WAVA Middle School (Grades 6-8) Parent-Student Handbook

Transcription

1 WAVA Middle School (Grades 6-8) Parent-Student Handbook Omak School District Where Everyone Learns Washington Virtual Academies 2601 South 35th Street, Suite 100 Tacoma, WA (253)

2 WELCOME FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOLS... 4 WAVA ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGEMENT STAFF... 5 BELIEF VISION MISSION... 6 SCHOOL STRUCTURE... 7 CERTIFICATED TEACHERS... 7 ONLINE SCHOOL (OLS)... 7 OFFLINE LEARNING... 8 ONLINE CLASSROOM... 8 Class Connect Login... 8 HOW IS PUBLIC SCHOOLING AT HOME DIFFERENT FROM HOME SCHOOL?... 9 CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION THE K¹² MASTERY-BASED CURRICULUM OPTIONAL LESSONS K-8 REQUIRED PHYSICAL EDUCATION HOURS MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSE OFFERINGS Receiving High School Credit in 8 th Grade SPECIAL EDUCATION LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LAP) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) OUTINGS PART-TIME STUDENTS MID-YEAR COURSE ADVANCEMENT ONBOARDING FOR NEW STUDENTS ENROLLING MID-YEAR MID-YEAR ENROLLMENT COURSE PLACEMENT EVALUATION OF STUDENT PROGRESS STATE ASSESSMENT SCANTRON TESTING Failure to Participate in State and WAVA Assessments STUDY ISLAND GRADING SYSTEM Middle School Grading Scale OLS COURSE Categories and Weights Math & English Language Arts (ELA) OLS COURSE Categories and Weights Science, History & Art Expected Lesson Progress OLS Assessments Teacher Graded Assignments Academic Effort & Engagement (Class Connect Attendance Requirements) LMS COURSE Grading Categories and Weights INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN AND REPORT CARDS RESPONSIBILITIES, EXPECTATIONS AND OBLIGATIONS CONTACT WITH TEACHER K-Mail Page2

3 Student-Parent-Teacher Monthly Progress Check Plans for Improvement ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS Weekly Student-Teacher Contact Absences Mid-Year Vacation RECEIVING AND TRACKING MATERIALS END OF YEAR TASKS Summer Course Advancement Consumables vs. Returnable Materials TECHNOLOGY INTERNET SAFETY DISTRICT and STATE POLICIES and PROCEDURES ACADEMIC HONESTY Copyright General PHILOSOPHY OF DISCIPLINE REMOVAL/WITHDRAWALFROM WAVA WAVA TRUANCY POLICY and UNEXCUSED ABSENCES FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS and PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) VISION and HEARING SCREENINGS STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION CHANGE OF CONTACT INFORMATION OBJECTIONABLE MATERIALS POLICY SECURITY PERSONAL SECURITY SCHOOL PROPERTY TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY HARASSMENT Sexual Harassment Title VII FORMAL COMPLAINT RESPONSE PROCEDURE COMMON WAVA TERMS WAVA STUDENT CALENDAR SUPPORT MATRIX FOR LEARNING COACHES PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES CHECKLIST PARENT/STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of EXPECTATIONS and OBLIGATIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WAVA PRACTICES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Page3

4 Dear WAVA Middle School Parents and Guardians: Welcome to the first year of WAVA s official Middle School Program. Although this year will mark WAVA s 9 th year serving Kindergarten through 12 th grade students, this is the first year that our Middle School will be separated from our K-5 Elementary program. We are excited to have reached the size and maturity that will allow the school to differentiate our offerings and expectations in this way. Middle School students are in a unique position; young enough to still be considered kids yet mature enough intellectually to tackle challenging academic subjects and topics. Through increased live Class Connect offerings similar to those offered by our HS, our WAVA Middle School teachers will now work within specific grades and content areas, allowing them to tailor their instruction and supports to best meet the learning needs of each student. Mrs. Tammy Alonzo will be our new WAVA Middle School Principal. With her previous experience as a WAVA teacher and K-8 Principal, she is extremely well-suited to take on the challenges associated with implementing WAVA s Middle School program. Mrs. Alonzo is passionate about making sure that WAVA students grow and achieve academically and meet their unique potentials. I am confident that she will do everything in her power to ensure that every WAVA 8 th grader is prepared for success in High School, and beyond! This Parent-Student Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the WAVA expectations and procedures designed to help you and your child succeed in our online learning environment. Please read it carefully and refer to it throughout the school year as needed. If you have any questions about anything that is contained in this handbook, please contact your student s teacher. They will either provide you an answer or guide you to a resource or support person that will be able to assist you. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work with your family and student this year. We recognize that you have made a choice and very likely significant sacrifices in choosing to educate your child with WAVA at home. Our school s success depends on your partnership and commitment in implementing our ever-evolving WAVA educational model. We look forward to getting to know and work with each student and learning coach. We are excited to see what all of our talented students will accomplish this year. Once again, welcome to WAVA Middle School and the school year! Warm Regards, Mark Christiano Head of Schools Washington Virtual Academies Page4

5 Mark Christiano Head of Schools Kris Hirschmann Special Education Manager Jayme Evans High School Principal Grades 9-12 Danielle Beyer Assessment Administrator Tammy Alonzo Middle School Principal Grades 6-8 Eileen Armstrong Operations & Enrollment Administrator Bryant Mettler Elementary Principal Grades K-5 Molly Saia Registrar Nicholas Sutherland Assistant Principal Grades K-12 Page5

