WHAT IS OCIS IN CALIFORNIA?

Off Campus Independent Study (OCIS) in physical education (PE) is a program that allows students to take PE classes at their training facility instead of at their school.

OCIS is available in some California school districts, including Torrance Unified School District and Poway Unified School District.

To be eligible for OCIS, students must:

Be highly competitive in a state, regional, or national activity
Have a training and practice schedule of at least 10 hours per week for middle school and 15 hours per week for high school
Submit documentation of their competition or performance

Students and their families are responsible for completing the application on time.

In California, students are required to take a minimum of two years of PE to earn a high school diploma. However, students who don’t pass five out of six items on the California Physical Fitness Test in the 9th grade may need to take four years of PE.

Legal Requirements for Middle and High School Physical Education

All students in grades 7-12 must receive a minimum of 400 minutes of physical education instruction every 10 school days. (Education Code Section 51222)
Local school boards may exempt students from any two years of physical education in grades 10, 11, or 12.
Beginning in July 2007, students must pass the physical performance test administered in grade 9 to receive the two year exemption. (Education Code Section 51241)
If exempted, students must be provided a variety of physical education elective courses. (Education Code Section 51222)
High school physical education course content must include instruction in each of the eight content areas:
- The effect of physical activity upon dynamic health
- Mechanics of body movement
- Aquatics
- Individual/dual sports
- Gymnastics/tumbling
- Team sports
- Rhythms/dance
- Combatives