Version: 2026-07-12 draft.
Article III. SchoolONE Private School Policies
Subarticle A. SchoolONE California Private School Policies
Chapter 1. Vision, Leadership, Faculty and Staff, Resources, Continuous Improvement, and Accountability and Compliance
SchoolONE Policy § 1.6.01. Instructional Time Offered and Completed.
(a) Purpose.
(1) SchoolONE recognizes that California law provides multiple reference standards demonstrating what constitutes a legitimate educational offering, including standards applicable to private schools, private tutoring, and public-school instructional time.
(2) This policy establishes minimum student learning expectations and minimum instructional opportunities offered by SchoolONE using recognized California educational reference standards.
(3) These reference standards are used as benchmarks for educational planning and accountability and are not interpreted as directly binding requirements unless otherwise required by law or separately adopted by SchoolONE.
(b) Reference Standards.
(1) SchoolONE uses the following California educational provisions as reference standards:
(A) California Education Code § 48224, which recognizes instruction by a private tutor or other person for at least three hours per day for 175 days each calendar year as a legitimate basis for exemption from public-school attendance.
(B) California Education Code §§ 46201 and 46207, which establish annual instructional-minute standards for California public schools, including 64,800 instructional minutes for grades 9 through 12.
(2) These reference standards demonstrate recognized levels of educational time but do not limit SchoolONE’s authority to design instructional models based on competency development, student work products, direct instruction, guided learning, projects, demonstrations of mastery, and other educational methods.
(c) Minimum Completed Learning.
(1) Each SchoolONE student shall complete at least the equivalent of 10 hours per week of learning.
(2) For purposes of this policy, learning time may include direct instruction, guided learning, independent learning, student work products, projects, assessments, demonstrations of competency, practice, research, collaboration, and other educational activities recognized by SchoolONE.
(3) The 10-hour-per-week minimum is based upon the reference standard in California Education Code § 48224, which requires at least 525 hours of instruction per year under the private-tutor exemption.
(4) When calculated across a 52-week year, 525 annual hours equals approximately 10.1 hours per week.
(d) Instructional Opportunity Offered.
(1) SchoolONE shall offer students at least the equivalent of 20 hours per week of instructional opportunity.
(2) The instructional opportunity offered by SchoolONE may include direct instruction, educator support, learning experiences, educational resources, projects, assessments, collaboration opportunities, and other structured learning opportunities.
(3) The 20-hour-per-week offered-instruction standard is based upon California Education Code §§ 46201 and 46207, which establish 64,800 annual instructional minutes for grades 9 through 12.
(4) When calculated across a 52-week year, 64,800 annual minutes equals 1,080 hours per year, or approximately 20.77 hours per week.
(e) Competency-Based Educational Model.
(1) SchoolONE’s instructional-time standards shall be interpreted consistently with its competency-based educational model.
(2) Completion of learning shall be measured by educational engagement, demonstrated learning, competency development, student work products, and other evidence of learning rather than solely by time spent in a traditional classroom environment.
(3) Instructional time may include the time value of student work products and other educational activities when such activities contribute to the development or demonstration of competencies.
(f) Schedule Flexibility.
(1) SchoolONE does not require students to follow a traditional daily or weekly classroom schedule.
(2) Students may complete learning through schedules, pacing models, locations, and learning methods appropriate to the student, program, and educational objectives.
(3) SchoolONE may offer instructional opportunities exceeding the minimum standard established in this policy.
Source Note
This policy is based on California Education Code §§ 48224, 46201, and 46207 as reference standards for recognized instructional time. California Education Code § 48224 establishes the private-tutor reference standard of three hours per day for 175 days each calendar year. California Education Code §§ 46201 and 46207 establish public-school instructional-minute reference standards, including 64,800 minutes annually for grades 9 through 12.
