Alpine Online Handbook

Transcription

1 Alpine Online Handbook Alpine School District offers a public school option in a home school environment. Alpine Online is a public school and is held to all rules and governance as other public schools within the state of Utah Alpine Online Contacts Alpine School District Barry Graff K12 Educational Services Graf099@alpine.k12.ut.us Gina Jackson Alpine Online Secretary gjackson@alpine.k12.ut.us School Calendar Advisors in Alpine Online School will follow the Alpine School District Calendar found on the district website ( Families can follow the district calendar or they can customize their school schedule with the help of their online advisor to make it fit their individual needs. Each student enrolled in Alpine Online must log 180 days of school between August 1st and the last day of school for the Alpine School District. Alpine Online Advisors will be available for assistance from August 1st through June 1st Enrollment in Alpine Online Enrollment Process 1. Online enrollment is available at myaccount.k12.com. Detailed enrollment steps are included at this website. 2. Before official enrollment can be completed, the following paperwork is required. o Proof of residence (example: utility bill) o Official Birth Certificate o Release of records (Found in the enrollment forms) o If applicable, special education paperwork (IEP/504) o Current immunizations or signed exemption form Immunization Policy School entry requirements: 1. 5 DTP/DTaP/DT 4 Polio 2 Measles 1 Mumps 1Rubella 3 Hepatitis B 1 TD booster 1 Varicella (chickenpox) Student born after July 1, 1996 also needs 2 Hepatitis A Information, immunizations, and exemption certificates are available at your local Public Health Dept. See more detailed information at or call (801)

2 1. Any disability or allergy of a student should be noted on the enrollment form. 2. Enrollment closes August 20th. 3. Dual enrollment questions need to be directed to your enrollment counselor, Gina Jackson, or Barry Graff. Special Education To ensure the provision of a free and appropriate public education to all school age children in need of Special Education Services, Alpine School District provides Special Education Programs in accordance with federal and state regulations and guidelines. Any questions related to special education services should be directed to Roslyn Nelson at Utah Assessment Participation and Accommodations Policy The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require the participation of students with disabilities in state and district wide assessments. In order for a student to receive accommodations during annual district assessments, there must be a current IEP or 504 plan on file that documents the need for those accommodations as determined by the IEP team or 504 planning committee and they must be accessing special education and/or related services at their neighborhood school or by appointment. According to the Utah Assessment and Participation Policy the student must also be provided with those accommodations during any instructional period that necessitates their use throughout the year. An accommodation may not be used solely during assessment. If your student has a current IEP or 504 plan with accommodations, please contact the Alpine Online School, upon enrollment, at (Gina Jackson) to ensure that accommodations will be appropriately provided. Re-Enrollment in Alpine Online Returning students will be given priority for the following school year. Your Alpine Online Advisor will help you with this process during your end of the year phone conference. Students that have not completed a full academic year, missed testing, or had unsatisfactory progress may be denied re-entry into the Alpine Online School. Course Placement Once we have received ALL of your student s paperwork and he/she has completed the placement tests, you will receive a call from a placement specialist. It takes approximately 2 weeks after receiving your registration to check for compliance and get your placement call made before your materials can be ordered. Registering early will help shorten the wait time. Curriculum Alpine Online School uses the K12 curriculum, Saxon Math, and Rosetta Stone Foreign Language. Kindergarten students may order 3 courses per academic school year. Students in grades 1-8 may order 6 courses per academic school year. We are NOT able to order additional curriculum after your student's initial curriculum order has been placed so please make sure you are comfortable with the selections. The appropriate level, pace, and hours spent on each objective varies by child. Adult supervision will be needed to decide which activities to do, redo, or skip. K12 Course Options Math

