sindependentstudyhighschools alternative schoolsinwhich75percentormoreof studentsingrades9 12areenrolledin full timeindependentstudy describes enrollmenttrendssince2001/02andthe numberandcharacteristicsofschools andstudentsaswellasteacherqualificationsin2006/07. Independentstudyisapubliceducation alternativemeanttomeetstudents needs, interests,andlearningstyleswhileensuring thatstudentscanmeettheirschooldistrict s curriculumandgraduationrequirements.all independentstudystudentshaveanindividualizedlearningplanthatguidestheir education,andthestudentscancomplete assignmentsatanytime,pace,orplacethat conformstotheplan. WhiletheCaliforniaEducationCodedoes notrecognizeindependentstudyschoolsasa schoolcategory,californiadepartmentofeducationstaffhavedefinedindependentstudy highschoolsoperationallyasthoseinwhich 75percentormoreofstudentsingrades9 12 areenrolledinfull timeindependentstudy. Californiapolicymakersandeducatorshave expressedinterestinknowingmoreabout independentstudyhighschools.thatinterest emanatespartlyfromanacknowledgednecessityformorepubliceducationalternativesto meetwide rangingstudentneedsandpartly fromcontinuingparentdemandforchoice intheirchildren seducation.withthecurrentemphasisonaccountabilityundertheno ChildLeftBehindActof2001,thereisalso interestinwhetherindependentstudyhigh schoolstudentsarebeingtaughtbyhighly qualifiedteachers. Thestudyaddressedsixresearchquestions: WhatwastheindependentstudyenrollmentinCalifornia sindependentstudy highschoolsandothertypesofhigh schoolin2006/07,andwhatwasthe enrollmenttrendbetween2001/02and 2006/07? DoCalifornia sindependentstudyhigh schoolstargetspecificstudentpopulations and,ifso,whichones? Whatwerethecharacteristicsofstudents inindependentstudyhighschoolscomparedwiththoseofstudentsinothertypes ofhighschoolin2006/07? WhatwerethelocationsofCalifornia s independentstudyhighschoolsandtheir schoolcharacteristicscomparedwith

ii Summary thoseofothertypesofhighschoolin Some54.9percentofindependentstudy 2006/07? highschoolsreportedtargetingaspecific studentgroup,while20.5percentreported Whatwerethequalificationsofteachers servingthegeneralstudentpopulation. ofcoreclassesinindependentstudyhigh (Another24.6percentprovidednoinschoolscomparedwiththoseinother formationabouttargeting.)ofschools typesofhighschoolin2006/07? targetingaspecificstudentgroup,45.5 percenttargetedstudentsatriskofschool Whatpercentageofcoreclasseswere failure,39.8percenttargetedhome study taughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachersin students,10.6percenttargetedboth,and independentstudyhighschoolscom 4.1percenttargetedothergroups. paredwithothertypesofhighschoolin 2006/07? In2006/07thestudentpopulationof independentstudyhighschoolswasless Toreportcharacteristicsofschoolsand diversethanthatofothertypesofhigh studentsandteacherqualificationsofall school,withalargerpercentageofwhite Californiapublicschoolsenrollingstudents students.independentstudyhighschools ingrades9 12,thestudyusedamerged alsohadhigherpercentagesoffemale school levellongitudinaldatasetfor2001/02 students,althoughthedifferenceinfemale 2006/07totrackstudentenrollmentandused andmaleenrollmentwassmallerthan school,teacher,andcourse leveldatasets inothernontraditionalhighschools. for2006/07.thequantitativeanalysiscon Andindependentstudyhighschoolshad traststhecharacteristicsofindependent lowerpercentagesofsocioeconomically studyhighschoolswithothernontraditional disadvantagedstudents,englishlanguage andtraditionalhighschools.qualitativedata learnerstudents,studentswithdisabilifromthelatestavailableschoolaccount ties,andmigrantstudentsthandidother abilityreportcardforeachindependent typesofhighschool. studyhighschoolidentifiedtargetedstudent populationgroups. In2006/07independentstudyhigh schoolswerelesslikelythanothertypes Themainfindings: ofhighschooltobelocatedinurbanareas andtohavebeenopenbefore2001/02. In2006/07,58,788studentswereenrolled Theywerealsomorelikelytobecharter infull timeindependentstudyingrades schoolsandtoofferinstructiontostu 9 12inCalifornia s231independent dentsbelowgrade9.independentstudy studyhighschools up44.2percentfrom highschoolsaveragedlargerenrollments 2001/02.Incontrast,25,560studentswere thanothernontraditionalhighschools enrolledinfull timeindependentstudy andsmallerenrollmentsthantraditional ingrades9 12inothertypesofhigh highschools.inindependentstudyhigh school up12.1percentfrom2001/02. schools,enrollmentincreasedfrom

Summary iii grade9tograde12;intraditionalhigh schools,itdecreased. Teachersinindependentstudyhigh schoolswerelesslikelythanteachersin othertypesofhighschooltoholdanadvancedacademicdegreeandasecondary subject specificteachingcredential,and theyweremorelikelytoholdanelementary(multiplesubject)teachingcredential.whilethemajorityofcoreclassesin grades9 12inindependentstudyhigh schoolsweretaughtbyahighlyqualified teacher,theseclasseswerelesslikelythan thoseinothertypesofhighschooltobe taughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacher.in independentstudyhighschools,teachers subject mattercompetenceforeach classwasmorelikelytohavebeendemonstratedthroughthehighobjectiveuniformstatestandardevaluationandless likelytohavebeendemonstratedthrough advancededucation,training,orboth. June2009

iv Table of contents TablEofConTEnTs Why this study? 1 Regionalneed 2 Researchquestions 2 What was the independent study enrollment in California s independent study s and other types of in 2006/07, and what was the enrollment trend between 2001/02 and 2006/07? 4 Do California s independent study s target specific student populations and, if so, which ones? 5 What were the characteristics of students in independent study s compared with those of students in other types of in 2006/07? 5 What were the locations of California s independent study s and their school characteristics compared with those of other types of in 2006/07? 7 What were the qualifications of teachers of core classes in independent s compared with those in other types of in 2006/07? 8 What percentage of core classes were taught by highly qualified teachers in independent study s compared with other types of in 2006/07? 9 Possible directions for further research 9 Appendix A Data sources, methodology, and limitations 11 Appendix B Descriptive statistics 17 Notes 23 References 24 Box 1 Datasourcesandmethods 3 Map 1 LocationofCalifornia sindependentstudyhighschools,bycounty,2006/07 7 Figures 1 Cumulativechangeinenrollmentforgrades9 12,bytypeoffull timeenrollment,2001/02 2006/07 5 2 Distributionofindependentstudyhighschools,bytargetedstudentpopulation,2006/07 5 3 Distributionofstudentswhoaresocioeconomicallydisadvantaged,areEnglishlanguagelearnerstudents, haveadisability,orareclassifiedasmigranteducationstudents,byhighschooltype,2006/07 6 4 Distributionofindependentstudy,othernontraditional,andtraditionalhighschools,bydistrictlocale, 2006/07 7 5 Distributionofgrade levelenrollment,byhighschooltype,2006/07 8

Table of contents v Tables 1 Characteristicsofstudentsingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07(percent) 6 2 Credentialstatusofteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07(percent) 9 B1 Numberoffull timestudentsingrades9 12inCaliforniapublicschools,byhighschooltype, 2001/02 2006/07 17 B2 Numberandpercentageofindependentstudyhighschools,bytargetedstudentpopulation,2006/07 17 B3 Numberofindependentstudyhighschools,byCaliforniacounty,2006/07 18 B4 Schoolcategory,byhighschooltype,2006/07 19 B5 Race/ethnicityandgendercharacteristicsofstudentsingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 19 B6 StudentsinNoChildLeftBehindActof2001subgroups,byhighschooltype,2006/07 20 B7 Schoolcharacteristics,byhighschooltype,2006/07 20 B8 Distributionoftotalenrollment,byhighschooltype,2006/07 21 B9 Studentspergrade,byhighschooltype,2006/07 21 B10 Highestacademicdegreeobtainedbyteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 B11 Authorizedteachingareaofteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 B12 Coreclassesingrades9 12taughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachers,byhighschooltype,2006/07 B13 Sourceofsubject mattercompetenceofhighlyqualifiedteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhigh schooltype,2006/07 22 22 22 21