6 Effort Creates Ability "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." ABRAHAM LINCOLN Be proactive and plan for success. Be persistent; don t give up. Use available resources to improve and enhance your learning. Communicate, Collaborate, Celebrate "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." HENRY FORD Community matters Join, share, and learn! Engage with others with kindness and courtesy, honesty and integrity. Set goals and celebrate success. Make Each Day Meaningful "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit." ARISTOTLE Seek balance and quality in life. Reflect upon your discoveries daily look for connections. Accept mistakes as an opportunity to grow. Vision: Create a high-performance school that equips teachers and parents with the tools of tomorrow, thereby giving our students all the opportunities they need to succeed in life and forming a new model for the twenty-first century public school. Mission: Provide any child access to exceptional curriculum and tools that will enable him or her to maximize his or her success in life regardless of geographic, financial, or demographic circumstance. WAVA Core Philosophy: We believe that all young people can achieve academic excellence when they are held to high standards and provided rigorous instruction, informed guidance, and individual attention. WAVA offers a dynamic and flexible curriculum where tradition meets innovation and we challenge existing practice in order to support varied learning styles, promote critical thinking, and help our students reach their true potential. Don t miss your opportunity Catch the WAVA Wave Page6

7 Certificated Teachers Certificated teachers develop individual plans, set goals, provide instruction, track student progress and more. Online School Students access their plans, lessons, assessments, enrichment activities, and Class Connect sessions through the OLS. Offline Learning Students refer to textbooks, and other interactive materials as directed in the lesson plan. Online Classroom Certificated teachers present focused instruction and students share learning and interact with the teacher and each other. CERTIFICATED TEACHERS Highly qualified, certificated teachers develop an Individualized Learning Plan for each student, grade student work, track student progress on a variety of measures reflected on that plan, and make the final determination of student success in the program. ONLINE SCHOOL (OLS) Student accounts limit student access to the assessments, answer keys, and the attendance tab, which are intended for the learning coach s use. Click the My Account link on the OLS Home screen to assign each student a user name and password to give access to their own OLS account. In order for the student to access assessments, the learning coach will need to enter the adult password. Learning coaches and students should not share their OLS username and password with any unauthorized individuals. When a parent or teacher believes the security of the OLS has been compromised, the parent should use the tools provided in the OLS to change usernames and passwords as needed. Students must have a login separate from the learning coach and work from their own account. Students should never have access to the learning coach login information. If you forget your login information, click on the links; Forgot Username? or Forgot Password? on the OLS login page To LEARN MORE about how to use the OLS, orientation videos, and a startup checklist, please visit Page7

8 OFFLINE LEARNING In addition to their online lessons, students will be given regular opportunities to learn through enriching offline lessons which may include hands-on experiences, award-winning books, CDs, skill practice and more. Subject area content often dovetails to allow and promote students to see relationships between events in history and trends in art and literature and to make connections between past and the present. ONLINE CLASSROOM Blackboard Collaborate is a web-based program that enables WAVA teachers to teach, interact, and impact students in a learning environment that is comfortable and convenient for all. It is referred to as Class Connect. Teachers use this virtual classroom environment to teach lessons, hold conferences, tutor individuals, hold and attend meetings, view recordings and more. Participants are able to view lesson content in a presentation format and communicate via chat and microphone; they may also volunteer to use tools to share their learning with others. Students may also view recorded lessons at a pace that will suit their learning needs. Appointments for live sessions and links to previous sessions are found on each student s personalized OLS daily plan or home page. TO DO: Please visit to complete the first time user set-up and update your computer with the required free software. All participants are expected to interact appropriately during Class Connect sessions. Any communications or postings that harass or intimidate students or teachers or disrupt any online classes are considered unacceptable in the School District. It is a parent responsibility to monitor behavior during all school activities. CLASS CONNECT LOGIN To ensure students receive credit for the sessions attended; students must access their live Class Connect instructional sessions through the links found in the Online School under Quick Links Class Connect Sessions or from the students daily plan page Page8

9 HOW IS PUBLIC SCHOOLING AT HOME DIFFERENT FROM HOME SCHOOL? PUBLIC SCHOOL AT HOME WAVA students are enrolled in online public schooling at home in an Alternative Learning Experience offered by Omak School District. A WAVA certificated teacher has the primary responsibility for the student's instructional interaction and assigning appropriate curriculum. Instructional interactions between the WAVA teachers and students will include but is not limited to; collaboration in the creation of the Individualized Learning Plan goals and expectations, direct instruction and student participation in Class Connect, review of assignments, state and school assessments, and progress monitoring based on all of these factors as well as student progress in the online school lessons completed at home. HOME SCHOOL A home school student is a student schooled at home under the supervision of a parent who acts as the teacher and creates his/her own curriculum and determines expectations. Parents act as the teacher to assess and determine student progress. Parents must provide a number of hours of instruction "equivalent" to the program hours established for approved private schools. Page9

10 THE K¹² MASTERY-BASED CURRICULUM The K¹² curriculum is developed by cognitive scientists, noted leaders in the education field, math and reading specialists, Flash designers, and other subject matter experts and is written in alignment with the Common Core State Standards. K¹² is widely regarded across the country for its passionate and rigorous approach to education focused on how students actually learn. The K¹² curriculum works for all kinds of students to unlock their full academic potential and help them achieve mastery of the key concepts and skills they will need to succeed in life. The K¹² curriculum provides an adaptable but focused learning environment for all. It s more than online classes. K 12 lessons are strategically planned and scheduled for optimum learning. Each lesson builds upon the one before; therefore, students must reach a level of understanding before moving on to more difficult concepts. Students must pass lesson, unit, and semester assessments at a minimum standard of 80% in order to demonstrate mastery. The WAVA program is academically rigorous; meeting the challenge of completing one year of course work in this model is demanding. Washington State certificated teachers are here to assist in meeting these challenges. A strong partnership utilizing teacher expertise is essential for student success at WAVA. OPTIONAL LESSONS K¹² has identified a number of lessons as optional lessons. These lessons have content that has already been introduced and is not critical to the student s mastery of the objectives. They are intended to provide enrichment or extra practice. In grades 6-8 the OLS identifies optional activities that may require visiting an outside website. We strongly recommend that students take advantage of optional lessons once they have met the monthly progress goals in each course. If you choose not to complete an optional lesson, please mark the lesson skipped on your daily plan. K-8 REQUIRED PHYSICAL EDUCATION HOURS As a Washington State full time public school student, your child is required to participate in physical education (PE). Your student is to complete an average of 20 minutes per day or 100 minutes per week. Parents should create independent student journals of their student s PE time and activities designed to reflect an awareness of healthy physical activities which promote independent, life-long habits. During monthly progress conferences, teachers will discuss these logs with families. PE activities that fulfill this requirement are structured, organized, and supervised. Examples include but are not limited to: 1. Participation in an athletic class, dance class, or sports team 2. Intentional activities such as bicycling, hiking, yoga, swimming, jogging, etc. To LEARN MORE and find lesson ideas: Page10

