Section 47612.5 Of Chapter 3. Charter School Operation From California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 26.8. >> Chapter 3.
47612.5
. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and as a
condition of apportionment, a charter school shall do all of the
following:
(1) For each fiscal year, offer, at a minimum, the following
number of minutes of instruction:
(A) To pupils in kindergarten, 36,000 minutes.
(B) To pupils in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, 50,400 minutes.
(C) To pupils in grades 4 to 8, inclusive, 54,000 minutes.
(D) To pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, 64,800 minutes.
(2) Maintain written contemporaneous records that document all
pupil attendance and make these records available for audit and
inspection.
(3) Certify that its pupils have participated in the state testing
programs specified in Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 60600) of
Part 33 in the same manner as other pupils attending public schools
as a condition of apportionment of state funding.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except to the
extent inconsistent with this section and Section 47634.2, a charter
school that provides independent study shall comply with Article 5.5
(commencing with Section 51745) of Chapter 5 of Part 28 and
implementing regulations adopted thereunder. The State Board of
Education shall adopt regulations that apply this article to charter
schools. To the extent that these regulations concern the
qualifications of instructional personnel, the State Board of
Education shall be guided by subdivision (l) of Section 47605.
(c) A reduction in apportionment made pursuant to subdivision (a)
shall be proportional to the magnitude of the exception that causes
the reduction. For purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), for
each charter school that fails to offer pupils the minimum number of
minutes of instruction specified in that paragraph, the
Superintendent shall withhold from the charter school's apportionment
for average daily attendance of the affected pupils, by grade level,
the sum of that apportionment multiplied by the percentage of the
minimum number of minutes of instruction at each grade level that the
charter school failed to offer.
(d) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as
provided in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), a charter school that
has an approved charter may receive funding for nonclassroom-based
instruction only if a determination for funding is made pursuant to
Section 47634.2 by the State Board of Education. The determination
for funding shall be subject to any conditions or limitations the
State Board of Education may prescribe. The State Board of Education
shall adopt regulations on or before February 1, 2002, that define
and establish general rules governing nonclassroom-based instruction
that apply to all charter schools and to the process for determining
funding of nonclassroom-based instruction by charter schools offering
nonclassroom-based instruction other than the nonclassroom-based
instruction allowed by paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
Nonclassroom-based instruction includes, but is not limited to,
independent study, home study, work study, and distance and
computer-based education. In prescribing any conditions or
limitations relating to the qualifications of instructional
personnel, the State Board of Education shall be guided by
subdivision (l) of Section 47605.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of
Section 47634.2, a charter school that receives a determination
pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 47634.2 is not required to
reapply annually for a funding determination of its
nonclassroom-based instruction program if an update of the
information the State Board of Education reviewed when initially
determining funding would not require material revision, as that term
is defined in regulations adopted by the board. A charter school
that has achieved a rank of 6 or greater on the Academic Performance
Index for the two years immediately prior to receiving a funding
determination pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 47634.2 shall
receive a five-year determination and is not required to annually
reapply for a funding determination of its nonclassroom-based
instruction program if an update of the information the State Board
of Education reviewed when initially determining funding would not
require material revision, as that term is defined in regulations
adopted by the board. Notwithstanding any provision of law, the State
Board of Education may require a charter school to provide updated
information at any time it determines that a review of that
information is necessary. The State Board of Education may terminate
a determination for funding if updated or additional information
requested by the board is not made available to the board by the
charter school within a reasonable amount of time or if the
information otherwise supports termination. A determination for
funding pursuant to Section 47634.2 may not exceed five years.
(3) A charter school that offers nonclassroom-based instruction in
excess of the amount authorized by paragraph (1) of subdivision (e)
is subject to the determination for funding requirement of Section
47634.2 to receive funding each time its charter is renewed or
materially revised pursuant to Section 47607. A charter school that
materially revises its charter to offer nonclassroom-based
instruction in excess of the amount authorized by paragraph (1) of
subdivision (e) is subject to the determination for funding
requirement of Section 47634.2.
(e) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and as a
condition of apportionment, "classroom-based instruction" in a
charter school, for the purposes of this part, occurs only when
charter school pupils are engaged in educational activities required
of those pupils and are under the immediate supervision and control
of an employee of the charter school who possesses a valid teaching
certification in accordance with subdivision (l) of Section 47605.
For purposes of calculating average daily attendance for
classroom-based instruction apportionments, at least 80 percent of
the instructional time offered by the charter school shall be at the
schoolsite, and the charter school shall require the attendance of
all pupils for whom a classroom-based apportionment is claimed at the
schoolsite for at least 80 percent of the minimum instructional time
required to be offered pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a)
of Section 47612.5.
(2) For the purposes of this part, "nonclassroom instruction" or
"nonclassroom-based instruction" means instruction that does not meet
the requirements specified in paragraph (1). The State Board of
Education may adopt regulations pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (d) specifying other conditions or limitations on what
constitutes nonclassroom-based instruction, as it deems appropriate
and consistent with this part.
(3) For purposes of this part, a schoolsite is a facility that is
used principally for classroom instruction.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, neither the State
Board of Education, nor the Superintendent may waive the requirements
of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).