1 Why ThiS STudy? Thisexamination ofcalifornia s independent studyhigh schools alternative schoolsinwhich 75percentor moreofstudents ingrades9 12are enrolledinfulltimeindependent study describes enrollmenttrends since2001/02and thenumberand characteristics ofschoolsand studentsas wellasteacher qualifications in2006/07. WhyThissTudy? WhilemostCaliforniahighschoolstudentspursue adiplomabyattendingclassesmondaythrough Fridayinaschoolbuildingfilledwithotherstudentsandteachers,someoftheirpeersaretaking adifferentroutetograduation:theyareenrolledin full timeindependentstudy.withinsomebroad parameters,theeducationexperienceofeachof thesesecondarystudentsisguidedbyalearning plantailoredtotheirneeds,interests,aptitudes, andabilities(californiadepartmentofeducation 2000).Basedontheplan,astudentmayormay notattendclassesinaschoolbuilding,receive dailyinstructionfromteachers,followastandard curriculumscopeandsequence,learnwithpeers, orhavesethoursforschooling. Tohelpmakepublicschoolsmoreresponsiveto thevariedneedsofcalifornia sgrowinganddiversestudentbody,thestatehasdevelopedseveral alternativestotraditionalclassroominstruction, includingfull timeindependentstudy,whichis authorizedbythecaliforniaeducationcodeas apermissibleformofattendanceforstudentsin gradesk 12(CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation 2000).Originatinginthe1970s,independentstudy recognizesthatsomestudentsneedaninstructionalsettingwithoutthestructuresoftraditional schools.amongstudentswhochoosethisalternativearestudentswithschedulingchallenges,for example,becauseofworkorfamilycaretaking responsibilities;studentspursuingparticulartalentsorinterests;studentswhohavefallenbehind andneedtargetedinstructiontofillgapsintheir learningortomakeupcredit;studentsatriskof schoolfailure(includingthosewhohavedropped outofschool);studentswhooptforahome study education;studentswhoarenotchallengedin theirregularclassroomsandwishtoaccelerate theirstudies;andstudentswithcertaintypesof disabilitiesorlearningstylesthatcanbeaccommodatedwithindependentstudy(california DepartmentofEducation2000). Allfull timeindependentstudystudentsarerequiredtodothesameamountandqualityofstudy

2 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Whilethestateisaware andtomeetthesamecurriculum ofindependentstudy andgraduationrequirementsas highschools,little otherstudentsintheirdistrict.but isknownaboutthe independentstudystudentsmay schoolsasagroup dosoinamannerandonaschedulebettersuitedtotheirneeds,as detailedintheirindividualized learningplan.anindividualizedlearningplanisa writtenagreementwiththestudent,thestudent s parentsorcaregivers,asupervisingteacher,and othersresponsibleforassistingthestudent.it specifiescourseassignments;learningobjectives andinstructionalmethods;manner,frequency, schedule,andplaceforsubmittingassignments andreportingprogress;methodstoevaluate studentwork;andascheduleforstudent teacher conferencing.studentscancompleteassignments atanytime,pace,orlocationthatconformsto theirplan. Regionalneed Whilesomeresearchexistsaboutindependent studyasaninstructionalstrategy,virtuallynone existsaboutschoolsinwhichmostorallstudents areenrolledinfull timeindependentstudy(see appendixa).eventhefoundationalstudieson independentstudybyalexanderandhines(1967) andbrown(1968)describeitonlyasaninstructionaloptionforindividualstudentsinsome traditionalhighschools.californiastatepolicy studiesissuedin2007and2008onthetopicof alternativeschoolsdonotmentionindependent studyhighschools, 1 nordoesthecaliforniaeducationcode,whichidentifiesvariouscategories ofschoolanddefinesindependentstudyasan optionalinstructionalstrategyfork 12students (CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2000). Evenso,Californiahasagrowingnumberofhigh schoolsinwhichmostorallstudentsingrades 9 12areenrolledinfull timeindependentstudy, andthestatehasdevelopedanoperationaldefinitionforthistypeofschool. 2 Ifatleast75percent ofaschool sstudentsingrades9 12areenrolled infull timeindependentstudy,californiadepartmentofeducationstaffandtheschoolsthemselves Whilethestateisawareofindependentstudy highschools,littleisknownabouttheschools asagroup.howmanystudentsaretheyserving, andhasthisnumberchangedovertime?where aretheylocated?whattypesofstudentdothey enroll?arethesestudentsbeingtaughtbyhighly qualifiedteachersasdefinedbythenochildleft BehindActof2001? Statelegislators,foundationleaders,education policyresearchers,californiadepartmentof Educationstaff,andothershavebeenaskingthese questionsinrecentyears.thisinterestemanates partlyfromanacknowledgedneedformorepublic educationalternativestomeetwide rangingstudent needsandpartlyfromcontinuingparentdemand forchoiceintheirchildren seducation(california LegislativeAnalyst soffce2007;aronandzweig 2003;Lehr,Lanners,andLange2003).Thereisalso interestinwhetherindependentstudystudentsare beingtaughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachers,asdefined underthenochildleftbehindactof2001. Researchquestions refertotheschoolasanindependentstudyhigh school.suchschoolsmayoperateinvarioussettings,includingbrick and mortarschoolbuildings, learningcenters,communitycolleges,andother typesofcommunity basedsettings,aswellasonline(californiadepartmentofeducation2000). ThisstudyaimstogenerateamoredetailedpictureofCalifornia sindependentstudyhighschools asagroupin2006/07(themostrecentyearfor whichdataareavailable)usingsixresearch questions: Whatwastheindependentstudyenrollment incalifornia sindependentstudyhighschools andothertypesofhighschoolin2006/07, andwhatwastheenrollmenttrendbetween 2001/02and2006/07? DoCalifornia sindependentstudyhigh schoolstargetspecificstudentpopulations and,ifso,whichones?

Why ThiS STudy? 3 Whatwerethecharacteristicsofstudentsin independentstudyhighschoolscompared withthoseofstudentsinothertypesofhigh schoolin2006/07? WhatwerethelocationsofCalifornia sindependentstudyhighschoolsandtheirschool characteristicscomparedwiththoseofother typesofhighschoolin2006/07? Whatwerethequalificationsofteachersof coreclassesinindependentstudyhighschools comparedwiththoseinothertypesofhigh schoolin2006/07? Whatpercentageofcoreclassesweretaught byhighlyqualifiedteachersinindependent studyhighschoolscomparedwithothertypes ofhighschoolin2006/07? Box1andappendixAprovidedetailsonthe studydataandmethodologyusedtoanswerthese questions. box 1 Data sources and methods Data sources Datawerecollectedfrompublic andweb basedsourcesandusedto prepareseveraldatasetsforanalysis: aschool levellongitudinaldatasetfor 2001/02 2006/07totrackstudentenrollmentingrades9 12andschool, teacher,andcourse leveldatasets withcharacteristicsofschools, teacherqualifications,andstudents ofallcaliforniapublicschoolsthat enrolledstudentsingrades9 12in 2006/07. Independent study, other nontraditional, and traditional s. AllCaliforniaschoolsservinggrades 9 12wereclassifiedasindependentstudyhighschools(75percent ormoreofstudentingrades9 12 enrolledinfull timeindependent study),traditionalhighschools (lessthan75percentofstudentsin grades9 12enrolledinfull time independentstudy),orothernontraditionalhighschools(schools thatarenotindependentstudyor traditionalhighschools,including continuationschools,community schools,communitydayschools,and otherschools;seetableb4inappendixb).classificationswerebasedon CaliforniaBasicEducationalData Systemenrollmentdata,independent studyenrollmentfromtheindependentstudydatabasemaintainedby theeducationoptionsoffceofthe CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation, andtheschooltypefromthecaliforniadepartmentofeducation spublic SchoolsDatabase. Enrollment trends.aschool level datasetwithtotalenrollmentand full timeindependentstudyenrollmentbyschoolwasconstructed usingdatafromthecaliforniabasic EducationalDataSystemSchoolInformationForm(CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008b)andthe IndependentStudyDatabase(CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008d). Targeted student populations. InformationfromthelatestSchool AccountabilityReportCardsfor independentstudyhighschoolswas analyzed.(ifaschool sschoolaccountabilityreportcardcouldnot belocated,otherweb basednarrativedatawereused).tworesearchers readandcodedthenarrativeprofiles todeterminethestudentpopulationtargetedbyeachschool:at risk students,home studystudents, otherspecificstudentpopulations, orageneralstudentpopulation. Datawereavailablefor224ofthe 231independentstudyhighschools (97.0percent).Thetworatersagreed oncodingsfor95.6percentofthe schools.incasesofdisagreement,the investigatorsreviewedanddiscussed thedatatoreachagreement. Student characteristics.enrollment databygrade,gender,andrace/ ethnicityarefromthe2006/07californiabasiceducationaldatasystem SchoolInformationForm(California DepartmentofEducation2008b),and enrollmentbysocioeconomicallydisadvantagedstatus,englishlanguage learnerstatus,disabilitystatus,and migranteducationstatusarefrom California sgrowthacademicperformanceindexdatafileforeachschool (CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation 2008c). School characteristics.schoollocation wasbasedonphysicaladdress,and schoolyearofopeningandcharter (continued)

