54420-54425
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 54420-54425
54420. The purpose of this article is to establish criteria to guide local school districts in making applications for federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as accepted in Sections 12400, 12402, 12403, 12404, Article 4 (commencing with Section 12030) of Chapter 1 of Part 8 of Division 1 of Title 1, or any state funds provided specially for the purposes of this chapter. These criteria shall apply to the extent that they do not conflict with the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or administrative regulations promulgated under that act. 54421. Each application of a local school district for federal funds or state funds shall include a comprehensive compensatory education plan which shall demonstrate that the district has fully utilized all other sources of funds, and the assistance of all volunteer aid offered by individuals and public and private organizations providing assistance for similar educational endeavors, and has effectively coordinated the same. This plan should emphasize a preventive program aimed at the child between the ages of three years and eight years, and have an ultimate goal of teaching the child to read, awakening the child's interest in learning, giving the child a sense of success in school achievement, preventing the child' s alienation from the school, and preventing his possible early departure from school. It shall also include remedial programs for older children. Expenditures should be directed to schools with large concentrations of educationally disadvantaged children. If the situation involves disadvantaged children who speak English as a second language, any programs should include early English language instruction, and the use of teachers, teachers' aides or volunteers who are proficient in the child's primary language, and in-service training for teachers in that language. 54422. For purposes of applications for federal funds a plan should be comprehensive in scope, and may include any or all of the program components set out below. The State Board of Education shall act, upon recommendation of the Advisory Compensatory Education Commission, to establish a priority listing of the following program elements which shall be used in the approval of school district plans to determine those elements which shall be emphasized on a statewide basis: (a) Reduction of ratios of pupils to teachers, directed specifically to enabling more individual attention to be given to disadvantaged pupils. (b) Special efforts in the area of reading instruction, including the employment of additional teachers, special reading teachers, teacher aides, and volunteer aides. Special reading programs authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall be conducted pursuant to standards established under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 54100) of this part, Article 3 (commencing with Section 606040 of Chapter 5 of Part 33 of this division. (c) Preschool programs provided through the use of either school facilities, other public or private facilities, or any combination thereof, for children three years of age or older, involving intensive parent participation, established pursuant to standards prescribed by the State Board of Education. Preschool programs authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall be conducted pursuant to the educational standards established by the State Board of Education under Section 8253. (d) In-service professional study involving instruction and orientation of school district personnel to enable them to more effectively deal with disadvantaged students. (e) School-home cooperation, including home visitation, parent education and participation, parent-teacher conferences utilizing, wherever necessary, bilingual interpreters. (f) Cultural enrichment including the use of field trips, special speakers, motion pictures, records, library programs, concerts and other means which serve to broaden the educational and cultural experience of the students. (g) After-school tutoring programs utilizing the services of qualified college and university students and volunteers from the community. (h) Remedial and corrective programs directed to enhancing the pupils' interest and competence in the English language, including extended remedial reading programs, special speech and oral programs, and the teaching of English as a second language, as, for example, where Spanish-speaking children are involved. (i) Evaluation, testing, and consultation, involving the formulation of evaluation standards which are as rigorous as feasible under the circumstances; the yearly administration of comprehensive achievement tests to all compensatory education students; and the development and use of data based on group controls which will provide evidence of contrast, and the assembly and classification of data for use at the statewide level. A school district plan of compensatory education under this chapter shall, in order to receive approval, contain this program element. 54423. In addition, the district may propose other programs, subject to the approval of the Director of Compensatory Education, to include the following elements: (a) Employment of competent school-community coordinators, to secure effective coordination of the efforts of pupils, parents, schools, and the community. (b) Curriculum revision and the development and use of new instructional equipment and facilities to reorient the education program to meet the particular needs of the disadvantaged pupils, with special attention to be given to the teaching of the English language. (c) Effective use of auxiliary personnel, the services of whom may be made available not only by the public school system, but by other public and private agencies and organizations, including ethnic organizations. 54425. (a) Whenever a districtwide school advisory committee on compensatory education programs has been established pursuant to a compensatory education plan, the procedures adopted for the selection of the district advisory committee shall specify that parents shall constitute a majority of the membership of the district advisory committee and shall require that the parent representatives be elected by the parents of pupils participating in a program of compensatory education residing in the district. (b) Whenever a school advisory committee on compensatory education programs has been established pursuant to a compensatory education plan, the procedures adopted for the selection of the school advisory committee shall specify that parents shall constitute a majority of the membership of the school advisory committee and shall require that parent representatives be elected by the parents of pupils participating in a program of compensatory education at that school. For purposes of this subdivision, a school advisory committee on compensatory education programs may designate a school site council established pursuant to Section 52012 or 52851 to function as the school advisory council on compensatory education for all purposes required by applicable statutory provisions and regulations for a period of up to two years.