ARTICLE 5. Partnership Academies [54690. - 54697.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 5.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54690. Section 54690.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the partnership academies program has proven to be a highly effective state-school-private sector partnership, providing combined academic and occupational training to high school pupils who present a high risk of dropping out of school, and motivating those pupils to stay in school and graduate. Partnership academies are functioning in high schools across the state, with occupational education and skills development successfully offered in California’s 15 different industry sectors, including electronics, computer technology, finance, agribusiness, alternative energy, environmental design and construction, graphic arts and printing, international business, and space. Partnership academies have been honored with national awards for excellence, and the California partnership academies have been given high accolades in various textbooks and studies addressing career technical education or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. (b) The Legislature finds the partnership academies are in the forefront of school efforts to integrate academic and career technical education or STEM, and that they can be effective in providing an integrated learning program and high motivation toward pursuing skilled occupational fields to pupils at risk of dropping out of school and to pupils not motivated by the regular educational curriculum. Further, the Legislature finds the partnership academies can make a very positive contribution towards meeting the needs of the state for a highly skilled and educated workforce in the 21st century. (c) Therefore, the Legislature hereby states its intent to expand the number of partnership academies in this state’s high schools, hereafter to be known as California Partnership Academies; to broaden the availability of these learning experiences to interested pupils who do not meet the criteria of at-promise pupils; and to encourage the establishment of academies whose occupational fields address the needs of developing technologies. (d) For purposes of this article, “at-promise pupil” means a pupil enrolled in high school who is at risk of dropping out of school, as indicated by at least three of the following criteria: (1) Past record of irregular attendance. For purposes of this section, “irregular attendance” means absence from school 20 percent or more of the school year. (2) Past record of underachievement in which the pupil is at least one-third of a year behind the coursework for the respective grade level, or as demonstrated by credits achieved. (3) Past record of low motivation or a disinterest in the regular school program. (4) Disadvantaged economically. (5) Scoring below basic or far below basic in mathematics or English language arts on the standardized test administered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) of Chapter 5 of Part 33. (6) Maintaining a grade point average of 2.2 or below, or the equivalent of a C minus. (e) Up to one-half of the pupils enrolled at a partnership academy may be pupils who do not meet the criteria of at-promise pupils. (f) The department may expend no more than 5 percent of the funds received to carry out this article on administrative expenses.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54691. Section 54691.

Commencing with the 1993–94 fiscal year, from the funds appropriated for that purpose, the Superintendent shall issue grants to school districts maintaining high schools that meet the specifications of Section 54692, for purposes of planning, establishing, and maintaining academies, as follows: (a) The Superintendent may issue planning grants for purposes of planning partnership academies. The Superintendent shall ensure that the planning grants are equitably distributed among high-wealth and low-wealth school districts in urban, rural, and suburban areas. Each planning grant shall be in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000). (b) For the 1993–94 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Superintendent may issue grants for the implementation and maintenance of existing academies or academies planned pursuant to subdivision (a). Implementation and maintenance grants shall be calculated in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Districts operating academies may receive one thousand four hundred dollars ($1,400) per year for each qualified pupil enrolled in an academy during the first year of that academy’s operation, provided that no more than forty-two thousand dollars ($42,000) may be granted to any one academy for the initial year. (2) Districts operating academies may receive one thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200) for each qualified pupil enrolled in an academy during the second year of that academy’s operation, provided that no more than seventy-two thousand dollars ($72,000) may be granted to any one academy for the second year. (3) Districts operating academies may receive nine hundred dollars ($900) for each qualified pupil enrolled in an academy during the third and following years of that academy’s operation, provided that no more than eighty-one thousand dollars ($81,000) may be granted to any one academy for each fiscal year. (c) For purposes of this section, a qualified pupil is a pupil who is enrolled in a partnership academy for the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, obtains 90 percent of the credits each academic year in courses that are required for graduation, and does any of the following: (1) Successfully completes a school year during the 10th grade with an attendance record of no less than 80 percent. (2) Successfully completes a school year during the 11th grade with an attendance record of no less than 80 percent. (3) Successfully graduates after the 12th grade. A pupil enrolled in an academy who successfully completes only one semester with regard to enrollment, attendance, and credits within the school year is considered qualified for that semester and the district may receive one-half of the funds specified under subdivision (b) for that pupil. (d) At the end of each school year, school districts that have been approved to operate academies pursuant to this article shall certify the following information to the Superintendent: (1) The operation of each academy in accordance with this article, including Sections 54692 and 54694. (2) The number of qualified pupils enrolled during the just completed school year, by grade level, for each academy operated by the district. (3) The amount of matching funds and the dollar value of in-kind support made available to each academy in accordance with subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 54692. (e) The Superintendent shall adjust each school district’s grant in accordance with the certification made to him or her pursuant to subdivision (d) or in accordance with any discrepancies to the certification that may be revealed by audit. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Superintendent may advance up to 50 percent of the funds as he or she deems appropriate to districts that are approved to operate, or plan to operate partnership academies. (f) Funds granted to school districts pursuant to this article may be expended without regard to fiscal year. However, the funds must be expended for the maintenance and operation of academies.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54692. Section 54692.

