SECTIONS 54420-54425 - California Statutes

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.