4 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california box 1 (continued) Data sources and methods statuswerefromthecaliforniadepartmentofeducationpublicschools Database(CaliforniaDepartmentof Education2008e).Informationused includeddistrictlocale(urban,suburban,rural)fromthecommoncore ofdataoftheu.s.departmentof EducationNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(2007),andenrollment bygradefromthecaliforniabasic EducationalDataSystemSchoolInformationForm(CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008b). Teacher qualifications.tobeconsideredhighlyqualified,thenochild LeftBehindActof2001requires teachersofcoresecondaryclasses (English,reading/languagearts, mathematics,science,foreignlanguages,civics/government,economics,arts,history,andgeography)to haveabachelor sdegreeandastate teachingcredentialandtodemonstratesubject mattercompetencefor eachcoresubjecttaught(california DepartmentofEducation2004). Teachersinindependentstudyneed onlyonecredentialofanytype, whereasteachersintraditionalhigh schoolsneedasecondarysubjectspecificcredentialinthecontent areaoftheirteachingassignment. Informationonteacherqualification isfromthe2006/07californiabasic EducationalDataSystemProfessionalAssignmentInformationForm staffcharacteristicsfile(california DepartmentofEducation2008a). Core classes taught by highly qualified teachers. Informationoncoreclasses taughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachers isfromthe2006/07californiabasic EducationalDataSystemProfessional AssignmentInformationFormcourseleveldataset,whichindicatescompliancewiththeNoChildLeftBehind Actof2001highlyqualifiedteacher requirementsandidentifieshow teachersdemonstratedsubject matter competenceforthatclass(california DepartmentofEducation2008a). Analysis Notestsofstatisticalsignificancewere conductedbecausethestudycoversthefullpopulationofcalifornia publicschoolswithgrades9 12. Toallowcomparisonswithother analyses,countsineachcategory analyzedarereportedinappendixb forcategoricalvariables,andaverages, standarddeviations,andquartilesare reportedforenrollmentdata. Study limitations Schooldemographicdatawerenot availableatthestudentlevelor separatelyforstudentsinindependentstudy,sostudentcharacteristics coverallstudentswithinaschool type.distributionofstudentsby socioeconomicallydisadvantaged status,englishlanguagelearner status,disabilitystatus,andmigrant educationstatuswasavailableatthe schoollevelonlyandnotforgrades 9 12separately.In2006/07datawere notconsistentlyavailableforclasses inwhichseveralsubjectsweretaught, sotheanalysismayunderestimate thepercentageofcoreclassestaught byhighlyqualifiedteachers.further detailsaboutdatacharacteristics, methodology,andstudylimitations arediscussedinappendixa. WhaTWasThEindEpEndEnTsTudy EnrollmEnTinCalifornia sindependent studyhighschoolsandother TypEsofhighsChoolin2006/07,and WhaTWasThEEnrollmEnTTrEnd between2001/02and2006/07? In2006/07,84,348students(4.2percent)ofCalifornia snearly2millionhighschoolstudentswere enrolledinfull timeindependentstudy(seetable B1inappendixB).Although907(36.1percent)of 2,515publicschoolsservinggrades9 12enrolled oneormoreoftheseindependentstudystudents, 58,788(69.7percent)ofthemattended231schools thatmetthecaliforniadepartmentofeducation staff soperationaldefinitionofanindependent studyhighschool.thoughthecutofffortheoperationaldefinitionis75percent,onaverage,97.4 percentofthestudentsingrades9 12ateachof theseschoolswereenrolledinfull timeindependentstudy. Independentstudyenrollmentinindependent studyhighschoolsincreasedfasterthandidother typesofenrollmentfrom2001/02to2006/07. In2001/02Californiahad63,582highschool

WhaT Were The characteristics of STudenTS in independent STudy high SchoolS? 5 studentsinfull timeindependentstudy,with 40,782ofthemattendingindependentstudyhigh schoolsand22,800attendingothertypesofhigh school.in2006/07thenumberoffull timeindependentstudyhighschoolstudentsroseto84,348, with58,788ofthemattendingindependentstudy highschools(up44.2percent)and25,560attendingothertypesofhighschool(up12.1percent; figure1).otherfull timehighschoolenrollment (studentsnotinindependentstudy)was1,708,835 in2001/02,risingto1,905,857in2006/07(up11.5 percent). docalifornia sindependentstudy highschoolstargetspecificstudent populationsand,ifso,whichones? Some54.9percentofthe224independentstudy highschoolswithpubliclyavailableschoolaccountabilityreportcardsreportedtargetinga specificstudentgroup,while20.5percentreported servingthegeneralstudentpopulation(figure2). (Another24.6percentprovidednoinformation abouttargetingaspecificstudentpopulation.)of schoolstargetingaspecificstudentgroup,45.5 percenttargetedstudentsatriskofschoolfailure (forexample,studentsperformingbelowgrade levelorwithcreditdeficiencies),39.8percent targetedhome studystudents(studentspursuing aformofindependentstudythatinvolvesaparent asinstructor),and10.6percenttargetedboth.a smallerpercentage(4.1percent)reportedtargeting othertypesofstudent,includinggiftedstudentsor thosepursuingaparticularinterest(suchasacting orcompetitivesports). WhaTWErEThECharaCTErisTiCsof studentsinindependentstudyhigh schoolscomparedwiththoseofstudents inothertypesofhighschoolin2006/07? In2006/07,44.4percentofindependentstudyhigh schoolstudentswerewhite,agreaterpercentage thaninothernontraditionalhighschools(25.3 percent)andtraditionalhighschools(32.9percent)(table1),whichweremoreracially/ethnically diverse.likewise,36.4percentofindependentstudy highschoolsstudentswerehispanic,and3.6percent wereasian,alsosmallerpercentagesthaninthe othertypesofhighschool.blackstudents,however, figure 1 Cumulativechangeinenrollmentforgrades9 12, bytypeoffull-timeenrollment,2001/02 2006/07 (percent) figure 2 distributionofindependentstudyhighschools, bytargetedstudentpopulation,2006/07(percent) Percent 50 40 Full-time independent study students in independent study s General 20.5 At risk 45.5 30 20 10 Students in other full-time enrollment No information 24.6 Targeted 54.9 Other 4.1 Home study 39.8 At risk and home study 10.6 0 Full-time independent study students in other schools 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 Source: Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentdatafor2001/02 2006/07 fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b). Source:Authors analysisbasedon224schoolaccountabilityreport Cardsfor2006/07.If2006/07SchoolAccountabilityReportCardswere notavailableasofspring2008,schoolaccountabilityreportcardsfrom thepreviousyearorotherweb based,publiclyavailableinformation wereused(seeappendixa).

6 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Table 1 Characteristicsofstudentsingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07(percent) Student characteristic independent study (60,676 students) other nontraditional (136,174 students) Traditional (1,793,355 students) race/ethnicity White, not hispanic 44.4 25.3 32.9 hispanic 36.4 53.1 43.5 black, not hispanic 8.7 12.9 7.8 asian/pacific islander 3.6 4.9 12.7 american indian/alaska native 1.7 1.3 0.8 more than one race or no response 5.2 2.4 2.4 gender female 54.6 39.3 49.3 male 45.4 60.7 50.7 Note:Componentsmaynotsumto100percentbecauseofrounding. Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentbygenderandrace/ethnicitydatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b). accountedfor8.7percentofindependentstudy highschoolstudents,agreaterpercentagethanin traditionalhighschools(7.8percent),butasmaller percentagethaninothernontraditionalhighschools (12.9percent).SmallnumbersofAmericanIndian/ AlaskaNativestudentswereenrolledinallthree typesofhighschool,wheretheyaccountedforless than2percentofthestudentpopulation. 3 Thegendersplitacrossthestudentpopulationsof thethreetypesofhighschoolalsovaries.girlsaccountedfor54.6percentofthestudentsenrolledin independentstudyhighschoolsbut39.3percentof theenrollmentinothernontraditionalhighschools and49.3percentintraditionalhighschools. In2006/07,14.3percentofstudentsinindependentstudyhighschoolsweresocioeconomically disadvantaged,asmallerproportionthaninother nontraditionalhighschools(23.6percent)and traditionalhighschools(39.9percent)(figure3). Similarly,Englishlanguagelearnerstudentsaccountedfor3.5percentofthestudentpopulation inindependentstudyhighschools,compared with10.2percentinothernontraditionalhigh schoolsand26.6percentintraditionalhigh schools.studentswithdisabilitiesaccountedfora smallerproportionofthetotalstudentpopulation inindependentstudyhighschools(2.6percent) thaninothertypesofhighschool,asdidmigrant educationstudents(0.2percent). figure 3 distributionofstudentswhoare socioeconomicallydisadvantaged,areenglish languagelearnerstudents,haveadisability,or areclassifiedasmigranteducationstudents,by highschooltype,2006/07 Socioeconomically disadvantaged students a 14.3 23.6 3.5 English language 10.2 learner students 26.6 39.9 2.6 Students with 13.2 disabilities 7.8 Independent study (73,730 students) Other nontraditional Migrant 0.2 (108,710 students) education 1.1 Traditional students 2.1 (1,410,691 students) 0 10 20 30 40 50 Percent a.studentsaredefinedassocioeconomicallydisadvantagediftheyparticipatedinthefreeorreduced pricelunchprogramorifneitherparent graduatedhighschool. Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentbysubgroupfromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008c).

