Introduction

Advice to Users

This edition of Attendance Accounting and Reporting in California Public Schools attempts to present the body of laws, regulations, and practices that it comprises in as logical and accessible a manner as possible. Because this manual's users span such a wide range, however--from local administrators and attendance officials with immediate hands-on knowledge, to managers and analysts in state government who need to familiarize themselves with general concepts before delving into detail--the manual's contents represent a considered compromise between exhaustiveness and utility. A few extensive sub-areas (Adult Education, Regional Occupational Centers and Programs) are covered only in essential outline, and the very large and complex field of Special Education is entirely beyond the manual's scope. (Those seeking information on attendance accounting and reporting in Special Education should see the California Department of Education [CDE] publications Special Education J-50 Questions and Answers and California Special Education Programs: A Composite of Laws.)

Users of this manual who seek further information on particular aspects of attendance accounting by calling or writing CDE often learn that previous CDE Program and Fiscal Management Advisories provide a considerable amount of helpful detail and comment on selected issues. Most school district offices maintain files of these advisories, and local officials can frequently find the answers to their questions by consulting those files on their own.

Users should also note that many statutory elements of attendance accounting may be waived under the "general" waiver authority of the State Board of Education (SBE), and virtually all others may be waived in particular circumstances under various "specific" waiver authorizations given to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the SBE. While waivers generally are outside the scope of this manual, one specific set of waiver statutes applying to instructional time is included for convenience in Chapter III.

Citations in this manual to sections of the California Education Code are preceded simply by the word "Section" or by the "§" symbol (for example, "Section 48200"). Citations to sections of the California Health and Safety Code are preceded by the letters "HSC" (for example, "HSC §3780"). Citations to sections of the California Code of Regulations (formerly known as the California Administrative Code) are preceded by the Title (main subdivision) number--5 for Education, 17 for Health and Safety--and the letters "CCR" (for example, "5 CCR 300").

To the extent that this manual contains guidelines in addition to recitation of the law, the guidelines are exemplary only and compliance with them is not mandatory.