West Clermont Virtual Academy. In School Credit Recovery At Home Horizons

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1 West Clermont Virtual Academy In School Credit Recovery At Home Horizons

2 Virtual Academy Information Sheet Laura Nazzarine- Director of Student Services Brian Wallace- Director of Virtual Academy ( ) In-School Virtual Academy Schedule Amelia High School Glen Este High School Monday - Thursday Monday - Thursday Morning Session 7:15-10:30 Morning Session 7:30-10:40 Afternoon Session 11:15-2:30 Afternoon Session 11:10-2:20 Fees Summary Full time Virtual Academy in-school or at-home is free Individual APEX courses taken voluntarily are $200 each Individual APEX credit-recovery courses assigned by the Principal for students who qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program are free Individual APEX credit-recovery courses assigned by the Principal for second-year high school students who are two or more credits deficient are free Individual APEX credit-recovery courses for other students are $200 each

3 Overview What is the Virtual Academy? In an effort to meet the needs of a diverse student body, West Clermont offers the Virtual Academy -- a progressive, competency-based online approach to learning -- that will assist students in receiving or recovering class credit in an innovative technology-infused setting. By using small classes and technology, the Virtual Academy provides students with a positive learning environment in which their goals and aspirations will become realities. Each student s option is unique, some may supplement their traditional schedule with on-line course(s) at home or during a study hall period; others, enroll in the Academy full-time and may/or may not transition back to the traditional high school at year-end; and extraordinary circumstances may create a need for a student to work entirely from home, reporting only bi-monthly to the virtual classroom for a review of their progress. Who Can Attend The Virtual Academy? West Clermont is committed to the success of all students. At-risk students experience difficulty with the traditional high school setting due to social or academic concerns, attendance issues, medical reasons, and others. Below is the reference-based criteria used for acceptance into our Academy: Poor Attendance Over-Age for Grade Level Multiple Failures Lacking Motivation to Learn Unsuccessful/Overwhelmed in Traditional Classroom Lacking Respect for Self/Others Experiencing Learning Difficulties Experiencing Social/Emotional Problems Negative Behavior at School and/or Home Health Concerns

4 Overview - Continued What Are the Procedures to Submit an Application? In-School Virtual requires the student, parent, or staff member to contact the student s high school counselor to initiate the referral process. Once the referral is made, the student s counselor will make a determination if it is appropriate to move to the next level. If so, an application to the Virtual Academy will be given to the student/parent to fill out and asked to be returned to the counselor. The school counselor forwards the completed application to Brian Wallace, Virtual Academy Director. Refer to the flowcharts on the following pages for more information. Credit-Recovery Virtual (emphasis on second-year 9 th graders) is a principal-counselor assignment. The high school principal and designated counselor meet to discuss individual student failures. If a student is credit deficient, his or her schedule may be revised to include virtual recovery class periods through the Virtual Academy, by dropping elective courses. Credit Recovery is also a possibility with new students enrolling into West Clermont, OGT remediation, and fifth-year students. Refer to the flowcharts on the following pages for more information. At-Home Virtual is to serve students who are experiencing severe medical, emotional, or psychological problems that precludes participation in traditional school or the In-School Virtual Academy. The application is submitted to student s counselor or the Virtual Academy Director. Involved staff will be consulted before deciding on approval. This option may be implemented at a student s expulsion hearing. Refer to the flowcharts on the following pages for more information. Horizons is used in Special Education for credit recovery and/or earning original credit(s). The APEX Program can be modified to accommodate different learning styles to meet individual student needs. The Special Education staff will make decisions for the Horizons Program.

5 In-School Virtual Academy Parent Student Teacher Counselor Application Completed Brian Wallace gathers information for eligibility from involved staff (Teacher, Principal, Counselor, Special Ed. Supervisor, Curriculum Director, etc.) Brian Wallace works with school counselor to arrange meeting with Student/Parent Accepted Not Accepted If Special Ed., IEP adapted for LRE Brian Wallace holds rules meeting with parents and students contract signed Brian Wallace notifies Laura Nazzarine, Principal, Counselor, Secretary, and Parents. Student returns to traditional classroom. Brian Wallace notifies Principal, Counselor, Secretary, Virtual Teacher and Parents. School counselor double-checks credits and selects classes for student. Teacher enrolls student in classes selected by counselor.

