New CDPH Guidance for Small Group In-Person Learning and CDE Attendance
Accounting Updated FAQ Released
Cohorting Guidance
The purpose of the new cohorting guidance and FAQ from the California Department of
Public Health (CDPH) is to authorize in-person child supervision and limited instruction,
targeted support services, and facilitation of distance learning in small group environments.
The guidance applies to schools that cannot reopen for in-person instruction pursuant to the
July 17 Framework, including elementary schools in those jurisdictions that have not received
an elementary school waiver through the local public health office, and enables schools to
provide supervision and care for students, including specialized services for students with
disabilities and English learners, access to internet and devices for distance learning, and in-
person support for at-risk and high-need students. LEAs are not required to receive approval
from the local health department to operate in-person cohorts, but will be required to adhere
to more restrictive local health directives.
Major Components of the Cohorting Guidance
• The cohort size cannot be any larger than 14 children and youth and two supervising
adults. The cohorts can be divided into subgroups as long as the 14-to-2 ratio is not
exceeded.
• The number of cohorts will depend on the school's enrollment size and available
building capacity; the number of students on a given school site should generally not
exceed 25 percent of the school's enrollment size or available building capacity.
• Cohorts should not mix or interact, including interactions between staff assigned to
different cohorts.
• Supervising adults should be assigned to one cohort and must work solely with that
cohort. Avoid changing staff assignments to the extent practicable.
• One-to-one specialized services can be provided to a child by a support service
provider that is not part of the cohort. Services include: occupational therapy, speech
and language services, and other medical or education services.
Attendance Accounting
CDE recently released an updated FAQ on attendance accounting and hosted a webinar
yesterday, which will be repeated this Thursday, August 27. Below are the highlights of the
FAQ and webinar divided into two sections: attendance accounting and reporting and the
annual K-12 audit guide.
