(a) The governing board of any school district may establish an early primary program consisting of same-age pupils or any combination of state preschool or child development program, kindergarten, first, second, or third grade pupils, based on an integrated, experiential, and developmentally appropriate educational program. Parent education and parent involvement shall be an integral part of the program.

(b) Observation of a child over time and the use of portfolio material shall be the primary sources of assessment information for making curricular decisions in early primary programs.

Terms Used In California Education Code 8972

  • Child development program: means a full-day or part-day comprehensive developmental program for children ages 0 to 14 years that is administered by the State Department of Education. See California Education Code 8971
  • Early primary program: means an integrated, experiential, and developmentally appropriate educational program for children in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, that incorporates various instructional strategies and authentic assessment practices, including educationally appropriate curricula, heterogeneous groupings, active learning activities, oral language development, small group instruction, peer interaction, use of concrete manipulative materials in the classroom, planned articulation among preschool, kindergarten, and primary grades, and parent involvement and education. See California Education Code 8971
  • Portfolio material: means a selection of representative samples of the child's performance within the program setting that may include, but not be limited to, teacher observations, work samples, developmental profiles, photographs, and audio or video recordings that present a picture of the child's progress over time. See California Education Code 8971
  • School district: includes county offices of education. See California Education Code 8971

(c) Standardized assessment tests may be used for diagnostic purposes only, provided those tests have been demonstrated to be nonbiased, valid, and reliable. These tests shall not be used to deny admission.

(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1082, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)

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