11 MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSE OFFERINGS At WAVA Middle School, there are standard courses offered for all students. Curriculum levels may be adjusted to levels above or below the standard offerings to reflect the individual student needs. 6 th and 7 th grade courses are offered in the Mastery Based Online School (OLS) platform. 6th grade OLS Courses English A Intermediate Math A Earth Science World History A World Art A PE (Indendent Study) 7th grade OLS Courses English B Intermediate Math B Life Science World History B World Art B PE (Indendent Study) WAVA s 8 th grade model is designed to prepare students for high school. All 8 th grade student courses are offered in a combination of the Learning Management System (LMS) platform used at WAVA High School and the Mastery Based Online School (OLS) platform. Course placement in 8 th grade math and ELA is dependent upon student performance and final grades in 7 th grade courses. 8th grade LMS Courses English Foundations 1 OR English Foundations 2 OR Literary Analysis & Composition 1* Math Foundations 2 OR Pre-Algebra OR Algebra 1* Washington State History* (1 semester) Computer Literacy* (1 semester) OLS Courses Physical Science PE (Indendent Study) Page11

12 RECEIVING HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT IN 8 TH GRADE LMS courses marked with an asterisk (*) - Literary Analysis & Composition 1, Algebra 1, Washington State History, and Computer Literacy - are the same courses offered to 9 th graders at WAVA high school and as such are eligible for high school credit and may be the start of the high school transcript. Eligible courses with a final grade on June 12 th of: A or a B will earn a high school credit and begin the high school transcript C may either earn high school credit and begin the high school transcript, or may be re-taken in 9 th grade for a higher grade. This decision will be made by the teacher, parent, and student at the end of the school year. D or F will not be eligible for high school credit and must be retaken in 9 th grade Students will receive grades for semester one and semester two. Semester one is September 3 rd, 2014 to January 30, Students who enroll after September 26 th will not be eligible to earn credit for semester one. Semester two is February 2, 2015 to June 12, Students who enroll after February 20 th will not be eligible to earn credit for semester two. SPECIAL EDUCATION If your student qualifies for Special Education under state and federal guidelines, Special Education services are available through WAVA. If your student enters WAVA with an active Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and is receiving services through WAVA, your student will be assigned a state certificated special education teacher who will deliver specially designed instruction in the academic areas outlined in your student s IEP Your student will receive supplemental Special Education instruction based on IEP goals through scheduled, required Class Connect sessions. Phone conferences, K-Mail, or other means will be used to connect with you and your student regarding questions, support, follow through, and progress. Annual IEP meetings will be held using Class Connect, phone conferences, , or other means as necessary; and will be based on data collected through your student s work, formalized assessment, progress in curriculum, teacher data, and conversations with you. We highly encourage you to be an active member of the IEP team by assisting with data collection, follow through with specially designed instruction, and sharing in the successes and struggles your student might be experiencing. If your student is not currently identified as needing special education services, a referral process is available. If you and/or the teacher suspect that your student s difficulties with learning are a result of a disability, a formal referral will be made for special education. Part of this referral process will be the collection of information including assignments, response to interventions such as additional help in the areas of concern, as well as a review of progress and attendance in Class Connects. This referral does not mean that a student will automatically qualify for special education services. There are many avenues of assistance and the WAVA staff will try to collect supporting data before a determination is made. Additionally, there are state required processes and timelines that must be followed to determine if your student qualifies for special education services. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Child Find is a continuous process of public awareness activities, screening, and evaluation. It is designed to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of Early Intervention Program (Part C) or Preschool Special education (Part B/619) services. Page12

13 If you suspect your child may experience a disability that adversely affects his/her progress in the general education curriculum, contact your WAVA teacher to discuss the possibility of referral for special education services, or contact WAVA s Special Education Director, Kris Hirschmann at KRHIRSCHMANN@K12.COM or (253) LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LAP) If your student qualifies for Learning Assistance Program (LAP) services in the area of math, you will receive notification from a LAP teacher who will give your student access to additional online resources for skills development and deliver instructional interventions. Your student will receive supplemental supports through online skills practice, progress monitoring assessments and/or required Class Connect sessions. Phone conferences, K-Mail, or other means will be used to connect with you and your student regarding support, follow through, and progress. As soon as your student meets their learning goal(s), they will no longer be required to attend the LAP Class Connect sessions and will be exited from LAP services. ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) English Language Learners (ELL) participate fully in the WAVA curriculum through language and academic support from highly-qualified teachers. Students who first spoke a language other than English are given the Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA) to determine their initial language proficiency level. WAVA provides ELL students with varying levels of support based on their language proficiency level and grade level. OUTINGS WAVA will sponsor optional outings for students and families on a regular basis that enhance the K¹² curriculum/learning activities. Outing information will be shared through K-Mail school newsletters and your teacher will provide you with a link to our online calendar. WAVA families may participate in outings planned by any WAVA teacher. Participation may be limited to space availability. Parents are responsible for the cost of transportation any entrance fees associated with optional outings, and must accompany their student during the outing. WAVA parents and students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all optional outings. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children at all times. PART-TIME STUDENTS Part-time middle school students are those enrolled in three academic courses or less. Part-time students must complete all required coursework by the assigned completion date and are expected to comply with all program requirements as outlined in the WAVA Student Handbook. Students are expected to complete their daily lesson plan dedicating approximately 5-6 hours per week per enrolled course to complete all required lessons and assignments. Real-time online instruction is a key component of the WAVA Middle School program. All students are required to attend these sessions. Students will receive a schedule of their online sessions at the beginning of each quarter. It is in the students best interest to plan personal appointments and activities around these sessions. In the event a student is unable to attend the live sessions due to commitments that cannot be rescheduled, the student/parent must phone and/or K-Mail their teacher(s) explaining the circumstance. It is the student s responsibility to view the recording(s) of the missed session(s) complete all coursework assigned during the session(s) K-Mail their teacher(s) summarizing the session learning targets Page13