WhaT Were The locations and characteristics of independent STudy high SchoolS? 7 WhaTWErEThEloCaTionsofCalifornia s independentstudyhighschoolsandtheir schoolcharacteristicscomparedwith ThosEofoThErTypEsofhigh schoolin2006/07? map 1 locationofcalifornia sindependentstudyhigh schools,bycounty,2006/07 Ofthestate s58counties,52hadatleastone independentstudyhighschoolin2006/07(map1). TableB3inappendixBliststhenumberofindependentstudyhighschoolsbycounty. In2006/07independentstudyhighschoolswere lesslikelythanwereothertypesofhighschool tobelocatedinurbanschooldistrictsandmore likelytobelocatedinsuburbanandruralschool districts.some28.6percentofindependent studyhighschoolswerelocatedinurbanschool districts,comparedwith33.2percentofother nontraditionalhighschoolsand43.4percentof traditionalhighschools(figure4).alargershare ofindependentstudyhighschools(46.3percent) werelocatedinsuburbanschooldistrictscomparedwithothernontraditional(43.4percent) andtraditionalhighschools(42.4percent).some 25.1percentofindependentstudyhighschools werelocatedinruralschooldistricts,compared with23.4percentofothernontraditionalhigh schoolsand14.2percentoftraditionalhigh schools. Some71.9percentofindependentstudyhigh schoolsoperatingin2006/07wereopenbefore 2001/02,while83.3percentofothernontraditional highschoolsand80.2percentoftraditionalhigh schoolswere. In2006/07,40.7percentofindependentstudyhigh schoolswerecharterschools,while0.4percentof othernontraditionalhighschoolsand14.5percent oftraditionalhighschoolswere.nontraditional highschoolsgenerallyhaveenrollmentrequirementsandfundingprovisionsthatpreventthem fromoperatingascharterschools,exceptwith specialpermission. Independentstudyhighschoolsaveragedenrollmentof263students,nearlytwicethatatother Note:SixCaliforniaVirtualAcademyschoolsshowednolocaladdressin thecaliforniadepartmentofeducationpublicschoolsdatabasesothey aremappedatthecenterofeachoftheirrespectivecounties. Source:Authors analysisbasedoneachschool sphysicaladdressfrom CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(2008e). figure 4 distributionofindependentstudy,other nontraditional,andtraditionalhighschools,by districtlocale,2006/07 Independent study s (231) Urban Suburban Rural 28.6 46.3% 25.1 Other nontraditional high schools (1,033) 33.2 43.4% 23.4 Traditional high schools (1,250) 43.4 42.4 14.2 0 25 50 75 100 Percent Note:Localedataareunavailableforonetraditionalhighschool. Source:Authors analysisbasedondatafromu.s.departmentofeducation,nationalcenterforeducationstatistics(2007).

8 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Teachersinindependent studyhighschoolswere morelikelytoholdan elementaryorgeneral secondarycredential andlesslikelytohold asecondarysubject specificcredential thanwereteachersin othernontraditional highschools Independent study s (60,660 students) Other nontraditional s (134,614 students) nontraditionalhighschools,which averaged132students.incontrast, traditionalhighschoolsaveraged 1,434students. Some71.9percentofindependent studyhighschoolsalsoserved gradelevelsbelowthestandard 9 12highschoolgrades,while 38.3percentofothernontraditionaland17.8percentoftraditionalhighschoolsdid. Studentsingrade9accountedfor20.0percentof studentsingrades9 12inindependentstudyhigh schools,withthegrade levelenrollmentshare increasingingrade10(to24.7percent),grade 11(to26.6percent),andgrade12(to28.6percent)(figure5).Enrollmentdistributioninother nontraditionalhighschoolswassimilar,though theincreasefromonegradeleveltothenextwas greater.intraditionalhighschoolsenrollmentdistributionbygradeleveldecreasedathighergrade levels,fallingfrom28.6percentingrade9to20.8 percentingrade12. figure 5 distributionofgrade-levelenrollment,byhigh schooltype,2006/07 Traditional s (1,791,472 students) Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 20.0 24.7 26.6 28.6 13.9 18.3 29.2 38.7 28.6 26.6 24.0 20.8 0 25 50 75 100 Percent Note:Doesnotinclude3,459highschoolstudentswithoutaspecific grade9 12designationintheCaliforniaBasicEducationalDataSystem. Totalsmaynotsumto100percentbecauseofrounding. Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentbygrade leveldatafrom CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(2008b). WhaTWErEThEqualifiCaTionsofTEaChErs ofcoreclassesinindependenthigh schoolscomparedwiththoseinother TypEsofhighsChoolin2006/07? In2006/07over99percentofteachersofgrades 9 12coreclassesinallthreetypesofhighschool heldatleastabachelor sdegree,asrequiredbythe NoChildLeftBehindActof2001.Ofteachersof coreclassesinindependentstudyhighschools,67.7 percenthadabachelor sastheirhighestdegreeand 32.0percenthadamaster sordoctoraldegree;less than1percentofindependentstudyhighschool teachersdidnotmeettheeducationrequirement. Intheothertypesofhighschoolalargerproportionofteachersheldanadvanceddegree 42.1 percentinothernontraditionalhighschoolsand 38.7percentintraditionalhighschools. In2006/07nearlyallteachersofgrades9 12 coreclassesinindependentstudyhighschools (94.3percent),othernontraditionalhighschools (92.0percent),andtraditionalhighschools(92.2 percent)hadcompletedateacherpreparation programandheldafullcredential(table2).however,acrosstheseschooltypesthepercentageof teachersauthorizedtoteachattheelementaryor secondarylevelsvaried. Teachersinindependentstudyhighschoolswere morelikelytoholdanelementary(multiplesubject)credential(49.0percent)thanwereteachers inothernontraditionalhighschools(29.7percent) andtraditionalhighschools(8.0percent).teachersinindependentstudyhighschoolsalsowere morelikelytoholdageneralsecondarycredential (15.9percent)thanweretheircounterpartsin othernontraditionalhighschools(9.5percent)and traditionalhighschools(4.0percent). Incontrast,teachersinindependentstudyhigh schoolswerelesslikelytoholdasecondary subject specificcredential(57.1percent)comparedwithteachersinothernontraditionalhigh schools(67.9percent)andtraditionalhighschools (83.7percent);theyalsowerelesslikelytoholda credentialinotherteachingareas(36.2percent)

possible directions for further research 9 Table 2 Credentialstatusofteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07(percent) authorized teaching areas independent study (1,972 teachers) other nontraditional (6,080 teachers) Traditional (62,385 teachers) full credentials 94.3 92.0 92.2 elementary (multiple subject) 49.0 29.7 8.0 Secondary, general 15.9 9.5 4.0 Secondary, subject specific 57.1 67.9 83.7 other teaching areas a 36.2 58.1 54.4 Without full credentials 5.7 8.0 7.8 Note:Percentageofauthorizedteachingareasmaynotsumtothepercentageofteacherswithfullcredentialbecauseteacherscouldhavemorethanone typeoffullcredentialandteachingarea. a.specifiedincaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a)toincludespecialeducation,readingspecialist/certificate,primarylanguageinstruction,english languagedevelopment,speciallydesignedacademicinstructioninenglish,adulteducation,andspecialdesignatedsubjects. Source:Authors analysisbasedonstaffcharacteristicsdatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a). comparedwiththeircounterpartsinothernontraditional(58.1percent)andtraditionalhighschools (54.4percent). WhaTpErCEnTagEofCorEClassEs WErETaughTbyhighlyqualifiEd TEaChErsinindEpEndEnTsTudy highschoolscomparedwithother TypEsofhighsChoolin2006/07? In2006/07allthreetypesofhighschoolreported alargemajorityofgrades9 12coreclassestaught byahighlyqualifiedteacher,asdefinedbytheno ChildLeftBehindActof2001.Inadditiontomeetingtheeducationandcredentialrequirements, theseteachersalsometthesubject mattercompetencerequirement,eitherthroughadvancededucation,training,orboth,orthroughthestate shigh ObjectiveUniformStateStandardofEvaluation. 4 In contrasttotheothertypesofhighschool,though, independentstudyhighschoolshadthesmallest proportionofcoreclassestaughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacher,at73.9percent;theproportionswere 80.2percentforothernontraditionalhighschools and91.4percentfortraditionalhighschools. Abouthalf(51.1percent)ofcoreclassesingrades 9 12inindependentstudyhighschoolswere taughtbyhighlyqualifiedteacherswhometthe subject mattercompetencerequirementonthe basisofthehighobjectiveuniformstatestandardofevaluation,ahigherpercentagethanin othernontraditionalhighschools(30.8percent)or traditionalhighschools(11.1percent). possibledirectionsforfurtherresearch ThestudywasaninitialefforttodescribeCalifornia sindependentstudyhighschools,asubject virtuallyunexploredintheresearchliterature. Somereadersmaywanttoknowmoreaboutthis typeofschool,sotheremaybevalueinexploring performance relatedschoolcharacteristicsthat havebeenthesubjectofmuchresearchinother typesofhighschoolbuthavenotbeenexamined forindependentstudy highschools.possibledirectionsinclude classesingrades9 12in abouthalfofcore investigationsofstudent independentstudyhigh academicperformance schoolsweretaughtby andofgraduation,dropout,exitexamination, ahigherpercentagethan highlyqualifiedteachers, transfer,andcollegegoingratesaswellasa highschoolsor inothernontraditional cost benefitanalysisof traditionalhighschools independentstudyhigh

