California Code, Education Code - EDC § 52055.760

(a) A school district or chartering authority may apply for authority from the Superintendent to use alternative program requirements if the district or authority demonstrates that compliance with alternative program requirements would provide a higher level of academic achievement among pupils than compliance with the interim and program requirements of this article.

(b) Alternative program requirements may be used to serve no more than 15 percent of the pupils funded pursuant to this article. Alternative programs shall serve the entire school.

(c) A school district or chartering authority may use alternative program requirements at a funded school if all the following criteria are satisfied:

(d) The Superintendent shall give priority for approval of schools with alternative programs to any school serving any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Superintendent and the president of the state board or his or her designee that the school cannot decrease class sizes as required under this article due to extraordinary issues relating to facilities, or due to the adverse impact of the requirements of this program, if implemented in the school, on the eligibility of the school district for state school facility funding.