14 Washington State Alternative Learning Experience laws require that students must either attend live class, communicate via phone and/or Kmail with their online teacher(s) on a weekly basis. Failure to communicate with the teacher(s) every week may result in the student being withdrawn from the class and/or school. Part-time students must maintain a C average (70 % or above) in their courses. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the student being withdrawn from the school for the following semester. MID-YEAR COURSE ADVANCEMENT Progress in all OLS courses is a determining factor in the approval of mid-year course advancement. Teachers will send mid-year advancement requests when a course is completed at a minimum of 95% in the core lessons of the OLS. Final assessments must be reviewed by the certificated staff before any new coursework is made available on the On Line School. Administration has the discretion to delay course advancement if other courses are not at a satisfactory level of completion. The K¹² curriculum is academically stimulating and students may be tempted to move quickly through their favorite courses, but it is important to maintain balanced growth in all courses over time. WAVA does not acknowledge more than 12-15% progress growth in each course for each month. Assessment data and student work will be reviewed to assist in making decisions about a course change. The WAVA teaching team strongly advises all learning coaches have their students work through their daily plans. Following the daily plan assures a steady, thorough, and academically strong educational experience. WAVA reserves the right to remove undocumented progress from the OLS if requested student assignments or semester assessments are not received by the teacher. NOTE: Language arts may only be advanced when all portions of the current course have been completed at a minimum of 95% of the core lessons. This may include any combination of the following: phonics, language arts, language skills, literature, handwriting, vocabulary, writing skills and spelling. The last day for teachers to request mid-year course advancement is Friday, April 24, 2015 by 3:00pm We strongly recommend that students take advantage of optional lessons once they have met the monthly progress goals in each course. If you choose not to complete an optional lesson, please mark the lesson skipped on your daily plan. ONBOARDING FOR NEW STUDENTS ENROLLING MID-YEAR Students who enroll mid-year will be assigned to a Lead Teacher for onboarding. This process is designed to use the first few weeks of enrollment to provide small group orientations and individualized supports to help new students and parents feel comfortable with the program structure and requirements before being assigned to a permanent homeroom teacher. During the onboarding window, Lead Teachers help new families access all of their online accounts, do initial assessments and verify curriculum placement, learn how to use all online tools such as the OLS, LMS, Class Connect, and K-mail, and begin attending live synchronous instruction classes. Lead Teachers are available to families for questions and special help sessions while getting started. The onboarding process is designed to take 2 weeks to all the initial set-up and welcome activities to build the foundation for a successful online public schooling experience. Families who do not fully participate in the Onboarding process and complete the onboarding activities required within the first month of enrollment may be placed on a Compliance Plan or withdrawn for non-attendance. Page14

15 MID-YEAR ENROLLMENT COURSE PLACEMENT Students enrolling mid-year into WAVA, will be assigned the default age appropriate course levels. Course levels will be verified by the assessment data given within the first two weeks of enrollment. Onboarding teachers will determine the appropriate placement in the curriculum for students enrolling mid-year. Students who enroll mid-year will have pro-rated progress and attendance goals based on the school start date. Most mid-year enrollees are not expected to complete their courses at % by the last day of the school year. Students will continue those courses in the new school year or may continue their coursework in the summer. Page15

16 All students enrolled full time in Washington Virtual Academies, a Washington State alternative learning experience (ALE), must be assessed annually using the state assessment for student s grade level as required under chapter 28A.655.RCW. STATE ASSESSMENT Students must participate in all annual assessments required by WAVA. Any student whose Alternative Learning Experience enrollment is claimed as 0.8 full-time equivalent or higher is considered to be enrolled full time. The performance of WAVA students on the state mandated assessments is an integral part of evaluating the success of the Washington Virtual Academies program and meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Information from these assessments provides data on student academic progress and reflects the teamwork of parents, students, and teachers. WAVA strongly encourages all our students to participate in state assessments. Students who do not participate negatively impact our rating under No Child Left Behind which may impact WAVA s ability to continue to offer its program. Full time WAVA students and those with an enrollment.8 FTE or greater are required to participate in state mandated academic assessments, all assessments required by WAVA and other assessments as mandated by local district policy. Failure to participate in required assessments will result in student withdrawal from WAVA at the end of the school year and ineligibility for re-enrollment with WAVA. Part-time students who are receiving home based instruction (and have an Intent to Homeschool form currently on file with WAVA and their resident district) under Chapter 28A.200.RCW or who are enrolled in an approved private school under chapter 28A.195.RCS are not required to participate in the state assessments. Part time students have the option of participating in state assessments, and will be encouraged to do so. SCANTRON TESTING If your child is a student in grades K-8 and is taking math and reading with WAVA, they will participate in an online assessment for math and reading in the fall, winter and spring. Fall Window: Sept 3-19 Winter Window: Jan Spring Window: May This assessment serves as a pre-test, mid-year check, and post-test for the academic school year, providing a picture of their academic growth over the course of the full school year. Please note, if you child enrolls mid-year; they will take their first Scantron assessment within 2 weeks of enrollment. Scantron is not a test to measure what your child already knows, but rather to measure your child s current instructional level and educational growth. The Scantron Performance Series uses an adaptable web-based model that adjusts the questions your child answers based on his or her accuracy on previous questions. As a result, Scantron can provide detailed information about how your child is developing academically, identify any gaps or areas of concern, and provide resources to assist your child on state standard objectives at the click of a button. When it is time to complete the Scantron assessment, your child s teacher will provide additional information and instructions for logging onto the Scantron website. Page16