3 Language Arts Science History Art Music The K12 curriculum touches all learning styles and academic abilities and creates a sequence of objectives that builds toward mastery of a rich set of knowledge skills. Tried and true lesson activities enhanced with technology give students the practice they need to master the objectives. To ensure mastery, every objective is assessed when it is expected to be mastered, providing direction for further instruction and pacing. Saxon Math Option Saxon homeschool kits are available for Kindergarten through Middle Grades (Algebra). Click here to see Saxon math levels ( Placement tests for Saxon math are located under the Resources tab at the top right. Rosetta Stone Students who enroll in Alpine Online School will have the opportunity to participate in a foreign language program. We use Rosetta Stone, Version 3. These languages available are Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, English (American), English (British), Filipino (Tagalog), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russia, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Spain, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. For those interested in getting a preview of the foreign language program, please visit Dual Enrollment Students may be dual enrolled in another public school as long as a signed dual enrollment agreement is established between Alpine Online School and the other public school. This form must be signed before the student s Alpine Online courses are ordered. Any changes made to the original agreement will need to be documented and signed by both parties. If a student is dual enrolled, he/she may not take the same course with Alpine Online that he/she is taking at their local school. Materials Alpine Online provides books and other curricular supplies necessary to implement the K12 curriculum. These materials will be shipped in mid-july or two weeks after your order is placed. Alpine Online will provide only one set of curriculum per school year. All printed materials are copyrighted. 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 school. These materials remain the property of k12 and shall be returned to k12 when a child is withdrawn or at the close of the school year. Families accept responsibility to return the materials in good condition. Students enrolled should complete one academic school year with the Alpine Online School. In the event a student is withdrawn before the end of the academic year, we reserve the right to ask the legal guardian to reimburse Alpine School District for the cost of the materials provided to the student. Outings and Activities Activities will be held throughout the year. Families will have the opportunity to participate in Alpine Online field trips and classroom activities. Activity information will be shared in newsletters, through and on the website. All students are encouraged to attend and attendance may be marked for participation. A parent or guardian must accompany the student/s during the activity be responsible for transportation. Responsibilities of the Teaching Adults A parent who enrolls their child in the Alpine Online Program has certain responsibilities and must

4 meet the expectations required by the State of Utah. These responsibilities include: Helping your student complete 180 school days between August 1 and the last day of the Alpine School District school year. Weekly communication with your Alpine Online advisor (responding to weekly and participating in a monthly phone conference). Ensuring that your student makes consistent progress in their courses. Transporting the student to the testing location at the appropriate date and time. Communication with your Alpine Online Advisor Certified Utah teachers provide an essential part of the Alpine Online. Each student enrolled in Alpine Online will be assigned a certified Utah teacher. Your assigned advisor is your primary communication channel between you and Alpine Online School. You will have a monthly phone conference and weekly communications with your advisor. Your advisor will provide useful information about the school, curriculum implementation, materials, computer information, programs, activities, testing and other events related to Alpine Online. Alpine Online advisors combine their experience and their in-depth understanding of the curriculum to support you. Active communication with your advisor will benefit you and your child as we strive together to provide the best possible education for your child. In our model, is a primary communication platform. We require the Learning Coach to: Inform his/her advisor via of any changes to the family s telephone number, mailing address, and/or address. Check his/her a minimum of once a day during the school week. Reply promptly to any received from Alpine Online. Telephone Conferences The telephone conference is an essential and integral piece of our program. They enable us to support the success of each child. The goal of Alpine Online is for each student and family to excel with this model of education. Teaching Adults are expected to be available for regularly scheduled conference calls. The date and time of the conference will be arranged at a time mutually agreeable to both the parent and the advisor. In the event that the learning coach is not available for the scheduled conference call, he/she is expected to notify the online advisor, if possible, at least 24 hours in advance of the call to reschedule. Benchmark Report One of the many features of the Online School is an up-to-date report of each student s academic progress and attendance information. A parent may view their student s progress anytime at K12.com. A benchmark report (including school progress and attendance information) will be sent to the learning coach at the conclusion of the year or upon student withdrawal from the program. The following Benchmark Notations will be used: Percentage of Course Completion Benchmark Notation Language Arts and Math 0-79% In Process (I) % Complete (C) Science, History, Art & Music

