Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
Independent Study Physical Education Program (ISPE)
ISPE will be approved only if all ISPE applications are accurate, complete, and submitted on time by the second Monday of August or the first Monday of December.
The objective and philosophy of the Pleasant Valley School District ISPE program is not to exempt students from regular physical education classes simply because they may participate in other outside sports or physical activities. While outside sports/physical activities/teams are encouraged and valued, they do not take the place of physical education.
The purpose of the PVSD ISPE program is to allow students who have attained a verifiable level of mastery at the pre-Olympic, Olympic, preprofessional, or professional level for their age group to continue to train and compete with outside coaches in a way that might not otherwise be possible.
The PVSD Independent Study Physical Education program is available to students who are entering 6th (Spring only), 7th, or 8th grade who maintain a 3.0 or better grade point average and obtained a letter grade of B or higher in sixth grade the first semester/trimester of physical education.
This program is for students who have attained a verifiable level of mastery at the pre-Olympic, Olympic, preprofessional, or professional level for their age group to continue to train and compete with outside coaches in a way that might not otherwise be possible. This is defined in PVSD administrative regulation 6158.5 as students who are participating in an approved pre-professional, professional, pre-Olympic, Olympic, or elite-level Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE) Program that is at least substantially equivalent in quality and quantity to instruction in the school physical education setting. A student's application for ISPE placement will only be considered if fully completed and received by the school site prior to the established ISPE application deadlines. Participation in ISPE must be for at least a semester with the practice and/or performance/competition season lasting the entire semester.
Only off-campus ISPE agencies that can definitively prove they meet or exceed the minimum requirement of 400 minutes per 10 school days are eligible for consideration. Only off-campus ISPE agencies with valid certificates of insurance, secured by the parent(s)/guardians and confirmed by PVSD and/or its associated third-party validator, are eligible to be considered for ISPE approval. Parent(s)/guardians must secure these valid certificates of insurance prior to the ISPE application deadline and ensure the certificate's dates are valid for the duration of the ISPE placement.
The Independent Study agency must submit an application and receive district approval before a student may apply for approval to participate in the program and receive Independent Study credit. The application will be finalized collaboratively with the agency, PVSD, and/ or its associated third-party validator.
Participation in this program must align with the school master class schedule assignment. Middle school ISPE students may not use ISPE to enroll in an additional elective course.
For Fall ISPE consideration, the complete application is due by the second Monday in August (August 12, 2024) for the upcoming school year ISPE requests. For Spring ISPE consideration, the completed application is due the first Monday of December (December 2, 2024.)
ISPE will be approved only if all ISPE applications are accurate, complete, and submitted on time by the second Monday of August or the first Monday of December.
The window for application for the second semester will open on Monday, October 21, 2024.
ISPE is part of the Education Services Department. For questions, please reach out to Elisabeth Denger-Harris, Director of Educational Options & Expanded Learning at 805-389-2100 X1125 or at bharris@pleasantvalleysd.org