Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

This bill requires each LEA that operates a high school, and each public charter high school, to offer independent study. Educational opportunities offered through an independent study program ("program) may include, but are not limited to, the following, (1) Special Assignments extending the content of a course of instruction; (2) Individualized study in a particular area of interest or in a subject that is not otherwise available to the student as part of the school curriculum; (3) Continuing and special study during travel; (4) Volunteer community service activities and leadership opportunities that support and strengthen student achievement; and (5) Work-based learning. NOTICE TO STUDENTS This bill requires each LEA and public charter high school to notify its high school students of the opportunity to participate in independent study. The notice must be posted on the LEA's or public charter high school’s website. POLICY This bill also requires the local board of education for an LEA, and the governing body of a public charter high school, to adopt a policy that includes, at a minimum, the following: (1) The maximum length of time, by grade level and program type, that a student may participate in the program to receive academic credit and satisfy attendance requirements as long as the program does not exceed 15 six and one-half hour school days; and that a student participating in a program has to complete an assignment from the date on which the assignment is made by the student’s supervising teacher; (2) The level of satisfactory educational progress and the number of missed assignments that may initiate an evaluation to determine whether it is in the best interests of the student for the student to remain in the program, or whether the student should return to the regular school program; (3) How independent study content must be provided to participating students to ensure that it is aligned to state academic standards, if applicable, and provided in a manner that is substantially equivalent to in-person instruction; and (4) A requirement that a written agreement for each student participating in the program be executed by the student or the student's parent, if the student is not 18 years of age or older, and the licensed teacher who will supervise the student's participation in the program. WRITTEN AGREEMENT This bill requires the written agreement to be maintained as part of the student's educational record and to include an explanation of the following: (1) How the student is to submit assignments, how the student’s academic progress will be reported, and how the student's supervising teacher will communicate with the student or parent regarding the student’s academic progress for purposes of the program; (2) The objectives and methods of the study for the program and the methods the student's supervising teacher will use to evaluate the student's participation and progress; (3) Resources that will be made available to the student to ensure that the student may participate fully in the program and complete assignments; (4) The policies adopted by the LEA, or public charter high school, outlining the duration of the agreement, which is limited to no more than one school year; and (5) The number of course credits or other measures of academic credit or achievement appropriate to the type of program approved under the agreement that the student will earn upon the successful completion of the program, and the voluntary participation nature of the program. RULEMAKING This bill requires the state board of education to promulgate rules to effectuate this bill. APPLICABILITY This bill applies to the 2023-2024 school year and each school year thereafter.