10 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california newprimarydata collectioneffortsusing surveysandinterviews couldofferperspective ondistrictreasonsfor includingfull time independentstudy asaschooloption, motivationsforenrolling inindependentstudy highschools,andthe roleofparentsand teachersinnon site basedinstruction schools,especiallyrelatedto effortstoclosetheachievement gap. Otherpossibleresearchareas includedescribingindependent studyhighschoolmissionsand educationphilosophiesandhow theyrespondtolocalandregional studentneeds,examininghowindependentstudyhighschoolsare organizedtoserveindependent studystudents,comparingschool characteristicsbycharterschool status,anddocumentinghow independentstudyhighschools supportstudentsatriskofschoolfailure. Newprimarydatacollectioneffortsusingsurveys andinterviewscouldofferperspectiveonsuch issuesasdistrictreasonsforincludingorexcluding full timeindependentstudyasahighschooloption, studentmotivationsforenrollinginindependent studyhighschools,andtheroleandexperiencesof parentsandteachersinnon site basedinstruction. Asthestate sdatacollectionsystemsareupgradedtoincludeindividualstudentandteacher data,therewillbenewopportunitiestoconduct longitudinalstudiesandtomoreaccuratelyand comprehensivelydescribepart andfull time independentstudyinalltypesofpublicschool.it willalsobepossibletoassesswhetheracademic performanceimproveswhenstudentsenrollin independentstudy.

appendix a. data SourceS, methodology, and limitations 11 appendixa datasources,methodology, andlimitations Datasources Thisappendixdiscussesthedatasourcesused inthestudy,explainsinfurtherdetailhowthe analyseswereperformed,andlaysoutthestudy s limitations. Thereisvirtuallynoresearchaboutschoolsin whichmostorallstudentsareenrolledinfulltimeindependentstudy.alternativeeducation studiesthatdrawonexistingresearchdonot mentionindependentstudyhighschools(aron 2006;RuzziandKraemer2006;Lehr,Lanners, andlange2003;langeandsletten2002;young 1990).Toidentifyrelevantstudies thatis, published,peer reviewedstudiesthatspecifically addressindependentstudyhighschools asearch ofallarticlessince1990wasconductedusingthe keywords independentstudy and( highschool or secondaryeducation )ineducator sreference Complete,EducationResearchComplete,AcademicSearchPremier,CSA/SageSocialSciences fulltext,proquest,andproquestdissertations andtheses.inaddition,websitesoforganizations andagenciesinvolvedinalternativeeducation werescannedforpublishedreportsorarticles,bibliographiesandreferencelistsfromreviewsofthe alternativeeducationliteraturewerereviewed,and sixalternativeeducationleaderswerecontacted forrecommendations.thisprocessidentifiedno peer reviewedpublicationsthataddressindependentstudyhighschools.totheextentthepublicationscitedinthisreportaddressindependent study,theydosoonlyasanalternativeinstructionalstrategyusedinothertypesofschool. Dataforthestudycomefrompublicandwebbasedsourcesandwereusedtoprepareseveral datasets:amergedschool levellongitudinal datasetfor2001/02 2006/07totrackenrollmentin grades9 12andschool,teacher,andcourse level datasetsthatprovidedinformationonschooland studentcharacteristicsandteacherqualifications forallcaliforniapublicschoolsenrollingstudents ingrades9 12in2006/07. QualitativedatasourceswerenarrativeinformationfromthelatestavailableSchoolAccountability ReportCardandotherweb baseddescriptive materialabouteachindependentstudyhighschool. School, teacher, course level datasets.datawere drawnfromthecaliforniabasiceducationaldata System,anindependentstudydatabasemaintainedbytheEducationOptionsOffceofthe CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(California DepartmentofEducation2008d);theCalifornia DepartmentofEducation spublicschoolsdatabase(californiadepartmentofeducation2008e); thecaliforniagrowthacademicperformance Indexdatafile(CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008c);andtheCommonCoreofDataofthe U.S.DepartmentofEducationNationalCenterfor EducationStatistics(2007). TheCaliforniaBasicEducationalDataSystemisa statewide,annuallyupdateddatabasethatcollects dataprimarilyonstaffandstudentdemographicsandonenrollmentforallpublicschoolsand districtsincalifornia.ofspecificinterestforthis studyweredatafromtheschoolinformation Form,whichcollectsschool levelstudentenrollmentdata,includingdataonfull timeenrollment inindependentstudyandenrollmentbygrade, race/ethnicity,andgender(californiadepartment ofeducation2008b).californiabasiceducational DataSystemenrollmentdataweredownloaded for2001/02 2006/07.Alsoofinterestweredata fromtheprofessionalassignmentinformation Form,whichcollectsdataoncertificatedstafffrom countyoffcesofeducationandschooldistricts (CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008a).The formcontainsdataonteachingstaffcharacteristics byuniquerecordidentificationandcounty districtschoolcodeaswellascoursedatabyassignment codeforeachteacher.theteacher levelandcourseleveldataweredownloadedfor2006/07. TheEducationOptionsOffceoftheCalifornia DepartmentofEducationmaintainsadatabaseof

12 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california timedatawerecollectedforthisstudy,the2005/06 reportswerethemaindatasource.ifaschoolac countabilityreportcardwasnotavailableforboth yearsorifthenarrativeinaschoolaccountability ReportCardwasincomplete,otherinformationon theschool swebsitewasexamined.qualitativedata wereunavailablefor7ofthe231independentstudy highschoolsidentifiedinthisstudy. allschoolsthatenrollk 12studentsinfull time independentstudy(californiadepartmentofeducation2008d).thedatabasedrawsfrommultiple datasources:thecaliforniabasiceducationaldata System,confirmatoryformssenttoschoolstoverify independentstudyenrollment,andcaliforniadepartmentofeducationstaffexpertiseandknowledge abouttheschools.becausethedatabasedrawsfrom multiplesourcesandnotjustthecaliforniabasic EducationalDataSystem,itsindependentstudyenrollmentdatamaydifferfromdataintheCalifornia BasicEducationalDataSystem.Forschoolsthathave independentstudystudents,enrollmentdatawere takenfromtheindependentstudydatabase. TheCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation spublic SchoolsDatabaseisanannuallyupdatedlistof California spublicschools,schooldistricts,and countyoffcesofeducation(californiadepartment ofeducation2008e).itprovidedinformationon schooladdresses,yearofopening,charterstatus, andhighschooltype. Dataonsocioeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,Englishlanguagelearnerstudents,students withdisabilities,andstudentsinmigranteducationcamefromcalifornia sgrowthacademic PerformanceIndexdatafilein2006/07(California DepartmentofEducation2008c). TheCommonCoreofDataoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducationNationalCenterforEducation Statistics(2007)provideslocaleinformation(urban, suburban,rural)onallschoolsanddistricts.this studyuseddatafromthe2005/06commoncoreof Datatoreportonthepresenceofindependentstudy schoolsinurban,suburban,andruraldistricts. School level, web based qualitative data. Thestudy alsocollectedstudentpopulationdatafromthemost recentschoolaccountabilityreportcardavailableinspring2008.schoolaccountabilityreport Cardsareannualreportsproducedbyeachpublic schooltodescribeitsschool,teacher,andstudent characteristicsandprogresstowarditsacademic goals.sincemostschoolshadnotyetreleasedtheir 2006/07SchoolAccountabilityReportCardatthe School leveldatafromthecaliforniadepart mentofeducation spublicschoolsdatabase,the CaliforniaDepartmentofEducationindependent studydatabase,andthecaliforniabasiceduca tionaldatasystemschoolinformationformwere mergedusingthecounty district schoolcodefor 2001/02 2006/07todocumentenrollmenttrends forgrades9 12inCaliforniapublicschools, separatingfull timeindependentstudyenrollment fromothertypesofenrollment.inthedatasetused foranalysis,ahighschool sindependentstudy enrollmentwascappedatthetotalenrollmentfor grades9 12,plusanyungradedsecondarystudents (thatis,studentsforwhomtherewasnoidentificationastogradelevelotherthangrades9 12). Adultenrollmentwasexcluded.Thiscomputation resultedinaslightdecreaseinreportedenrollment inindependentstudyduring2001/02 2005/06(a 0 0.5percentdecrease,dependingontheyear)and a2.4percentdecreasein2006/07,mainlydueto reportingdiscrepanciesinoneschool. Quantitativeanalysis Allpublicschoolswithgrades9 12intheCaliforniaBasicEducationalDataSystemwereincluded inthisanalysisexceptrecordscodedas 0000001 inthesystemstartingin2006/07,whichwere excludedbecausetheyaccountforstudentsin publicspecialeducationwhoreceiveservicesfrom nonpublic,nonsectarianschoolscertifiedbythe CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation.The2006/07 CaliforniaBasicEducationalDataSystemdata included422suchrecords. Quantitativeanalysiswasconductedforschool type,enrollment,andlocale;studentcharacteristics;andteachercharacteristics.

