10/2004

Student Admissions

Enrollment Requirements Students ages thirteen and older may be enrolled in this Charter School. The ES or clerk must see a birth certificate. An initial verifies that the child meets the age requirements.

Due to a new state law becoming effective July 1, 2004, we will only be able to serve continuing or new adult students if they have been continuously enrolled in any high school from a date prior to their 19th birthday.

Students must reside in the county of the charter schools granting school district or in counties that are contiguous to the granting district. According to charter law, students may not be enrolled in a private school while enrolled in a public school. A student may be enrolled in only one public school at a time. Dates on the completed enrollment form must reflect accurate attendance facts. An inter/intra-district transfer is not necessary. Before the student can be enrolled in this Charter School specific documentation needs to be signed. These documents include the student application and a copy of the school's charter. It is the responsibility of the Education Specialist to fully explain the contents of the documents being signed.

Funding This Charter School receives educational funds dependent upon average daily attendance (ADA) just as do other California schools. If a student resides in another district but chooses to participate in this program, the state determined funds will follow him/her to this district and, therefore, this program. This Charter School's budget is divided into the following three categories: 1) instructional materials, 2) teachers' payroll, 3) district and program administration.

Educational Benefits This Charter School is a school that strives to uphold parent rights and choice in education. Therefore, the school provides parents the opportunity to design either a classical course of study or to follow outcome based education theory. Because of the school's unique structure, a "one-size-fits-all" curriculum is not mandated, and parents remain the authority of any material affecting their children's attitudes, values, and beliefs.

The parent is not required to teach the child. The parent is responsible to make sure the student learns. Parents can choose how, when or what they learn. The parent "facilitates" learning. A student might choose an AESS program or be taught exclusively by his/her parent.

IMPORTANT: the student must make progress toward the student standards. The student is not allowed to not learn. The ES is responsible for assessing the progress the student has made towards the student standards and the school collects ADA based on this assessment.

This Charter School allows for wide differences in student learning styles, abilities, and interests that are difficult to accommodate in a traditional school setting. Parents have the opportunity to tailor the learning environment to individual needs of their children. This school also provides students the opportunity to participate in electronic learning through today's technology.

Student Expectations Students will continually engage in the learning process. Students are given great latitude in what they learn.

Methods of measuring student’s progress While all students will achieve the required standards by graduation, not all will progress at the same rate. Evaluation of that progress is based on individual abilities, interests, and talents. Methods by which student progress is assessed will be through a variety of the following:

• Monthly review of work,
• Work Samples ,
• Parent facilitator and education specialist observation,
• The current state mandated assessment tool,
• Norm and criterion referenced tests,
• Student demonstrations,
• Student grades,
• Student work samples.

Public Funds This Charter School is a public school funded with public dollars. Instructional funds used for the education of Charter School Students are public dollars. Any educational items and supplies purchased with public funds are the property of the school and must be returned to the school when the student graduates or dis-enrolls from the school.

Immunization Requirements (7/1/2000) The California School Immunization Law requires schools to enforce immunization requirements, to maintain immunization records of all children enrolled, and to submit reports to the Health Department.

When the ES meets with the parent to sign the enrollment forms, this would be a good time to get the Immunization Record and a copy of the birth certificate if they have not already been submitted. If an ES is unclear how to sign off the documentation box on the California School immunization Record (blue form), they can have the parent make a copy of the yellow immunization card or other immunization form that is presented and send in with the enrollment paperwork. We can sign off the California School Immunization Record forms here as long as we have copies of the immunizations given.

If exempted for medical reasons, a doctor's written statement is required. If immunizations are contrary to the religious or personal beliefs of the parent, a personal beliefs waiver needs to be signed. (On the back of the California School Immunization Record is a personal beliefs waiver to be signed by the parent. Make sure the student's name is written on the front of the form and that the signature is in the personal beliefs box.)

Conditional Enrollments: Students can be admitted conditionally in several situations. If they are currently up-to-date (next doses are not yet due), they may be admitted on the condition that they will receive still-needed doses as they become due in the future. The next dose must be completed within the deadline or by the due date, otherwise the student will be excluded.

With new students that have been home schooled or children from another country, we have 10 school days to receive the immunization records. (It is more efficient to have the ES get them at the time the paperwork is being filled out.)

With transfer students from other schools, we have 30 school days to receive the cumulative file, which should include the immunizations. Because districts may have different policies, we are asking that ES's pick up the immunization records from parents when filling out enrollment paperwork to make sure we are compliant with each district.

If conditions for enrollment are not fulfilled: When a student is excluded, this means that the student is excluded from attendance each day until the immunization record is received. (The State Health Department has made this rule for all public schools including charter schools). We are required to follow these guidelines.

If you have further questions regarding immunizations, please contact our Student Records Department at 760-248-6800.