Willows Unified School District
Independent Study
There are two alternative options to the regular instructional programs offered through Willows Unified School District.
Short-Term Independent Study (STIS)
- Talk to your school counselor and request Short-Term Independent Study in advance of when you would like to begin Short-Term Independent Study so that the teachers can gather the work for your student.
- Complete the Short-Term Independent Study application form and submit it to the front office.
- Connect with the Short-Term Independent Study facilitator for your school site:
- Murdock Elementary:
Jennifer Dace - jdace@willowsunified.org
- Willows Intermediate School:
6th Grade: Cathy Fleming - cfleming@willowsunified.org
7th & 8th Grades: Dianna Abold - dabold@willowsunified.org
- Willows High School:
Levi Funderburk - lfunderburk@willowsunified.org
Please note:
- Students may enroll in Short-term Independent Study for a minimum of one day (1) or a maximum period of fifteen days (15) consecutive days. Students may not exceed a combined total of fifteen (15) days on Short-term Independent Study.
- Attendance during Short-term Independent Study is not counted unless the work and assignments provided to the student are submitted to the teacher of record and graded by the teacher of record. This graded work needs to be given to the Short-term Independent Study site facilitator. They take care of the attendance reporting based on this submitted and graded work.
Long-Term Independent Study
- Talk with your school counselor and request Long-term Independent Study at least 48 hours in advance of when you would like to begin Long-term Independent Study. Transferring to the program works best at grading periods (e.g. quarter or semester).
- Complete the Long-term Independent Study application form which will be reviewed by the WUSD Director of Instructional Support Services.
- The Director of Instructional Support Services will make contact with you and schedule an appointment to meet.
- Student and parent/guardian meet with the Independent Study teacher, counselor, and the Director of Instructional Support Services to review program requirements and sign a contract. The length of the contract must be for 16 days or more. A new contract is required each school year.
Note: There are limited spaces in the program. If the program is full, you will be put on a waitlist.
In addition to changes in the WUSD process, the state has made some changes in its requirements:
- Students with an IEP must have Long-term Independent Study written into their IEP for them to participate. Additionally, their case manager must sign the LTIS contract.
- Missing too many assignments or weekly meetings will trigger an evaluation meeting and the implementation of tiered reengagement strategies to address the chronic absenteeism. Completion of assignments and synchronous/face-to-face meetings are how attendance is generated in LTIS, so if your student is not completing the assignments or meeting with the teacher, they are considered absent.
- Participation in LTIS does not begin until a contract is signed by the parent, student, teacher, and principal.
Long-term Independent Study Application (English) https://forms.gle/a3DSFikZKq5Cc17eA
Long-term Independent Study Application (Spanish) https://forms.gle/eaNbP2kB73FxoRsHA
For any questions about the Independent Study program, please contact Michelle O'Dell, Director of Instructional Support Services at (530) 934-6600 ext. 8107.
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