CCIS Welcomes Mr. Sackheim!
On July 1st, Mr. Chiem-Seng Yaangh moved into the Adult Education Office at the California Department of Education and is no longer the independent study liaison. Replacing him is Mr. Dan Sackheim who now serves as the statewide program lead for independent study, alternative schools of choice, and magnet schools in the Educational Options, Student Support and American Indian Education Office of the California Department of Education (CDE) . Mr. Sackheim serves on a number of statewide advisory boards and workgroups that include the State School Attendance Review Board, the State Interagency Workgroup to Eliminate Racial Disparities and Disproportionality, the California Career Resource Network, and the Board of Directors of the Delta-Sierra Chapter of the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance. He is a former elementary school teacher who has also served as policy analyst and legislative representative for several state education agencies and as the education specialist for the State Job Training Coordinating Council.
Dan Sackheim
Educational Options Consultant
Educational Options, Student Support, and American Indian Education Office
1430 N Street, Suite 6408
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 445-5595
Cell: (916) 436-6330
Fax: (916) 323-6061
E-mail: dsackhei@cde.ca.gov
California Department of Education (CDE)
The California Department of Education has numerous resources to support excellence in independent study. For starters their site contains an Independent Study Summary and a Quick Guide to Independent Study.
CDE Independent Study Resources
- CDE ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ and answers pertaining to Independent Study
- CDE Guide To Evaluating Your Independent Study Practices
- Independent Study Operations Manual
- Highly Qualified Teachers Teachers In Independent Study
NCLB Teacher Requirements
The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires all teachers to be “highly qualified” by the end of the 2005-06 school year. The California Department of Education’s “NCLB Teacher Requirements Resource Guide” provides detailed information about the NCLB teacher requirements.
The main challenge for independent study has been the NCLB requirement that teachers must demonstrate subject matter competence in all the core academic subjects they teach. This has especially been a challenge for high schools (and some middle schools) where independent study teachers taught most, if not all, academic subjects. The core academic subjects are defined as: English, Reading / Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Civics / Government, Economics, Arts, History, and Geography.
Audit Guide
The California Education Audit Appeals Panel (EAAP) adopts a K-12 Audit Guide annually. The Guide is posted as a booklet on the EAAP webpage and serves as the basis for annual audits of K-12 local educational agencies. The provisions related to independent study are in Section 19819. Also available are supplements to the Guide. These are valuable tools for districts and schools as they prepare for audits.