As members of a private school you may make your own determination of which of these standards you institute and in which sequence. Arbor Academy will guide you in determining which standards, your child should adhere to based upon their learning styles and knowledge assessments, and educational or career goals. Below are the standards for the state of California.
Instruction Private Schools
Children who are instructed in a private, full-time day school are exempt from public school attendance (Education Code Section 48222). Private schools must offer instruction in the several branches of study required in the state’s public schools:•Course of study for grades one through six—English, mathematics, social science, science, fine arts, health, and physical education (Education Code Section 51210)
•Course of study for grades seven through twelve—same as above plus foreign language, applied arts, vocational education, and driver education (Education Code Section 51220)The adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall include instruction, beginning in grade 1 and continuing through grade 6, in the following areas of study:
(a) English, including knowledge of, and appreciation for literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.
(b) Mathematics, including concepts, operational skills, and problem solving.
(c) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; the development of the American economic system including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; contemporary issues; and the wise use of natural resources.
(d) Science, including the biological and physical aspects, with emphasis on the processes of experimental inquiry and on the place of humans in ecological systems.
(e) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of art and music, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
(f) Health, including instruction in the principles and practices of individual, family, and community health.
(g) Physical education, with emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period.
(h) Other studies that may be prescribed by the governing board.
Subjects required to be offered for middle school or high school students can be found in Education Code section 51220:
The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall offer courses in the following areas of study:
(a) English, including knowledge of and appreciation for literature, language, and composition, and the skills of reading, listening, and speaking.
(b) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; instruction in our American legal system, the operation of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, and the rights and duties of citizens under the criminal and civil law and the State and Federal Constitutions; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; human rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust, and contemporary issues.
(c) Foreign language or languages, beginning not later than grade 7, designed to develop a facility for understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the particular language.
(d) Physical education, with emphasis given to physical activities that are conducive to health and to vigor of body and mind.
(e) Science, including the physical and biological aspects, with emphasis on basic concepts, theories, and processes of scientific investigation and on the place of humans in ecological systems, and with appropriate applications of the interrelation and interdependence of the sciences.
(f) Mathematics, including instruction designed to develop mathematical understandings, operational skills, and insight into problem-solving procedures.
(g) Visual and performing arts, including art, music, or drama, with emphasis upon development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
(h) Applied arts, including instruction in the areas of consumer and homemaking education, industrial arts, general business education, or general agriculture.
(i) Vocational-technical education designed and conducted for the purpose of preparing youth for gainful employment in the occupations and in the numbers that are appropriate to the personnel needs of the state and the community served and relevant to the career desires and needs of the pupils.
(j) Automobile driver education, designed to develop a knowledge of the provisions of the Vehicle Code and other laws of this state relating to the operation of motor vehicles, a proper acceptance of personal responsibility in traffic, a true appreciation of the causes, seriousness and consequences of traffic accidents, and to develop the knowledge and attitudes necessary for the safe operation of motor vehicles. A course in automobile driver education shall include education in the safe operation of motorcycles.
(k) Other studies as may be prescribed by the governing board. In addition, Education Code section 51220.5 requires that students in grades 7 or 8 shall study the equivalent content of a one-semester course in parenting skills and education with content designed to develop a knowledge of topics including, but not limited to, all of the following:
- Child growth and development.
- Parental responsibilities.
- Household budgeting.
- Child abuse and neglect issues.
- Personal hygiene.
- Maintaining healthy relationships.
- Teen parenting issues.
- Self-esteem.
The state has adopted scope, sequence and content standards for the coursework required in each grade. These are available as PDF files and can be found at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/standards/.
Basic High School Program
State-mandated graduation course requirements, which are the state minimums, are as follows: three years of English; two years of mathematics (including algebra I); three years of social science (including U.S. history and geography; world history, culture, and geography; one semester of American government; and one semester of economics); two years of science (including biology and physical science); two years of physical education; and one year of foreign language or visual and performing arts. Students successfully completing Algebra I in middle school must still complete a minimum of two years of mathematics in high school.
College Admission Requirements
Students planning to apply to a four-year California public university are required to complete course work that exceeds the state-mandated requirements for high school graduation. High school students applying to a campus of The California State University (CSU) system orthe University of California (UC) for fall 2003 or later must complete four years of college preparatory English; three years of mathematics, including algebra, geometry, and intermediatealgebra; two years of history–social science; two years of laboratory sciences; two years of the same foreign language; one year of visual and performing arts; and one year of academic electives. The total number of years of preparation for students applying to CSU or UC is 15.The University of California recommends that students applying for freshman admission complete three additional years of advanced study, one each in mathematics, science, and foreign language. The list of courses at each California high school certified by the UC system as meeting its freshman admission course requirements is located at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/list. For additional information about the specific courses approved for admission by CSU and UC, review the admissions requirements for each system at http://www.californiacolleges.edu. The site also has extensive resources on planning for college.