17 FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE IN STATE AND WAVA ASSESSMENTS It s important to note: When students fail to participate in assessments, the accuracy and effectiveness of school improvement efforts and designing of quality instruction is reduced due to lack of student specific data. In addition to guiding instruction, state assessment data is used to determine mandated Annual yearly Progress (AYP) that requires student achievement to improve in the areas of Math, Reading, Writing and Science. Non testers are entered as a 0 in the factoring of school achievement data which inhibits WAVA s ability to meet the AYP goals set forth by the state and could potentially result in our program no longer being available. It is in your child s best interest to actively participate in all required school and/or state mandated assessments. Failure to participate as directed will result in your child s withdrawal from WAVA at the end of this school year and ineligibility for re-enrollment with WAVA. STUDY ISLAND All students in grades K-8 are provided access to the Study Island website. This helps students review skills in math and reading throughout the school year and is a resource used by teachers to check for understanding. Study Island activities are tied to Washington State standards and provide excellent practice for the state tests. Students have the option of reviewing these skills in either game format or test format. TO DO: login to Study Island: Username: studentid#@omak Password: omak example - Username: @omak Password: omak GRADING SYSTEM Students will receive grades in all their courses at WAVA each semester (in January and June). At any time, current grades can be viewed in the Online School by students, parents, teachers, and administrators by clicking on the Gradebook link in the Quick Links menu in the Online School. Page17

18 MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING SCALE Grade A B C D F Indicator Outstanding - Indicates that the student has done excellent work and has mastered the course objectives and learning outcomes, consistently does excellent work with skill and thoroughness; and consistently has applied knowledge gained to new situations. High Performance - Indicates that the student has done above average work, mastered almost all of the course objectives and learning outcomes; and has applied knowledge gained to new situations. Satisfactory - Indicates that the student has done average work and has mastered many of the objectives and learning outcomes of the course. Percentage Earned % % % Needs improvement - Indicates that the student has done below average work and has mastered few of the objectives and learning outcomes of the course % Unsatisfactory - Indicates that the student's work fell below a level of acceptance for the course and was unsatisfactory % OLS COURSE CATEGORIES AND WEIGHTS MATH & ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (ELA) Expected Lesson Progress (30% of overall grade) OLS Assessments (20% of overall grade) Teacher Graded Assignments (35% of overall grade) Academic Effort & Engagement (15% of overall grade) Final Course Grade OLS COURSE CATEGORIES AND WEIGHTS SCIENCE, HISTORY & ART Expected Lesson Progress (60% of overall grade) OLS Assessments (30% of overall grade) Academic Effort & Engagement (10% of overall grade) Final Course Grade EXPECTED LESSON PROGRESS By following the Daily and Weekly Plan on the OLS, students will successfully meet their expected lesson progress and complete a year s worth of coursework per school year. Setting smaller monthly goals over the course of the school year may be helpful to refer to and serve as a pacing guide for students. Percentages are always based on the core lessons of the OLS progress screen. Progress in the Online School lessons starts being calculated on the first student day of the new academic school year. Page18

19 Month ending on: Pacing Guide to complete each course School Days September 30 11% 20 October 31 13% 23 November 30 10% 17 December 31 8% 15 January 31 11% 19 February 28 10% 18 March 31 12% 22 April 30 10% 17 May 31 10% 19 June 13 5% 10 TOTAL 100% 180 OLS ASSESSMENTS Each course has lesson, unit and semester assessments which measure how well a student has learned the concepts within the unit. TEACHER GRADED ASSIGNMENTS In addition to the lessons in the Online School, WAVA teachers will give students periodic required assignments in math and English/Language Arts (ELA) which they will grade and then provide students with feedback about. Your child s assignments are a very important part of your child s academic portfolio which teachers utilize to evaluate your child s strengths and weaknesses and offer recommendations, guidance, learning strategies, and praise. Assignments will be given to students by teachers during live Class Connect sessions where your student will actively participate and complete a variety of activities. Teachers will also establish due dates for assignments to be turned in for grading. It is very important that your child attend these required sessions and meet these due dates! ACADEMIC EFFORT & ENGAGEMENT (CLASS CONNECT ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS) Academic Effort & Engagement includes required Class Connect attendance and participation, responsiveness, meeting deadlines, etc. Teachers offer live instructional sessions in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) in our online classroom tool, Class Connect. Class Connect time is organized by the teacher to provide direct synchronous instruction based on the Common Core State Standards for your child s grade level and will be designed to have students use the skills they are learning in the curriculum by applying them to real-world problems. This will reinforce the independent student learning of content from the Online School and allow the teachers to better assess students' progress and understanding. This is a valuable time for teachers and students to interact. At the middle school level, students are required to attend 2 live sessions per week for math and 2 live sessions per week for ELA, if enrolled in those courses at WAVA. Students are expected to attend the Class Connect sessions that they see on their daily and weekly plans in the OLS. If the student is ill or unable to attend the live session, they should communicate that to the session teacher and determine what work should be done to make up the missed class. Page19

20 LMS COURSE GRADING CATEGORIES AND WEIGHTS Each eighth grade LMS course contains a syllabus outlining the teacher s grading policies and work requirements for that course. Students should refer to these syllabi throughout the semester and address course and grading questions to the specific teacher in charge of that class. INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN AND REPORT CARDS Developing each child's full potential with engaging, individualized learning is at the heart of what we do. Your student s plan is called an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). The ILP is a written plan that defines goals, academic needs and strengths based on data and input from parents, students and teachers, plus strategies that will assist your student in reaching his or her goals during this school year and beyond. We believe that every student needs a plan and a strong support team. As a member of WAVA, your student now has a team of champions joining you to support them as he or she grows, discovers, and learns. Your student and the support team, including parents, will use the ILP to guide individualized learning and development. The ILP will be revised quarterly to record student growth, adjusted based upon the needs of your student, and will serve as the report card to document student progress throughout the school year. The OLS offers an on-going report of a student s academic progress and attendance information. A parent may log on to the system at any time and view this information and may print a copy of the planning and progress screen in the OLS account for the student. Formal report cards are issued through K-Mail by teachers at the end of each semester. Year-end course progress will be recorded on final report cards. No changes can be made after the last day of school. Page20

