Our Programs

Program	Included School Sites	Program Description & Benefits
Free breakfast for all students	All Schools	COUSD offers free breakfast to all students in all grades, district-wide, year-round!
Free and reduced lunch program	All Schools	COUSD takes part in the National School Lunch Program. Healthy meals are served to students in all grades, every school day. Eligible students may receive these lunches for free or at a reduced price. Applications for this program are available at the district office.
Project Lead the Way: Biomedical Pathway	Charter Oak High School	This is a four year pathway, including one course each year focusing on concepts related to Biomedical as it relates to career and college readiness. The program is supported by Project Lead the Way, the nation’s leading provider for STEM curriculum and promotes innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Project Lead the Way: Engineering Pathway	Charter Oak High School Royal Oak Middle School	This is a four year pathway, including one course each year focusing on concepts related to engineering design and development as it relates to career and college readiness. The program is supported by Project Lead the Way, the nation’s leading provider for STEM curriculum and promotes innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration.
IB Program (International Baccalaureate)	Charter Oak High School	To obtain an IB diploma, candidates must successfully complete a course from 6 areas of study. The courses are one or two years in length, involving grades 11 and 12. The student must complete community service, an Extended Essay, and the Theory of Knowledge class. Diploma Candidates must also satisfy all graduation requirements for the Charter Oak Unified School District. *Students not enrolled in the full Diploma Program may choose to take only particular subject courses offered at COHS. These individual subjects’ results are referred to as Diploma Program course results (formerly called a certificate of results.) Many universities in North America, and several other parts of the world, recognize isolated IB courses alone or in combination with other programs of study.
AP Programs (Advanced Placement)	Charter Oak High School	The AP program consists of college-level curriculum and examinations, which can earn students credits and accelerated placement in college.
Business, Education and Technology (BETA)	Charter Oak High School	This two-year program offers two pathway options - Business Education OR Digital Arts. Business Education students study Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Management and Entrepreneurship. Digital Arts students gain skills in Adobe PhotoShop/Illustrator/InDesign, MobileApp Design, and Video Gaming Design. All courses focus on project-based, hands on learning.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination	Charter Oak High School Royal Oak Middle School Badillo Cedargrove Glen Oak Washington (in 2016-2017) Willow (in 2016-2017)	A four year program that prepares students for success in high school, college, and a career, especially students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID teaches skills and behaviors necessary for academic success and provides support via peer groups, mentors, and student/teacher relationships to prepare students for post-secondary success.
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Academy	All Elementary Schools Royal Oak Middle School	The GATE program is the educational program designed to address the learning styles of the students who have been identified as gifted and talented. The Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program provides and supports unique opportunities for those students whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are exceptional or developmentally advanced.
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)	All Schools	Each school site has PBIS coaches and teams, modeling and teaching students the value of respect, fairness, honesty, citizenship, trustworthiness and caring.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math)	Glen Oak Elementary	Glen Oak Elementary integrates STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) into classroom lessons, cross grade level and school wide rotations to develop the skills of collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking for all of our students K-6. STEAM education incorporates the “A” for the arts – appreciating that to be successful in technical fields; individuals must also be creative and use critical thinking skills which can be developed through the arts.
Music & Drama Programs	All Elementary Schools Royal Oak Middle School Charter Oak High School	Choir is offered at all Elementary school sites during the school day. Charter Oak Education Foundation offers an after school “Strings” Violin program. Royal Oak Middle School and Charter Oak High School both have award winning choir, band and drama programs.
Oak Knoll Virtual Academy	Online	Oak Knoll Alternative School is a tuition free, high-quality public school that offers an individualized approach to learning. At Oak Knoll, we realize that a one-to-one approach can significantly assist students in realizing their innermost possibilities. Students can choose either online or independent study curriculum to pursue their K-12 education. Learning at Oak Knoll takes place outside of the traditional classroom and can be on the go or in the comfort of your own home. The school offers flexible pacing and support from COUSD teachers. Oak Knoll is fully accredited by WASC. Daily tours available to prospective families.
Block Schedule	None	Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which each student has fewer classes per day. Each class is scheduled for a longer period of time than normal (e.g. 90 minutes instead of 50). Block Schedules can be difficult for some students to concentrate for an extended period of time.