SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell named three recipients of the Exemplary Independent Study Recognition Award (EISRA) on April 2. Honorees include Mt. Everest Academy.

“Congratulations to Mt. Everest Academy, Coastal Academy, and the Orange County Community School,” said O’Connell. “Each of these schools demonstrates that independent study, at its best, provides both a rigorous academic program and the flexibility and personalization to ensure student success. The exemplary practices employed by these award-winning schools can be models for other schools using independent study. All three schools have exceeded the Accountability Performance Index target of 800.”

Independent study is authorized by California Education Code sections 51745–51749.3. This is an alternative educational instructional strategy for students in kindergarten through adult education. Students work on their own according to written agreements and under the general supervision of credentialed teachers. While independent study students follow the district-adopted curriculum and meet the district graduation requirements, independent study offers flexibility to meet individual students’ needs, interests, and styles of learning.

Independent study is only available as a voluntary option chosen by students and parents. Students cannot be assigned to independent study. Independent study is also offered at the district’s option, and it is not available in all districts. Districts can operate independent study as a program within a school or as stand-alone alternative school of choice or charter school.

The EISRA award is being awarded for the first time. This is a joint project of the California Consortium for Independent Study and the California Department of Education, designed to recognize excellent educational practices in schools where independent study is the primary mode of instruction.

Eligibility criteria for EISRA includes having 75 percent or more of the school’s students enrolled in independent study, a statewide or similar school Academic Performance Index rank of 6 or above, and the school cannot be in Program Improvement. As part of the EISRA application, staff, parents/guardians, and students provide narrative supporting statements and applicants provide information on seven independent study elements. The elements include local educational agency support, teacher quality, standards-aligned curriculum and materials, assessment of student academic achievement, among other elements.

“Everyone at Mt. Everest Academy is thrilled to earn this first-ever award,” said Mt. Everest Head Counselor Linda Gross. “It was a long and arduous application process.”

The EISRA designation is for a period of three years, and the recipient schools must submit an annual assurance of compliance in order to maintain the title. For more information on independent study, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/108401. For more information about the California Consortium for Independent Study, please visit http://www.ccis.org.