21 CONTACT WITH TEACHER Washington State Law requires that, "Each student enrolled in an alternative learning experience must have one of the following methods of contact with a certificated teacher at least once a school week until the student completes all course objectives or otherwise meets the requirements of the learning plan: (i) Direct personal contact; or (ii) In-person instructional contact; or (iii) Synchronous digital instructional contact. The educational progress of each student enrolled in an alternative learning experience must be evaluated at least once each calendar month of enrollment by a certificated teacher." K-MAIL Certificated Washington teachers are vital in the educational model utilized by WAVA and are your first point of contact. ALL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION will be sent through the K-Mail messaging center. K-Mail is your source for the most current information regarding your child s education. Students should read their student K-Mail twice daily. Parents and students are asked to reply promptly to any message received from WAVA teachers, administration, or K¹². STUDENT-PARENT-TEACHER MONTHLY PROGRESS CHECK Monthly progress checks are required for all WAVA students and are a dedicated time for certificated teachers to review student grades, progress and achievement. Teachers are required each month to determine if a student is being successful within the WAVA program or not. Those students not making satisfactory progress must participate in a phone conference with the student, parent and teacher to develop a formal plan for improvement. For students who have a proven pattern of passing grades in courses and consistently meeting program requirements, the teacher may elect to communicate satisfactory monthly progress to families through K-mail rather than though a formal conference meeting. Learning coaches and students are required to keep all scheduled conferences, or provide 24-hour notice if a cancellation is necessary. Rescheduling the cancelled appointment within the same month is mandatory. PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT If the teacher determines that a student is not on track in meeting the goals outlined in their ILP, the teacher will collaborate with the student and Learning Coach to create an Intervention Plan outlining the cause of the issue and a plan to resolve it. Plans will include options such as: 1. Increasing the frequency of teacher-student contact to improve student learning 2. Adjusting the manner in which weekly contact is accomplished 3. Modifying the student's learning goals or performance objectives 4. Modifying the number of or scope of courses or the content included in the Individualized Learning Plan. If after no more than three consecutive calendar months, it is determined the student is not on track to meet their ILP goals despite documented interventions, a course of study designed to more appropriately meet the student's educational needs will be considered by the teacher; which may include removal of the student from the Alternative Learning Experience and enrollment of the student in a more appropriate educational program. Page21

22 ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS As a public school, WAVA student attendance is required by Washington State laws. Although ALE students are not counted in daily attendance, they are required to have weekly contact with a certificated teacher per WAC For a student to successfully complete all the required lessons in the Online School and participate actively in the Class Connect required sessions, students should expect to spend the following amount of time schooling: Grade Level Minimum Hours per Week Minimum Hours per Year Grades WEEKLY STUDENT-TEACHER CONTACT Weekly reciprocal (two-way) student-teacher contact is required by state law and may be completed through live Class Connect sessions, K-Mail, phone calls, or outings. ABSENCES If your child is ill and unable to complete work, please notify your teacher by K-Mail. MID-YEAR VACATION WAVA discourages extended vacation time during the regular school year. Please notify your teacher of any days that you will miss in order to create a plan to work ahead. Progress and attendance goals will not be adjusted to accommodate for vacation. RECEIVING AND TRACKING MATERIALS When enrollment is approved, it may take 7-10 business days for materials to arrive via UPS. You may track your shipments in the OLS. Go to the Quick Links on the right-hand side of your OLS homepage and click on My Info go to My Orders tab. An itemized list of all shipped materials and tracking information will be included. If you are missing anything, please call K¹² directly at (866) as soon as possible or communicate with customer support via at Select the Request Support link to send the . Please have the grade level, subject, item description, and item number available when calling or ing. While you are waiting for your materials to arrive, you must complete the Intro to Online Learning or Welcome to Online Learning course in your Daily Plan on the OLS. Upon completion, this will open the portal to your coursework. END OF YEAR TASKS SUMMER COURSE ADVANCEMENT Re-enrolling students may work in the OLS during the summer if they re-enroll by the end of June of the current school year. Parents must contact WAVA at promotions@wava.org during the summer when a student completes a course and there is a need for new courses to be loaded and materials ordered. Page22

23 CONSUMABLES VS. RETURNABLE MATERIALS Some materials in the curriculum are considered consumable such as paints, seeds, write-in workbooks, and dirt. Consumable materials are not required to be returned. If consumable items such as workbooks have not been written in, please return them as well so they can be redistributed to other families. Other materials are returnable such as hard bound books, CDs, and microscopes. All items on the returnable list cannot be written in and must be returned to K¹² using the pre-paid shipping labels provided by K¹². Shipping labels are auto-generated and sent to families when a student completes a course and will be delivered via . The parent/legal guardian will be responsible for the replacement cost of items on the list that are not returned. PLEASE NOTE: When a student withdraws prior to the end of the school year, all items, regardless of condition, must be returned to K¹². This includes student and teacher printed pages. TECHNOLOGY Parents are responsible for providing a computer, microphone, printer, and High-Speed Internet access in order to participate in the program. Families are responsible for ensuring their personal computer meets the required specification for our Online School Platform as explained at If you are working with K¹² to resolve a technology issue, please contact your teacher as well, especially if the issue affects your progress and attendance requirements. Please be advised that K¹² technology support is limited to K¹² online web-based tools. INTERNET SAFETY The Internet provides an amazing variety of ways for students to learn and interact with their world attending school, homework help, watching videos, playing games, researching new topics. Yet the Internet also contains significant challenges and dangers ranging from mild distractions to cyberbullying to adult predators that attempt to exploit unsuspecting children. As such, families must create and sustain a safe, entertaining, and informative Internet environment, free from the intrusion of unwanted material, and other harmful and online threats. Please visit the following websites for more information, parent workshops, videos, and many more resources to help develop your family s internet safety plan Page23