appendix a. data SourceS, methodology, and limitations 13 School type.californiapublicschoolswith grades9 12wereclassifiedintothreetypes independentstudyhighschools,othernontraditionalhighschools,andtraditionalhighschools basedontheindependentstudyenrollment numbersfromthedatasetusedforanalysis.some 231schoolswereidentifiedashaving75percent ormoreofstudentsingrades9 12enrolledin full timeindependentstudyin2006/07anddesignatedindependentstudyhighschools.(schools correspondingtononvoluntaryplacements specificallycommunitydayschoolsandjuvenilehall schools wereexcludedfromthistotal.)the1,251 publicschoolsin2006/07thatenrolledthegeneral studentpopulationingrades9 12weredesignated astraditionalhighschools.andthe1,033remainingschoolsin2006/07weredesignatedasother nontraditionalhighschools agroupthatincludedcontinuationschools,communityschools, communitydayschools,andotherschoolsthatthe statereportsinthecaliforniabasiceducational DataSystemthatwereneitherindependentstudy highschoolsnortraditionalhighschools(seetable B4inappendixBforacompletelistofnontraditionalschoolcategories). School enrollment.thepercentageofstudentsin grades9 12enrolledinfull timeindependent studywascomputedforeachschoolasthenumber ofstudentsingrades9 12infull timeindependentstudydividedbythetotalnumberofstudents enrolledingrades9 12intheschool. Foreachyearfrom2002/03to2006/07enrollment figuresfromthelongitudinalschool leveldataset wereusedtocomputehowmuchchangehadoccurredsince2001/02inthreetypesofgrades9 12 enrollment:thenumberoffull timeindependent studystudentsenrolledinindependentstudyhigh schools,thenumberoffull timeindependent studystudentsenrolledinothertypesofhigh school,andthenumberofstudentsnotenrolledin independentstudy.thechangewasexpressedasa percentageof2001/02totalenrollment. School locale.schoollocalewasdefinedbased onthe2005/06commoncoreofdatadistrict definitions(u.s.departmentofeducation,nationalcenterforeducationstatistics2007). Togeneratetheurban,suburban,andruralsubgroupsusedinthisstudy,thefollowingcategories weregrouped: Urban:largecityormidsizecity. Suburban:urbanfringesoflargecity,urban fringesofmidsizecity,orlargetown. Rural:smalltownandrural,outsideametropolitancore basedstatisticalarea,orrural, insideamicropolitancore basedstatistical area. Student characteristics.sevenstudentcharacteristicswereconsideredinthestudyusingtwo estimatingtechniques. Percentage of students by grade level, race/ ethnicity, and gender.throughtheschool InformationForm,theCaliforniaBasic EducationalDataSystemcollectsstudent enrollmentbygradelevel,race/ethnicity,and gender(californiadepartmentofeducation 2008b).Thepercentageofstudentsforeach variableforeachschooltypewascomputedas thetotalnumberofstudentsineachsubgroup ingrades9 12dividedbythetotalnumberof studentsingrades9 12inthecorresponding highschooltype.race/ethnicitycategorieson theschoolinformationformwereamericanindianoralaskanative;asian;pacific Islander;Filipino;HispanicorLatino;African American,notHispanic;White,notHispanic; andmultipleornoresponse.forthisstudy Asian,PacificIslander,andFilipinowere categorizedasasian/pacificislander. Percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English language learner students, students with disabilities, and students in migrant education subgroups.becausedata forthesesubgroupswerenotavailablefrom thecaliforniabasiceducationaldatasystem,

14 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california thisreportusesthesamemethodologyasthat (CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation2008a). usedbythestateinestimatingthepercent Foreachhighschooltypethepercentageof ageofthesesubgroupsforthestate sschool teacherswithfullcredentialswascomputed AccountabilityReportCards(www.cde. asthenumberofteacherswithfullcredentials ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/def07enrlgroup.asp).based dividedbythetotalnumberofteachersinthe ondatafromthe2006/07growthacademic correspondinghighschooltype.analysiswas PerformanceIndexdatafile,thepercentageof restrictedtoteachersofcoreclassesingrades studentsidentifiedinthosesubgroupsequals 9 12. thenumberofstudentsineachsubgroup includedintheacademicperformanceindex Percentage of teachers by authorized teaching dividedbythenumberofstudentsenrolledon area.thestaffcharacteristicsfileinthecalithefirstdayoftesting(californiadepartment forniabasiceducationaldatasystemprofesofeducation2008c).sincedatawerenotavail sionalassignmentinformationformindiablebygradelevel,thesepercentageswereof catedwhethereachteacherwasauthorizedto thetotalschoolenrollment. teachelementary(multiplesubject),general secondary,subject specificsecondary,orother Teacher characteristics.fourteachercharac areas(californiadepartmentofeducation teristicswereconsideredinthestudy:highest 2008a).Otherteachingareasnotclassified academicdegreeobtained,percentageofteachers bygraderangeinthestaffcharacteristicsfile withfullcredentials,percentageofteachersby includedspecialeducation,readingspecialist/ authorizedteachingarea,andpercentageofcore certificate,primarylanguageinstruction, classesingrades9 12taughtbyhighlyqualified Englishlanguagedevelopment,specially teachers. designedacademicinstructioninenglish, adulteducation,andspecialdesignatedsub Highest academic degree obtained. TheProfes jects(thatis,drivereducation,drivertraining, sionalassignmentinformationformstaff ROTC,basicmilitarydrill,aviationflight, databasecontainsavariablethatliststhe orgroundinstruction).foreachhighschool highestlevelofeducationattainmentofeach typethepercentageofteachersbyauthorized teacherincalifornia.therearesixvaluesfor teachingareawascomputedasthenumberof thevariable:doctorate,master sdegreeplus teachersauthorizedinanareadividedbythe 30ormoresemesterhours,master sdegree, totalnumberofteachersinthecorresponding bachelor sdegreeplus30ormoresemes highschooltype.analysiswasrestrictedto terhours,bachelor sdegree,andlessthan teachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12with bachelor sdegree.togeneratethedoctor fullcredentials. ate,master sdegree,bachelor sdegree,and lessthanbachelor sdegreesubgroups,these Percentage of core classes in grades 9 12 taught categoriesweregroupedbasedondiplomas; by highly qualified teachers.in2005/06data additionalsemesterhoursofeducationexpe becameavailableinthecourse leveldataset riencewerenottakenintoaccount.analysis oftheprofessionalassignmentinformation wasrestrictedtoteachersofcoreclassesin FormaboutcompliancewiththeNoChild grades9 12. LeftBehindActof2001(CaliforniaDepart mentofeducation2008a).teachersidenti Percentage of teachers with full credentials. fiedwhethereachassignmentwasacore ThestaffcharacteristicsfileintheCalifornia class(yes,elementary;yes,secondary;orno) BasicEducationalDataSystemProfessional andwhethertheywerehighlyqualifiedto AssignmentInformationFormindicated teachit(yes,basedoneducationandtesting; whetherateacherheldafullcredential yes,basedonhighobjectiveuniformstate

appendix a. data SourceS, methodology, and limitations 15 StandardofEvaluation;orno).Forthisstudy thepercentageofcoreclassesingrades9 12 taughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacherforeach schooltypeiscomputedasthenumberof classesingrades9 12markedascoreand taughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacherdivided bythetotalnumberofcoreclassesingrades 9 12inthecorrespondingschooltypeusing 2006/07data. Thepercentageofcoreclassesingrades9 12 taughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacherbasedon education,training,orbothandthepercentagetaughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacherbased onthehighobjectiveuniformstatestandard ofevaluationweresimilarlycomputed(numberofclassesingrades9 12markedascore secondaryandtaughtbyahighlyqualified teacherbasedoneducation,training,orboth dividedbythetotalnumberofcoreclasses ingrades9 12taughtbyahighlyqualified teacherandnumberofclassesingrades9 12 markedascoreclassesandtaughtbyahighly qualifiedteacherbasedonthehighobjective UniformStateStandardofEvaluationdivided bythetotalnumberofcoreclassesingrades 9 12taughtbyahighlyqualifiedteacher) using2006/07data. Significance tests.thestudydescribesthecharacteristicsofthepopulationofindependentstudy highschoolsincaliforniaandcontraststhesewith thecharacteristicsofotherschooltypes.notests ofstatisticalsignificancewereconductedforthe differencesbetweenthethreetypesofschoolor toevaluatechangeinthecharacteristicspresentedinthereportduringtheperiodofanalysis. EveryCaliforniapublicschoolwithgrades9 12 isincludedinthisstudy,soitisnotasampleof alargerpopulationandnostatisticalinference isimpliedorneeded.toallowcomparisonswith otheranalyses,countsofschools,students,teachers,andteachers coresecondaryassignmentsin eachanalyzedcategoryarereportedinappendix Bforcategoricalvariables,andaverages,standard deviations,andquartilesarereportedforenrollmentinformation. Qualitativeanalyses Contentanalysismethodswereusedtoanalyze themostcurrentschoolprofiledataavailablein spring2008.foreachindependentstudyhigh school,targetedstudentpopulationswereidentifiedbyexaminingtheschool sschoolaccountabilityreportcard,otherweb basednarrative data,orbothtolookforreferencestotargetinga specificstudentpopulation.schoolaccountabilityreportcardsorotherweb basedschooldata wereavailablefor224(97.0percent)ofthe231 independentstudyhighschools.the224schools werecategorizedinoneoffivewaysbasedonthe presenceofthefollowingkeywordsorreferences intheprofileinformation: Targetingat riskstudents ifnarrativeinformationincludedsuchtermsasat risk students,students who dropped out of, students with credit deficiency,students who were unsuccessful in other schools,pregnancy/ parenting,drug/alcohol use,andtruancy. Targetinghome studystudents ifnarrative informationincludedsuchtermsashome study,home schooled,andhybrid home schooling(atermthatreferstoacombinationof site basedinstructionandhomestudywitha parentasinstructor). Othertargetedpopulation ifnarrative informationreferredspecificallytotarget populationsotherthanat riskorhome study students. General ifnarrativeinformationincluded suchtermsasall students,every student,or generalstudentpopulations. Noinformation iftherewasnospecific mentionofatargetedorgeneralpopulation. Toensurereliability,tworesearcherscodedthis commonsetofdata.interraterreliabilitywas95.6 percent.incasesofdiscrepancies,theinvestigators reviewedthedatatoreachmutualagreement.

