6153 - Community-Based Instruction Study Trips

The County Superintendent recognizes that community-based instruction is vital to full and effective teaching of the Critical Skills Instruction Model for special education students. Through community-based instruction students learn to transfer and generalize applications of critical skills learned in the classroom. Community-based instruction relies on off-site study trips to grocery stores, banks, the post office and other businesses. Some study trips will be made to different companies for mainstream exposure. Special education students may have some gainful employment in a business or they may work in sheltered workshops. They may learn to make beds, shop, select and purchase foods to prepare a pre-planned meal, participate in public dial-a-ride transportation, etc. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) for various students may spell out specific skills which can be addressed only through such study trips.

Cooperative Supervision

It is important that careful attention to adequate supervision be given because of the liability potentials of such trips, and for those students in special education classes who remain at school while classmates are on community-based study trips. California law requires that instructional planning and general supervision of instruction be done by certificated staff.

Therefore, the following conditions are required for special education community-based study trips:

1. A teacher must accompany the study trip students to provide the instruction.
2. The teacher must leave specific instruction plans for the remaining students which the aide understands and is prepared to follow.
3. Advance arrangements must be made for certificated support to be available to the aide at the school site for back-up supervision of the remaining students in any situation of emergency, accident or disruption. The available certificated support person may be:
   • another county teacher who combines his/her class with the remaining class students and aide,
   • another county teacher in a nearby classroom, or
   • a teacher, principal or other certificated employee who is available at the local school where the special education class is located.
4. The back-up credentialed supervisor must be notified in advance of the trip and the arrangements made for the remaining students, then must be notified when the teacher leaves with the study trip group and when the teacher returns.

Approved: May 10, 1994