24 ACADEMIC HONESTY WAVA provides students an environment that teaches and supports honesty and integrity. Cheating and plagiarism result in a false evaluation of student performance and the mastery of the subject matter. It also harms other students by lowering the value of their honest achievement. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and will result in disciplinary action. Cheating and Fabrication: When a student claims he/she has mastered information or when a student falsifies information. Disciplinary actions for academic dishonesty will include notifying parents, requiring students re-do the lesson or test, and/or referring the matter to school administrators for further disciplinary action which may lead to withdrawal from the WAVA program. COPYRIGHT All users of computers/technologies shall comply with current copyright laws. GENERAL Violation of any of the conditions of use may be cause for disciplinary action. PHILOSOPHY OF DISCIPLINE Our goal is to be fair and consistent in moving students toward independent learning and appropriate behavior. While participating in any school sponsored events or outings, WAVA students are subject to the student discipline policies of the School District. Any behavior which disrupts the learning environment, endangers the safety of others, or endangers the safety of the student will not be tolerated. Disruptive students will be removed from school activities. We expect students to act responsibly. We reinforce positive behaviors and recognize improvement. We provide opportunities for students to be involved and contribute to our school community. We teach students how to be responsible for their own behavior. We treat students with respect. At WAVA, we expect proper behavior online and in all Class Connect sessions. Any communications or postings that harass or intimidate students or teachers or disrupt any online classes are considered unacceptable in the School District. It is a parent responsibility to monitor behavior during all school activities. It is important for all students to understand that any inappropriate postings made during a Class Connect session can be traced back to the home address in much the same way that a phone call can be traced to a single phone number. Using a false username will still result in a successful trace. WAVA staff responds to all inappropriate language or behavior, and students will receive consequences in accordance with School District policy. Page24

25 REMOVAL/WITHDRAWALFROM WAVA Omak School Board Policy 3141 States: Non-resident approval may be terminated by the school principal at any time if regular attendance and adherence to all school rules are not maintained. Termination of the nonresident approval is the sole responsibility of the school principal. It is the responsibility of the building principal to notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) that the nonresident approval is being revoked and the specific reason. Students may be removed from the WAVA program if they fail to: - respond to teacher/administrator phone calls and/or K-Mails - participate in scheduled parent/student/teacher conferences - attend required Class Connect sessions required by teacher - have weekly student/teacher communication - participate in required school and state assessments - communicate change of contact information - follow program and district policies Falsifying: - attendance and/or progress in the OLS - enrollment documents Removal from: - a WAVA sponsored event due to disciplinary action - Class Connect sessions due to disciplinary action Parents who wish to withdraw their student from WAVA must notify the teacher. It is the parent s responsibility to enroll in another educational program. WAVA will inform your resident school district of your withdrawal. Students who are withdrawn due to a lack of attendance are not eligible to reenroll during the current school year and may not be eligible to enroll in future years. WAVA TRUANCY POLICY AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES Compliance with State attendance statutes and regulations is the responsibility of the students and parents. The school is obligated to keep an accurate record of attendance and academic progress. Student engagement and communication are vital to a WAVA student s success. Key ways students engage are attending live assigned Class Connect sessions and responding to teacher K-Mails, s, phone calls, etc. State law requires WAVA to monitor the attendance of our students. An absence is defined as failure to complete required weekly contact; it is considered unexcused unless the absence is pre-arranged with the homeroom teacher. Absences can be converted from unexcused to excused in the instance of a family or medical emergency as determined by the homeroom teacher. Excessive unexcused absences may result in withdrawal from WAVA and ineligibility for re-enrollment. In the event of unexcused absences, the following steps will take place: Unexcused Absence - Failure to complete required weekly teacher contacts for any one (1) school week counts as an unexcused absence. Page25

26 After each unexcused absence, a communication will be sent to inform the learning coach and/or legal guardian of the student s absence and the communication will contain a copy of this absence policy and directions to the family on follow up with their Homeroom Teacher, Master Teacher/Academic Advisor or Assistant Principal as required. If a student accumulates 6 unexcused absences: 1) Their enrollment from WAVA may be terminated 2) A truancy petition may be filed with the courts in alignment with the Compulsory School Attendance and Admission Law Unexcused absences and truancy issues can easily be avoided by attending live class lessons and/or students communicating with teachers every week. It is the parent s responsibility to enroll his/ her student into the local school district in the event of withdrawal from WAVA FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) The School District is required to provide families with annual notification of their rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of Under the provisions of that law, the parent or eligible student has a right to: Inspect and review the student s educational records. Please make an appointment with us if you would like to do that. Request amendment of the student s educational records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student s privacy or other rights. Consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student s educational records, except to the extent that the Act and regulations authorize disclosures without consent. Request Student Records, which are available upon request at the district office. Directory information can be released by the District without parental or student consent, unless parents or adult students (18 years or older) specifically request that such information or portion of the information not be released. The District will not release directory information for commercial purposes or other purposes not related to the school program or the conduct of official government business. Directory information includes: student name, address, family address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, date of enrollment, school and school program attended. Parents who do not wish directory information released should notify the principal of that desire via written request. VISION AND HEARING SCREENINGS Washington law (WAC ) requires that vision and hearing screening services be offered to students in grades K-3, 5 and 7. WAVA offers these services at no cost to WAVA students at a designated time during each school year in various regions around the state. Legal guardians will be notified of the date(s) via . Students wearing glasses, contacts, or utilizing hearing devices should bring these items with them when participating in the screenings. If there is a suspected problem, the parent will be notified of the results of the screening. It is recommended that professional advice from an ophthalmologist and/or audiologist be obtained if a student has failed the vision and/or hearing screening. These screenings may also be requested through a school nurse at the public school within your legal residence. Page26