In order to be eligible to receive funding pursuant to this article, a school district shall provide all of the following: (a) An amount equal to a 100-percent match of all funds received pursuant to this article in the form of direct and in-kind support provided by the district. (b) An amount equal to a 100-percent match of all funds received pursuant to this article in the form of direct and in-kind support provided by participating companies or other private sector organizations. (c) An assurance that state funds provided by the partnership academies program shall be used only for the development, operation, and support of partnership academies. (d) An assurance that each academy will be established as a “school within a school.” Academy teachers shall work as a team in planning, teaching, and troubleshooting program activities. Classes in the academy program shall be limited to academy pupils as specified in subdivision (e). Each participating school district shall establish an advisory committee consisting of individuals involved in academy operations, including school district and school administrators, lead teachers, and representatives of the private sector. (e) Assurance that each academy pupil will be provided with the following: (1) Instruction in at least three academic subjects each regular school term that prepares the pupil for a regular high school diploma, and, where possible and appropriate, to meet the subject requirements for admission to the California State University and the University of California. These subjects should contribute to an understanding of the occupational field of the academy. (2) Career technical education or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses offered at each grade level at the academy that are part of an occupational course sequence that targets comprehensive skills and that does the following: (A) Provides career technical education or STEM courses in high skill occupations of regional and local economic need. (B) Focuses on occupations requiring comprehensive skills leading to higher than entry-level wages, or the possibility of significant wage increases after a few years on the job, or both. (C) Provides a sequence of courses that build upon each other in knowledge, skill development, and experience, and ends in a capstone course that includes an internship component. (D) Prepares pupils for employment and postsecondary education. Sequenced courses shall be linked to certificate and degree programs in the region, where possible. (E) Whenever possible, prepares pupils for industry-recognized certifications. (F) Whenever possible and appropriate, offers career technical education or STEM courses that also meet the subject requirements for admission to the California State University and the University of California. (3) A class schedule that limits the attendance to the classes required in paragraphs (1) and (2) to pupils of the academy. Whenever possible, these classes should be block scheduled in a cluster to provide flexibility to academy teachers. During the 12th grade the number of academic classes may vary. (4) A mentor from the business community during the pupil’s 11th grade year. (5) An employer-based internship or work experience that occurs in the summer following the 11th grade or during 12th grade year. (6) Additional motivational activities with private sector involvement to encourage academic and occupational preparation. (f) Assurance that academy teachers have a common planning period to interchange pupil and educational information. A second planning period should be provided for the lead teacher in addition to the normal planning period for full-time teachers and be supported as a part of the school district’s matching funds, whenever practical.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54693. Section 54693.

(a) The Superintendent shall establish eligibility criteria for school districts that apply for grants pursuant to this article. When establishing criteria, the Superintendent shall consider the commitment and need of the applicant school district. The Superintendent may consider school district indicators of need, including, but not limited to, the number or percent of pupils in poverty or with limited English proficiency, and the dropout rate. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the Superintendent shall prioritize proposals for new partnership academies based upon a school district’s enrollment of the following pupil groups: (1) Unduplicated pupils, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 42238.02. (2) Pupils from groups historically underrepresented in career technical education or STEM programs or professions. (3) At-promise pupils, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 54690. (c) The Superintendent may also prioritize new partnership academies for school districts located in a rural area or an economically disadvantaged area.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54694. Section 54694.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop guidelines with respect to the California Partnership Academies. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, enrollment provisions, application procedures, and student eligibility.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54695. Section 54695.

(a) The ninth grade teachers and counselors in schools maintained by school districts approved to operate academies pursuant to this article shall identify students eligible to participate in an academy. (b) Teachers and counselors in schools maintained by school districts approved to operate academies pursuant to this article, business representatives, and academy students of academies that are operating in the area shall be encouraged to make presentations to prospective students and their parents. (c) The staff of each academy shall select students from among those who have expressed an interest in the academy and whose parents or guardians have approved the student’s participation.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54696. Section 54696.

The Legislature finds that each new academy requires technical assistance for the academy team, administrators, teachers, and private sector participants in the multiple aspects of the academy program that differ from the standard high school program. To provide for the transfer of the experiences gained in the operation of currently successful academies to new academies, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop a technical assistance team whose members have prior involvement in successful academy operation and make their expertise available, as necessary, to each new academy during its first two years of operation.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 54697. Section 54697.

(a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall select an entity (the “evaluating entity”) to conduct a long-term evaluation of the Partnership Academies conducted pursuant to this article using a random assignment of pupils into program and control groups. The participation of any school district in this long-term evaluation is voluntary. (b) In order to qualify for participation in the evaluation of any Partnership Academy as described in subdivision (a), a school district shall demonstrate that the number of pupils seeking admission to the academy, who qualify for admission under applicable criteria, exceeds the number of openings in the academy. (c) The evaluation shall be conducted on a basis that results in no net cost to the state or to any participating school district. The evaluating entity is responsible for obtaining, from other sources, any funding that is necessary for the purposes of subdivision (a). (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the evaluating entity shall have access to pupil records, to the extent permitted by federal law, as necessary to perform the evaluation. The evaluating entity shall ensure that all personally identifiable information regarding any pupil and his or her parent or guardian remains confidential. (e) The evaluating entity shall coordinate its evaluation activities under subdivision (a) with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and provide the superintendent with the results of the evaluation upon completion. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall submit the results of the evaluation to the Legislature.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026