FOR SOME STUDENTS, starting at Tamiscal High School can be a startling experience. Studying via the independent study model rather than the classroom model can be exciting, rewarding, challenging and can also be very difficult at first. Students are often misled by the idea of attending school for many fewer hours per week, and they mistakenly believe that they will do less work and have lots of “free” time. This is not the case.

How it works:
Independent study works differently in many ways. One way that often causes initial confusion is the way attendance is recorded. A student gains attendance not from “seat time” but from completing work that has been assigned for the week. Hence, if a student comes to an appointment with no work completed, the attendance is equivalent to the student cutting school for five days! The work assigned in independent study is not homework; it is the coursework!

Another difference is that the teachers at Tamiscal High School are not like classroom teachers. While all of them are credentialed and have taught in the classroom at one time, the Tamiscal teachers’ roles are to evaluate what the students are learning INDEPENDENTLY, to encourage the students always to stretch at least a little beyond their immediate grasp, and to assign material that will allow the students continually to expand their skills.

Students meet with their core subjects teacher for one hour per week for English, History, PE, Art, and other Electives. Exceptions are the AP English or History courses, which meet once a week for 2 hours. The core subjects teacher oversees the semester’s master agreement and coordinates with the math, foreign language, and science teachers. Math classes meet for one hour once a week and have an additional one hour math lab required. Science classes meet two hours once a week and include lab. Foreign language is taught individually and meets one hour once per week. Photo and ceramics classes meet once per week for 2 – 3 hours.

The weekly appointments or classes are very important to the independent study method of instruction. Teachers use this time to evaluate student progress and to determine which new assignments will be challenging to the student. It is also their opportunity to get to know the student’s individual strengths and weaknesses which allows tailoring the assignments to each student’s needs. If a student is ill, the school must be notified early in the morning of the absence. The secretary should be told the names of each teacher with whom the student will not be meeting that day.

Absences/SIS:
Students who miss appointments without an excused absence or who come to appointments unprepared will be referred to SIS (Supervised Independent Study). Parents will receive a letter of notification if their child has been assigned to SIS, which works like a supervised study hall. SIS is intended to be a support for students who are having difficulty making the transition to the independent study mode of learning. A staff assistant is present to help students with their work. Students who fall behind in their weekly test taking may also be assigned to SIS to catch up. Students remain assigned to SIS until their teacher determines that they are ready to work independently again.

Questions by parents:
Parents who have questions about homework or anything else should either e-mail or call the teacher of the subject in question. We all have phones at our desks, but we do NOT answer the phone during student appointments. Please do NOT call students during their appointment time to deliver messages, as this is the same as interrupting a class. This is the one hour that should be uninterrupted during the week.

Communications:
Please check the Tamiscal website and or the sign out in the parking lot for updates and important notices. The Tamiscal Times Newsletter is sent home several times throughout the year and is also available on the website.

Keys to success:
We hope that learning at Tamiscal High School will be a rewarding experience for all students who choose to attend. The information that follows is key to success for any Tamiscal student:

• Appointments: This is the student’s time to have focused attention.
• Be on time. Bring completed assignments organized in a binder or folders.
• Call early in the morning if you are ill and must be absent. All work is due within 24 hours of any absence. Parents or a friend may drop off the work during the student’s appointment time or at another time by arrangement and pick up the new assignments at that same time. Parents wishing to confer with teachers need to make appointments so as not to encroach on another student’s appointment time.
• Weekly tests: Allow additional time at Tamiscal on your appointment day to take weekly tests in a timely manner. These are part of your learning process in independent study. Missed tests can result in lower grades and lost credit. Students who do not stay current on their test taking will be assigned to SIS to take tests.
• Earning credit: Credit is based on the quantity and quality of the work you complete.Teachers will assign work and grant hours of credit based on how much work was completed and the quality of that work.Much of the assessment takes place through discussion between the student and the teacher at the weekly meeting.Missed appointments impact the learning process negatively.
• Weekly Assignment Sheets: Each teacher provides each student with a weekly assignment sheet detailing the work the student is expected to complete that week. The teacher’s e-mail address and phone number at her desk are on the sheet. Students are expected to call for clarification during the week if they are unsure how to complete an assignment. Our software program ARISS is used to print these assignment sheets which also serve as progress records. On the far right side of the form, the number of hours completed in each course is computed. A student who misses three appointments OR who receives three “zeros” in any one subject is required by School Board Policy to have an evaluation conference to determine whether independent study is a viable learning strategy for the student or if a more structured environment is advisable.
• Student Responsibility: Successful independent study relies on students taking responsibility for active involvement in their own education. This includes setting up their weekly schedule, completing assignments, attending appointments and classes on time, and doing their best work always.
• Student Involvement: Tamiscal offers a number of ways for students to get involved and to interact with other students. Groups and classes such as Leadership, Integrated Science 1,2,3,4; Physiology, Peer Tutoring, Tamiscope (literary/art journal), Tamiscal Times (newsletter), service learning, workplace internships, work experience, and IWE (teacher or office assistant).
• Concurrent Enrollment: Tamiscal students may take classes not offered at Tamiscal at their comprehensive high school or COM. Arrangements to take these courses should be made through the academic counselor at Tamiscal.
  

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Tamiscal Independent Study High School
Tel: (415) 945-3750 • Fax: (415) 945-3752
email: Email Tamiscal

updated February 5, 2007