The Sonoma Valley Unified School District will provide an Independent Study program available to those families that are interested in enrolling their child for fall 2021.  The Independent Study requirements were recently updated by the state legislature and our district team has been reviewing the changes in order to inform our approach to providing a program that is strongly aligned to the new regulations.  Included below are a few of the important changes that will be present in the Independent Study program for fall 2021.

Changes for Independent Study Fall 2021
(References: California Department of Education (CDE) Memo, Changes to Independent Study Requirements, July 15, 2021 and Budget Perspectives Workshop, Capitol Advisors Group July 14, 2021)

• Requires parent/pupil/teacher conference prior to executing written agreement, and upon request of parent/guardian

• “Opportunities for synchronous instruction for all grade levels, and live interaction for grades four through eight” (CDE Memo July 15, 2021).

• Requires tracking of student interaction and instruction:

• TK - Grade 3: opportunities for daily synchronous instruction

• Grades 4 to 8: daily live interaction and at least weekly synchronous instruction

• Grades 9 to 12: at least weekly synchronous instruction

• A pupil who does not participate in Independent Study on a school day shall be documented as non-participatory for that school day

• Requires tiered re-engagement strategies when students fail to make satisfactory education progress

• High School coursework must provide “for access to all courses offered by the school district for graduation and approved by the University of California or the California State University as creditable under the A–G admissions criteria” (CDE Memo July 15, 2021).

• Upon receipt of a parent request, school districts must provide a return for student to in-person classes no later than five instructional days after receiving the request.

• All California school districts will be required to monitor satisfactory educational progress for students enrolled in Independent Study.

 Our team is working to integrate the above requirements into our Independent Study program to ensure full alignment with the new expectations outlined in the California Education Code.

Please complete this form if you are interested in the Independent Study program for your student. By completing this form, you are only showing interest, this form does not commit your student to the Independent Study program.  Staff will be contacting you directly if you have completed the Independent Study interst form.

District families requiring assistance to complete the online form can contact (707) 935-4246.

The deadline to submit an interest form is Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Please note, one form per student.