In response to legislative mandate, a study was undertaken to determine the effects of new independent study legislation on California's community colleges. All colleges that participated in Coordinated Instruction System (CIS) or Independent Study (IS) programs were asked to provide financial information for the period July 1, 1979 to June 30, 1980 and to report on the number and types of CIS/IS courses offered and the number of enrollments and completions in these courses in fall 1979 and spring 1980. Responses from 50 colleges (80% of those involved in CIS/IS) revealed the following: (1) the number of districts participating in CIS/IS has declined since 1975-76, with a significant decline in 1979-80 under the new legislation; (2) independent study as a percentage of total current costs of education fell from 1.05% in 1975-76 to 0.41% in 1979-80; (3) CIS/IS offerings were almost evenly divided among science, humanities, social science, and vocational/technical courses; and (4) retention rates in CIS/IS were slightly lower than for courses in the general curriculum and were lowest in television courses. Recommendations based on the study include the extension of CIS/IS to cover all credit courses for the associate degree and more detailed accounting of costs and retention rates. The study report includes a history of CIS/IS in California, a summary of statutes and regulations governing CIS/IS, a description of types of CIS/IS, copies of relevant laws and survey materials. (HB)