Eureka Union School District

Independent Study is a voluntary program in which students may be enrolled when it is necessary to be away from the classroom for a minimum of five and a maximum of ten consecutive school days. There is strong research demonstrating absences of any kind from school negatively impact a child’s education, therefore it is strongly recommended to keep Independent Study contracts to a minimum for all students.

Parents wishing to enroll their children in the EUSD Short Term Independent Study program shall do so through the EUSD Short Term Independent Study Agreement, which can be completed using the following link. Independent Study is available in five day increments not to exceed ten cumulative days within the school year. Requests must be made at least five school days prior to the beginning of the agreement period. The Short Term Independent Study Agreement must be signed by the student, parent/guardian, teacher, and Principal five-ten days PRIOR to the first day of enrollment as an EUSD Short Term Independent Study student. An Independent Study Agreement will not be issued for the first two or last two weeks of school. Parents should be aware that Ginsburg, Jordan, and Chang (2017) concluded that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, a result that holds true at every age, in every demographic group, and in every state and city tested.

Parents must notify the School Principal, Designee or Office Staff of the need for requesting a Short Term Independent Study Agreement NO LESS THAN FIVE (5) BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR to the initiation (first day) of the Agreement. Independent Study Agreements are short term, meaning the length of the contract can be no less than five and no more than ten consecutive school days. All assignments must be returned on the first day back to school in order for the student to receive attendance credit. All Short term Independent Study Agreements need to be completed prior to two weeks from the last day of school, and no new Agreements will be started during the first two and or last two weeks of school.

Teachers will prepare specific assignments and expectations for student learning to be completed during the term of the Agreement. These learning expectations will be directly aligned with classroom instruction, to the extent possible. Since lesson plans are created for the classroom based on consistent classroom assessments, only short term (less than ten school days) contracts are allowable for teachers to create effective instructional content for an IS. Classroom instruction is critical for student success and therefore, contracts cannot be longer than ten school days.

Full attendance credit will be given when all assignments are completed at the level of teacher expectation and are submitted in accordance with the timeline specified in the Short Term Independent Study Agreement.

Draft 10-14-14  
Amended 9-6-16, 12-11-19, 10-10-22