27 STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION The School District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. This holds true for all students who are interested in participating in educational programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the district office at (509) CHANGE OF CONTACT INFORMATION Parents are required to notify the WAVA Office at of any change in name, address, , phone number, emergency contact, responsible adult, or court order designating a change in guardianship. Additional documentation may be required. This information is part of your child s educational record and must be kept current. OBJECTIONABLE MATERIALS POLICY If certain lessons, books, or materials are determined to be objectionable, parents should contact the WAVA teacher and utilize the feedback option within the OLS. When the teacher and learning coach agree on an appropriate substitution for the objectionable material, the assessment for the lesson in the OLS must be completed to show that the objectives have been met. SECURITY Online School logins or accounts are to be used only by the authorized owner of the account for the authorized purpose. Students must only login to their students account. They are not permitted to use parent logins. PERSONAL SECURITY Personal information such as complete names, addresses, social security numbers, telephone numbers, and identifiable photos should remain confidential and not communicated on the system. No user may disclose, use, or disseminate personal identification information regarding minors without authorization. Students should never make appointments to meet people in person whom they have contacted on the system without parent permission. Students should notify their teacher or other adult whenever they come across information or messages they deem dangerous or inappropriate. SCHOOL PROPERTY WAVA and K¹² provide materials, books, and other curricular supplies. These materials are school property and must be kept in good condition. Parents are responsible for the repair or replacement of all lost, stolen, or damaged school property. All property must be returned in good, working condition upon withdrawal from the program. All printed materials are copyrighted and unauthorized copying of that material is a copyright infringement. Materials cannot be sold or transferred and are to be used solely by the student in his/her studies while enrolled in the school. All materials that are shipped to enrolled students are the property of WAVA. These materials are considered to be on loan to the student and the responsible adult for the school year or the student's enrollment period. It is the responsibility of the student and/or the adult to ensure that all materials are utilized appropriately and not damaged. Items listed on the returnable materials list should be returned in usable condition. Page27

28 Please read the reclamation letter from K¹² carefully. Do not return your materials if your students are still working on coursework during the summer. TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY In the use of technology at WAVA, we do not allow students to reveal confidential information. Malicious use of the system to develop programs or institute practices that harass other users, gain unauthorized access to any entity on the system, and/or damage the components of an entity on the network is prohibited. Users are responsible for the appropriateness of the material they transmit over the system. Harassment, discriminatory remarks, or other antisocial behaviors are expressly prohibited. The use of any obscene or pornographic material is prohibited. Students shall comply with any additional rules developed by the school/school district concerning appropriate use of telecommunication and other electronic devices. HARASSMENT No one should be subjected to harassment at school for any reason. Therefore, it is the policy of the Board of Directors that all students will deal with all persons in ways that convey respect and consideration for individuals regardless of race, marital status, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Harassment in the form of name-calling, taunting, gestures, intimidation, jokes, pictures, and slurs is prohibited. Conduct referencing or directed at an individual or group demeaning that person/group on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, creed, age, disability, or other extraneous factors is prohibited and shall be grounds for disciplinary action. Disciplinary action for students guilty of harassment or found to be making false allegations of harassment will be dependent upon, but not limited to, the students attitude, intent, the effect on other students and/or staff, mitigating circumstances, and the students disciplinary history. Discipline, up to and including suspension or expulsion, may be imposed based on the factors mentioned above. SEXUAL HARASSMENT TITLE VII School District policy (per WAC ) prohibits sexual harassment of students, employees, and others involved in school activities. Engaging in sexual harassment will result in appropriate discipline or sanctions. Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to the district office. Sexual harassment includes unwanted, uninvited, and non-reciprocal sexual attention, as well as creation of an intimidating, hostile or offensive school or work environment. This can include: sexually suggestive looks or gestures, sexual jokes, pinching sexually demeaning comments, deliberate touching, cornering cyber sexting/sexual messaging, pictures or teasing Disciplinary action for students guilty of sexual harassment or found to be making false allegations of sexual harassment will be dependent upon, but not limited to, the students attitude, intent, the effect on other students and/or staff, mitigating circumstances, and the students disciplinary history. For guidance and assistance in these matters, contact the principal. Page28

29 FORMAL COMPLAINT RESPONSE PROCEDURE WAVA is dedicated to achieving and fostering student/family satisfaction. Your teacher is the first point of contact. If a concern is unresolved, the following procedure is in place to ensure that student/family grievances are addressed fairly by the appropriate persons in a timely manner: The parent/legal guardian must address in writing any concern or grievance to the Academic Administrator who shall respond within ten (10) working days. If the concern or grievance is not resolved by the Academic Administrator, the parent/legal guardian may request, in writing, a meeting (via phone or in person) with the Head of Schools to discuss the concern or grievance. The Head of Schools shall investigate and respond within ten (10) working days. If the concern or grievance is still not resolved, a request in writing will be submitted to the School District Superintendent s Office. Page29

30 ALE Alternative Learning Experience Class Connect The name given to WAVA s virtual classroom environment, used to teach content lessons, hold conference calls, tutor individuals, hold and attend meetings, view recordings, and more. ELL English Language Learners FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ILP Individualized Learning Plan K¹² Curriculum company that provides all materials and online tools K-MAIL The internal secure system accessible through the OLS LAP Learning Assistance Program LC Learning Coach the adult, often a parent, who works directly with the student on a daily basis. The LC partners with the teacher to ensure student success LMS Learning Management System Web-based tool with tracking of lessons, assessments, and progress MSP Measurements of Student Progress (required Washington State assessment) OLS Online School Web-based tool with tracking of lessons, assessments, and progress OSPI Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Plagiarism The use of someone else s words, ideas, or research data as your own academic work. This includes failing to use references when using other sources of information SBAC Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SLP Student Learning Plan WAVA Washington Virtual Academies Page30

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32 Ask your Teacher Address Update Course Change Course Content Questions and Errors Curriculum and Lessons Grades and scores for online assessments and quizzes Online School Missing Course Scantron and State Testing Online School Navigation (How to) LMS Navigation (How to) School Community Login Study Island Login Contact Customer Support ; option 1 available 24/7 Course Materials Return Questions Course Materials Return Label Request (UPS) Course Materials Shipping, Missing, and Damaged Contact Customer Support ; option 2 available 24/7 Online School Account Set-up and Login Online School Error Messages PDF Links Contact Customer Support ; option 4 available 24/7 Class Connect(Blackboard) Technical Issue Submit OLS Feedback in your Online School Course Content Comments and Errors Suggestions and Comments Call WAVA Transcript Request Page32