Open Alternative School

General Information

Grades Served: K-8
Address: 4025 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110 | Map
Phone: (805) 683-3127
Fax: (805) 683-2427
E-mail: Ms. Alex Tashma, Mr. Nitin Anand
Head Teachers: Ms. Alex Tashma, Mr. Nitin Anand
School Mascot: None
School Colors: None
Web Page: oas.sbceo.org

School Highlights

The Open Alternative School, which began in 1975, is located at the back of La Colina Junior High School. Students come to this parent cooperative, open education, K-8 school from all over the Santa Barbara School District. Enrollment is limited by the total space: ten classrooms and a library-child care room.

The Open Alternative Child Care program was established in the fall of 1988, creating a continuity of place on-site that provides for the young children of the school. A committee of parents provides administrative leadership. The program is funded and evaluated by the participating parents of the enrolled children.

Leadership is a shared responsibility at Open Alternative School. The staff works collectively to make day-to-day decisions, with teachers having an equal voice. The Head Teacher provides liaison with the District and handles duties necessary to the successful running of the school.

Assessment Results

California’s testing program seeks ways to create a cohesive system that is fair to all students, provides reliable comparisons, and measures what students are expected to know. The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program is the centerpiece of state testing. STAR has three basic components, all of which are multiple-choice tests: California Standards Test (CST), which is an achievement test based on state standards, California Achievement Test, 6th Edition (CAT/6), which is a nationally normed achievement test, California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), for student with severe cognitive disabilities, and Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2) for newly enrolled English learners. These “on demand” assessments are administered to all students in the grade level that is being tested. In addition to the “on demand” assessments, student achievement is continuously monitored by the classroom teacher(s). If you have additional questions regarding student testing, please direct them to the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Office of Research and Evaluation.

Test Results

Academic Performance Index (API)

The Academic Performance Index is a system of measuring each school’s academic performance and progress in reaching established goals.

API Reports

School Safety / Disaster Preparedness

All schools in the Santa Barbara School Districts periodically conduct fire and earthquake drills. Each school has a disaster preparedness plan and works in coordination with local law enforcement and other public safety organizations.

School custodians address daily cleaning and maintenance needs. The Districts’ maintenance team visits each campus regularly, according to a defined rotation schedule, and addresses specialized needs (e.g., painting, carpentry, etc.). In the event of a facility emergency at the school site, the District maintenance team responds on an immediate basis.

Student Enrollment and Ethnic Distribution

Enrollment and ethnicity information is gathered from the California Basic Education Data System (CBEDS). CBEDS information is updated each October as a California Department of Education reporting requirement. Comprehensive and comparative CBEDS data for all Santa Barbara County schools is available at: http://www.sbceo.org/districts/cbeds.shtml