Alternative School Options
Horizons - Center for Independent Study (CIS)
Horizons Independent Study is a voluntary program offered through MDUSD to support students in grades 9-12. This program is a great fit for students for whom the traditional high school setting is not a fit, students who need flexibility, and students who need a an environment with one on one meetings and a smaller school.
CIS meets the same requirements as a traditional comprehensive high school and is University of California A-G approved for high school students. Students in CIS navigate the full caseload of high school independently and meet once a week with a CIS teacher to review their work completion and progress. Students can apply by downloading the application, or obtaining one from your school counselor, or completing one at the HCIS office. After you finish completing the application, give it to your current school counselor.
The purpose of home and hospital instruction is to provide instruction to a student with a temporary disability in the student’s home or in a hospital or other residential health facility, excluding state hospitals. A temporary disability is defined as a physical, mental or emotional disability incurred while a student is enrolled in regular day classes or an alternative education program, and after which the student can reasonably be expected to return to regular day classes or the alternative education program without special intervention. A temporary disability does not include a disability for which a student is identified as an individual with exceptional needs pursuant to California Education Code (EC) Section 56026.
Students are entitled to a maximum of 5 hours per week of home instruction. The teacher will be there at times agreed upon and at a minimum of up to 1 hour per day. No sessions are allowed on holidays or weekends. A responsible adult (18 years or older) must be present when the teacher is in the home.
To enroll in Home & Hospital, the student must have a medical or psychological condition, verified by a licensed physician or psychiatrist. The minimum time a student can be enrolled in Home & Hospital is 15 days up to a maximum of 90 days. Applications can be downloaded here.
Olympic High School
Olympic is a slightly larger credit recovery high school located in Concord, serving approximately 400 students. Olympic is an option for students who are behind in credits and not on track to graduate.
What Olympic has to offer:
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Credit recovery classes
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Smaller class sizes
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“First step” orientation class
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Self-paced learning
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Robust counseling services
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Flexibility
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Six week grading periods
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Career transitions program
Applications must go through your home high school. Meet with your school counselor for more information.
Prospect is a slightly smaller credit recovery school, serving around 100 students and is an option for students who are not on track to graduate and in need of credit recovery. Prospect is located in Pleasant Hill on the Pleasant Hill Middle School campus.
Applications must go through your home high school. Meet with your school counselor for more information.
College Now
Housed at Diablo Valley College, College Now students take a block of three high school courses taught by MDUSD teachers. College Now students will take the rest of their courses at DVC with other community college students and they will earn both high school and college credit for those DVC classes. Classes are chosen according to MDUSD graduation requirements as well as the interests and post-secondary plans of the student. Students choose their DVC classes with the help of a MDUSD high school counselor and a DVC college counselor.
The application process typically takes place in the Spring for classes beginning in August each year. Please talk to your high school counselor about eligibility requirements and application deadlines.
California Proficiency Program (CPP)
The CPP has replaced the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE)
The HiSET Proficiency provides students with the opportunity to take the HiSET language arts and mathematics subtests, which assess their proficiency in the standards taught up to the 12th grade level. Upon successfully passing each of the three subtests, eligible students will be awarded a California Certificate of Proficiency, which holds the same legal equivalent as a California-issued high school diploma.