Back to School with COVID-19, Part 3 [IEP 179]

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today’s episode is the final part of our series to kick off the new school year. Parents, students, and educators were assuming that things would be back to normal by the beginning of the 2021 school year, but we are still in a state of uncertainty. Since COVID-19 has impacted schools in many ways during the past two school years, we have seen many adjustments to learning. CA Assembly Bill 130 addresses the independent study (IS) options, not to be confused with virtual learning. We’ll dive into the bill’s provisions and what it means for school districts and your students. Join us!</span></p> <p><strong>Show Highlights:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Independent study options have existed in many variations at different schools; IS varies from virtual learning in that students are required to do a lot of work on their own without teacher instruction.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">IS is a common element for students with IEPs and students in special situations that require them to leave school early, arrive late, or do coursework away from school.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What’s new about IS in AB 130? School districts in CA are now required to offer IS as an option to students.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Why the change? The state recognized that some students aren’t comfortable with full-time in-person learning.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">What is independent study? Independent study is not the same as virtual learning as it requires a lot of reading and work with much less teacher instruction.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The fact is that IS is not a great option for students with IEPs who may not be comfort