16 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Limitationsofthestudy Thestudyhaslimitationsinbothitsquantitative andqualitativeanalyses. Quantitative analyses.whileindependentstudy enrollmentdatawereavailableforeachschoolfor 2001/02 2006/07,dataondisaggregatedstudent characteristicsspecifictostudentsenrolledinindependentstudywereunavailable.nearlyallstudents inindependentstudyhighschoolswereenrolledin independentstudyand,in2006/07,96.9percentof studentsingrades9 12enrolledintheseschools wereenrolledinindependentstudy.so3.1percentof thestudentsincludedintheanalysisofgradelevel, race/ethnicity,andgenderinindependentstudyhigh schoolswerenotenrolledinindependentstudy. In2006/07thestatechangeditsmethodforcollectingstudentenrollmentdata.Before2006/07 studentenrollmentandotherschool relateddata hadbeencollectedexclusivelythroughthecaliforniabasiceducationaldatasystemschoolinformationform,anelectronicformthathasbuilt in checksandbalancestoensureaccuracy.in2006/07 enrollmentdataforsucheducationoptionsasindependentstudycontinuedtobecollectedthrough theschoolinformationform,buttotalschool enrollmentwascollectedthroughthecalifornia SchoolInformationServicesaspartofaplanned, gradualtransitiontothisnewcollectionsystem. Thoughbothsetsofdatawouldcontinuetobe reportedthroughthecaliforniabasiceducational DataSystem,theSchoolInformationForm sbuiltincheckscouldnolongercomparetotalenrollment numberswithotherstudentpopulationnumbersat thetimeofentry;thislimitationmayhaveresulted inincreasedvariabilityinthereportednumberof studentsenrolledinindependentstudy. Thevoluntaryreportingrequirementsspecificto independentstudyteachersforreportingcertain variablespresentedanotherlimitation.because reportingonthevariableforcollegepreparatoryclasseswasoptionalforindependentstudy teachers,thedatawereincompleteandnotreliable enoughtoincludeinthisstudy. AnotherlimitationconcernshowCaliforniateachersreportdatarelatedtotheirteachingassignments ontheprofessionalassignmentinformationform. Whendocumentingassignments,teacherscanpick fromlistsofmultiplesubject specificcodes.before 2007/08independentstudyteachersteachingseveraldifferentsubjectsinthesameassignmentcould useanindependentstudyassignmentcodeinstead ofasubject specificcode.accordingtothecaliforniadepartmentofeducation,tobeconsidered highlyqualifiedforanindependentstudyassignmenttheteachershouldbehighlyqualifiedtoteach eachcoresecondarysubjectwithintheassignment. Thisall or nothingreporting,coupledwithahigher frequencyofteachersteachingmultiplesubjectsin independentstudyhighschools,mightresultinan underestimateofthepercentageofcoresecondary classestaughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachers. Thenumbersofsocioeconomicallydisadvantaged students,englishlanguagelearnerstudents, studentswithdisabilities,andstudentsinmigrant educationwerenotavailableinthecalifornia BasicEducationalDataSystem,anddatainthe GrowthAcademicPerformanceIndexdatafile reporttotalschoolenrollmentforthesesubgroups butdonotdisaggregateacrossgradelevels.therefore,thesepercentagesrepresenttheproportion ofthetotalschoolenrollmentin2006/07,which mightbedifferentfromtheproportionofthose subgroupsingrades9 12. Qualitative analyses.becausemanyschoolshad notyetreleasedtheir2006/07schoolaccountabilityreportcardbyspring2008,obtaining acompletesetofthesereportswasimpossible. The2005/06SchoolAccountabilityReportCards wereusedinstead.asystematicinternetsearch determinedthat,whilemostofthesereports werearchivedonschool,district,orcountyweb sites,somewereunavailable.ifaschool sschool AccountabilityReportCardfor2005/06wasnot available,investigatorssearchedfora2006/07 SchoolAccountabilityReportCard.Ifthiswasalso unavailable,theysearchedthroughschoolwebsite information.theamountandqualityofthenarrativedatainthesedatasourceswereinconsistent.

appendix b. descriptive STaTiSTicS 17 appendixb descriptivestatistics Table b1 numberoffull-timestudentsingrades9 12inCaliforniapublicschools,byhighschooltype, 2001/02 2006/07 School year full time independent study in independent study s full time independent study in other schools other full time enrollment Total students in grades 9 12 2001/02 40,782 22,800 1,708,835 1,772,417 2002/03 46,273 23,659 1,761,061 1,830,993 2003/04 47,472 23,567 1,805,897 1,876,936 2004/05 54,225 24,245 1,858,544 1,937,014 2005/06 54,812 24,683 1,895,150 1,974,645 2006/07 58,788 25,560 1,905,857 1,990,205 Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentdatafor2001/02 2006/07fromCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(2008b). Table b2 numberandpercentageofindependentstudy highschools,bytargetedstudentpopulation, 2006/07 Targeted student population number percent at risk 56 25.0 home study 49 21.9 at risk and home study 13 5.8 other 5 2.2 general 46 20.5 no information on targeted population 55 24.6 Total 224 100.0 Note:Datawereunavailableforsevenindependentstudyhighschools. Source:Authors analysisbasedonthelatestdataavailableinspring 2008fromtheSchoolAccountabilityReportCards,orotherweb based, publiclyavailableinformation.

18 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Table b3 numberofindependentstudyhighschools,bycaliforniacounty,2006/07 county number of independent study s alameda 5 alpine 0 amador 1 butte 4 calaveras 2 colusa 1 contra costa 8 del norte 2 el dorado 2 fresno 12 glenn 1 humboldt 5 imperial 1 inyo 0 Kern 6 Kings 2 lake 1 lassen 3 los angeles 21 madera 3 county number of independent study s marin 3 mariposa 1 mendocino 3 merced 1 modoc 1 mono 2 monterey 4 napa 1 nevada 3 orange 10 placer 4 plumas 1 riverside 7 Sacramento 12 San benito 0 San bernardino 15 San diego 26 San francisco 1 San Joaquin 2 San luis obispo 3 county number of independent study s San mateo 1 Santa barbara 2 Santa clara 2 Santa cruz 4 Shasta 5 Sierra 1 Siskiyou 1 Solano 0 Sonoma 4 Stanislaus 7 Sutter 2 Tehama 0 Trinity 0 Tulare 6 Tuolumne 3 ventura 6 yolo 2 yuba 5 Total 231 Source:Authors analysisbasedonschoolphysicaladdressfromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008e).

appendix b. descriptive STaTiSTicS 19 Table b4 schoolcategory,byhighschooltype,2006/07 School category independent study other nontraditional Traditional 30 0 1,143 1,173 continuation 0 518 0 518 community day 0 209 0 209 alternative 120 56 0 176 K 12 68 0 42 110 Special education 0 103 0 103 Juvenile hall 0 56 0 56 county community 6 49 0 55 elementary 7 0 27 34 middle 0 0 31 31 opportunity 0 26 0 26 california youth authority 0 9 0 9 Junior high 0 0 8 8 State special 0 3 0 3 missing 0 4 0 4 Total 231 1,033 1,251 2,515 Source:SchooltypedatafromCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(2008e). Total Table b5 race/ethnicityandgendercharacteristicsofstudentsingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 characteristic race/ethnicity independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total number percent number percent number percent number percent White, not hispanic 26,911 44.4 34,447 25.3 589,283 32.9 650,641 32.7 hispanic 22,067 36.4 72,310 53.1 780,309 43.5 874,686 43.9 black, not hispanic 5,305 8.7 17,619 12.9 139,123 7.8 162,047 8.1 asian/pacific islander 2,209 3.6 6,716 4.9 228,514 12.7 237,439 11.9 american indian/alaska native 1,024 1.7 1,810 1.3 13,767 0.8 16,601 0.8 more than one race or no response 3,160 5.2 3,272 2.4 42,359 2.4 48,791 2.5 gender female 33,115 54.6 53,579 39.3 884,615 49.3 971,309 48.8 male 27,561 45.4 82,595 60.7 908,740 50.7 1,018,896 51.2 Total 60,676 100.0 136,174 100.0 1,793,355 100.0 1,990,205 100.0 Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentdatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b).