5 0-69% In Process (I) % Complete (C) Foreign Language Kindergarten-6 th Grade 0-49% of one level In Process (I) % of one level Complete (C ) 7 th & 8 th Grade 0-99% of one level In Process (I) 100% of one level Complete (C ) If student withdrawal occurs midyear, adjustments to the percentages will be made accordingly. Students enrolled in Alpine Online will need to reach the required benchmark to be promoted to the next course level. While students are encouraged to complete the entire K12 curriculum, a minimum of 80% completion in language arts and math and 70% in science, history, art and music are required for advancement to the next course. If a student is registering in the Alpine Online School for the next academic school year and does not meet the required percentages for advancement, he/she will need to continue with the same curriculum until the course is completed. If a course is completed in the summer, the course promotion will occur during the first week of the new school year. Utah State Testing Requirements Parents enrolling their children in the Alpine Online Program have certain responsibilities and must meet the expectations required by the State of Utah. Alpine Online is a public school, so our students are required by law to participate in state standardized testing. Alpine Online requires participation in the following tests: DIEBELS testing for 1st through 3rd graders in mid-january. 5th and 8th grade Writing Assessment (online) in February. Utah CRT (Criterion Reference Testing) from mid April to mid May for 3rd 8th grades. Students in grades 3-8 will be required to take the CRT test that corresponds to the courses they are taking through Alpine Online School. Elementary (K-6) 3rd grade Students enrolled in a language arts course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the 3rd grade language arts test. Students enrolled in a math course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the 3rd grade math test. 4th 6th Students enrolled in a language arts course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the grade level language arts test. Students enrolled in a math course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the grade level math test. Students enrolled in a science course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the grade level science test. Junior High students (7-8)

6 Students enrolled in a language arts course through Alpine Online School will be required to take the language arts test that corresponds with their grade level. Students enrolled in a grade level math or higher course through the Alpine Online School will need to take the course specific math test. Students enrolled in a science course through Alpine Online School will need to take the grade level science test. ITBS 3rd Grade Reading Test (given with the CRT language arts test in the spring). The Alpine Online Advisors will administer these tests and students will take their age appropriate grade level test, unless other arrangements have been made with the Alpine School District Administration. Alpine Online School will inform the parent/guardian of testing dates and locations prior to the administration of the test. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to transport the student to the testing location at the appropriate date and time. These tests will provide useful information to parents and advisor regarding student academic achievement. Academic Policies Academic achievement through content mastery is the cornerstone of Alpine Online. Alpine Online understands that children do not learn at the same rate or in the same manner. Our program offers families flexibility in scheduling and instructional strategies. The Placement Specialist and parent will work together to evaluate each student s course level and grade level placement through during the Placement Call. Student Records Student records are kept in a locked file in the District of Enrollment. Student records are available for viewing by the parent/guardian upon request. Please contact Alpine Online and an appointment will be set for you to view the records. The records may be viewed in the presence of a District Staff Member. Attendance and Truancy Policy Utah State Law governing Attendance and Truancy is Utah Code #53A-ss-103. Alpine Online requires 180 days attendance between August 1 and May 30th. The unusual format of student working from home allows a parent to work other than the traditional school days and times. Those days are to be documented on the K12 website to be counted toward the total. Assigned advisors will monitor and help with reminders to complete this important entry. If your student is not going to be able to work on curriculum or mark attendance for an extended time, please notify your advisor so that your student will not be considered truant. Discipline We want to have a safe, productive learning environment for all of our students. Appropriate behavior is essential in all of our activities. Attendees are expected to: Treat all people with respect Listen to and follow the directions of the adult in charge. Treat all school property, including materials provided by Alpine Online appropriately and with care Use appropriate language in written and oral communication Violence is prohibited Student behavior which disrupts the learning environment will not be tolerated and parents will remove the disruptive student upon request. Weapons are not allowed on school property or at school sponsored events. Tobacco, drugs, and alcohol (controlled substances) are not allowed at school sponsored events or on

7 school property. Student/Parent Grievance Procedure Alpine Online is committed to fostering and achieving both employee and student/family satisfaction. Alpine Online prohibits discrimination against its students/family on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, or ancestry. Time frame for appeals by employees, and students/parents in the process is ten (10) days unless determined by state or federal law. The following procedure is to be sure that a grievance is addressed fairly by the appropriate persons in a timely manner. If the grievance is not resolved by the initial discussion with the advisor, the student and parent/s or legal guardian/s, within 10 days, may request a meeting with the administrative director to discuss the concern or grievance. He/She shall investigate and respond within ten school days. In the event that the administrative response is not acceptable you may contact the superintendent.