20 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Table b6 studentsinnochildleftbehindactof2001subgroups,byhighschooltype,2006/07 Student subgroup independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total number percent number percent number percent number percent Socioeconomically disadvantaged students a 10,543 14.3 25,634 23.6 563,450 39.9 599,627 37.6 english language learner students 2,613 3.5 11,106 10.2 375,115 26.6 388,834 24.4 Students with disabilities 1,904 2.6 14,371 13.2 110,323 7.8 126,598 7.9 migrant education students 180 0.2 1,192 1.1 29,688 2.1 31,060 1.9 Total 73,730 108,710 1,410,691 1,593,131 a.definedasstudentswhoparticipatedinthefreeorreduced pricelunchprogramorwhoseparentswerenothighschoolgraduates. Source:Authors analysisbasedondatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008c). Table b7 schoolcharacteristics,byhighschooltype,2006/07 independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total School characteristic number percent number percent number percent number percent locale urban 66 28.6 343 33.2 543 43.4 952 37.9 Suburban 107 46.3 448 43.4 530 42.4 1,085 43.2 rural 58 25.1 242 23.4 177 14.2 477 19.0 year opened before 2001/02 166 71.9 860 83.3 1003 80.2 2029 80.7 2001/02 or later 65 28.1 173 16.8 248 19.8 486 19.3 charter status charter schools 94 40.7 4 0.4 181 14.5 279 11.1 noncharter schools 137 59.3 1,029 99.6 1,070 85.5 2,236 88.9 grade range grades 9 12 and other grades 166 71.9 396 38.3 222 17.8 784 31.2 grades 9 12 only 65 28.1 637 61.7 1,029 82.3 1,731 68.8 all schools 231 100.0 1,033 100.0 1,251 100.0 2,515 100.0 Note:Totalsmaynotsumto100percentbecauseofrounding. Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentbygradedatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b),districtlocaledatafromu.s. DepartmentofEducation,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics(2007),andcharterstatusdatafromCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(2008e).

appendix b. descriptive STaTiSTicS 21 Table b8 distributionoftotalenrollment,byhighschooltype,2006/07 School type number of schools average Standard deviation 25th percentile median 75th percentile independent study 231 263 426.2 67 126 259 other nontraditional 1,033 132 250.8 22 65 161 Traditional 1,251 1,434 1,116.8 307 1,432 2,279 Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentdatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b). Table b9 studentspergrade,byhighschooltype,2006/07 grade level independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total number percent number percent number percent number percent all graded students 60,660 100.0 134,614 100.0 1,791,472 100.0 1,986,746 100.0 grade 9 12,155 20.0 18,681 13.9 512,664 28.6 543,500 27.4 grade 10 15,012 24.7 24,595 18.3 476,544 26.6 516,151 26.0 grade 11 16,152 26.6 39,290 29.2 430,455 24.0 485,897 24.5 grade 12 17,341 28.6 52,048 38.7 371,809 20.8 441,198 22.2 ungraded 9 12 16 1,560 1,883 3,459 all students grades 9 12 60,676 136,174 1,793,355 1,990,205 Note:Totalsmaynotsumto100percentbecauseofrounding. Source:Authors analysisbasedonenrollmentdatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008b). Table b10 highestacademicdegreeobtainedbyteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 degree independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total number percent number percent number percent number percent less than bachelor s degree 7 0.4 10 0.2 75 0.1 92 0.1 bachelor s degree 1,335 67.7 3,506 57.7 38,179 61.2 43,020 61.1 master s degree 603 30.6 2,436 40.1 23,052 37.0 26,091 37.1 doctorate 27 1.4 123 2.0 1,050 1.7 1,200 1.7 Total 1,972 100.0 6,075 100.0 62,356 100.0 70,403 100.0 Note:Totalsmaynotsumto100percentbecauseofrounding.Datawereunavailablefor5teachersinothernontraditionalhighschoolsand29teachersin traditionalhighschools. Source:Authors analysisbasedonstaffcharacteristicsfor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a).

22 examining independent STudy high SchoolS in california Table b11 authorizedteachingareaofteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhighschooltype,2006/07 independent study other nontraditional Traditional authorized Total teaching area number percent number percent number percent number percent With full credentials 1,860 94.3 5,594 92.0 57,496 92.2 64,950 92.2 elementary 966 49.0 1,805 29.7 4,976 8.0 7,747 11.0 Secondary/all subjects 314 15.9 578 9.5 2,508 4.0 3,400 4.8 Secondary/subject specific 1,126 57.1 4,127 67.9 52,203 83.7 57,456 81.6 other teaching areas a 714 36.2 3,531 58.1 33,943 54.4 38,188 54.2 Without full credentials 112 5.7 486 8.0 4,889 7.8 5,487 7.8 Total 1,972 100.0 6,080 100.0 62,385 100.0 70,437 100.0 Note:Percentagesbyauthorizedteachingareamaynotsumtothepercentageofteacherswithfullcredentialbecauseteacherscouldhavemorethanone typeoffullcredentialandteachingarea. a.specifiedincaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a)toincludespecialeducation,readingspecialist/certificate,primarylanguageinstruction,english languagedevelopment,speciallydesignedacademicinstructioninenglish,adulteducation,andspecialdesignatedsubjects. Source:Authors analysisbasedonstaffcharacteristicsdatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a). Table b12 Coreclassesingrades9 12taughtbyhighlyqualifiedteachers,byhighschooltype,2006/07 independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total core class status number percent number percent number percent number percent Taught by highly qualified teachers 3,447 73.9 19,005 80.2 252,804 91.4 275,256 90.3 not taught by highly qualified teachers 1,216 26.1 4,699 19.8 23,657 8.6 29,572 9.7 Total 4,663 100.0 23,704 100.0 276,461 100.0 304,828 100.0 Note:Dataforonecoreclasswereunavailable. Source:Authors analysisbasedoncoursedatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a). Table b13 sourceofsubject-mattercompetenceofhighlyqualifiedteachersofcoreclassesingrades9 12,byhigh schooltype,2006/07 Source of subject matter competence independent study other nontraditional Traditional Total number percent number percent number percent number percent based on the high objective uniform State Standard of evaluation 1,763 51.1 5,862 30.8 28,058 11.1 35,683 13.0 based on education, training, or both 1,684 48.9 13,143 69.2 224,746 88.9 239,573 87.0 Total 3,447 100.0 19,005 100.0 252,804 100.0 275,256 100.0 Note:Dataforonecoreclasswereunavailable. Source:Authors analysisbasedoncoursedatafor2006/07fromcaliforniadepartmentofeducation(2008a).

notes 23 notes forvariouspurposes,includingeligibilityto 1. TheCaliforniaLegislativeAnalyst soffce applyfortheexemplaryindependentstudy recognitionaward.californiadepartment (2007)foundthatin2004/05,10 15percent ofhighschoolstudentsenrolledinanalternativeeducationoption.althoughthereport ofeducationstaffagreedthattheuseofthe operationaldefinitionforthisstudycould provideusefulresults(m.jones,consultant, includesindependentstudyasoneoftheseoptions,itdoesnotmentionindependentstudy highschools.thereportwasfollowedby severalrelatedreportsthataimedtoaddress CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation,EducationOptionsOffce,personalcommunication, September24,2007). thefullspectrumofalternativeschoolsbut 3. Unlessotherwisenoted,BlackincludesAfriinsteadfocusedalmostexclusivelyoncontinuationschools.Amongthemwasa2008 canamerican,hispanicincludeslatino,and Asian/PacificIslanderincludesNativeHawaisummaryreportentitledAlternative Education ianorotherpacificislander. Options: A Descriptive Study of California Continuation High Schools (RuizdeVelasco 4. TheHighObjectiveUniformStateStandardof etal.2008). Evaluationisadistrict implementedevaluationprocessusedtoverifysubjectmatter 2. Thisoperationaldefinitionwasconstructed competence,whichassignscreditsforteachbycaliforniadepartmentofeducationstaff todefineapopulationofschoolsthatare notrecognizedasaschoolcategoryinthe inginasubjectmatterarea,professionalserviceandinstructionalleadershipexperience, coursework,andotherformsofprofessional CaliforniaEducationCode.Itisusedbythe statestaffinitsaccountingoftheseschools developmentaswellasoptionalobservations ofinstructionandaportfolioreview.

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