6 Credit Recovery in Virtual Academy Principal and Counselor Discuss Student s Credit Deficiencies and decide on action Schedule revised Elective courses dropped Core Credit Recovery classes added Parent, Students, and Virtual Teacher notified of schedule change If no fee required If fee required, payment to HS cashier Cashier notifies Principal, Teacher, and Counselor of payment Student reports to Credit Recovery Virtual classroom during assigned class period. Upon Completion (Determined by Time of Semester) Return to the traditional classroom Work on another class or OGT Remediation

7 At-Home Virtual Academy Parent Student Counselor Application Forwarded Brian Wallace gathers information from involved staff (counselor, principal, curriculum director, special education supervisor, teacher, etc.) Not Accepted Accepted Brian Wallace contacts Parent/Student and School Counselor Brian Wallace (or Counselor) contacts Parent/Student, School Counselor, and Virtual Teacher. School counselor double-checks credits and selects classes for student. Teacher enrolls student in classes selected by Counselor. Student must complete at least 20 quizzes every week to avoid attendance issues.

8 Repeat the course in traditional classroom Make-up the course in In- School Virtual Credit Recovery Potential options for students who have failed a class Make-up the course in Virtual Summer School Make-up the course through At--Home Virtual Credit Recovery

9 Credit Recovery Plan First priority -- second-year ninth graders In the spring of the year, every ninth grader schedules for tenth-grade classes. In August the principal goes through end-of-year ninth-grade academic histories. Principal and Counselor(s) will meet and discuss individual failures. If a student is credit deficient in core courses, the counselor re-schedules the student into one or two semester periods with the virtual school instructor dropping elective semester classes from his/her original 10 th -grade schedule. Students and parents are notified at the beginning of the new school year of these changes. Should the student finish the APEX course(s) before the end of the semester, he/she will usually remain in the Credit Recovery classroom to begin a new class or work on OGT remediation until the end of the semester. Principals and Counselors may work together during the school year for this same purpose. Second priority seniors needing additional course(s) This is the same basic process as above. Occasionally a senior will be withdrawn from a course because of failing marks from a fourth quarter required English or math class and placed into credit recovery. Principal may bar students who credit recovery their senior English or class to walk at graduation. Although the student begins to recover this class midway through 4 th quarter, he or she may not be allowed to walk. Next served new enrollees/sophomores/juniors OGT Remediation is a big part of Credit Recovery, especially in the second semester. Fifth-Year Students may be given the opportunity to finish their graduation requirements through the Virtual Academy.

10 Students Involved with the Justice System Students under Probation or Incarcerated Students under the guidance of probation officers have certain requirements mandated by the courts. Often times probation officers will call or visit wanting information regarding attendance, discipline, and progress reports. Normally, PO s can be a big help keeping students on the right track meeting graduation requirements and maintaining proper conduct. Full cooperation is required with representatives of the court system! In some instances, students may end up being incarcerated. The Clermont County Detention Center (2340 Clermont Center Drive, Batavia, OH 45103) has two licensed teachers on staff working with students. Virtual education allows incarcerated students to continue their school work without disruption. Our contact person at CCDS is: Sarah Johnson, Coordinator of Educational Services. The guideline for a student placed in CCDC is generally 30 days. This time frame creates a substantial lapse in a student s education and warrants placement into the Virtual Academy. Parental approval is always needed. Some students are referred from the courts to attend Clermont Recovery Center (1088 Wasserman Way, Suite C, Batavia, OH ) for Adolescent Day Treatment. If the referral is lengthy, Dave Elberfeld, Academic Coordinator, contacts the high school counselor and Brian Wallace, to schedule online courses. A Student s Dismissal from the Centers Brian Wallace, Laura Nazzarine, Principal, and Counselor will work together to make a determination on whether the student will return to the traditional classroom, In-school Virtual Academy, or At-home Virtual Academy.

11 In-School Virtual Academy Rules and Expectations Due to the severity of any violations of the rules listed below, it is important that you clearly understand and agree before acceptance into the Academy is finalized: The Virtual Program is considered an alternative educational program which gives a student the opportunity to recover credits and graduate from high school within a timely manner by using a team approach to learning-- one that commits each of us to ensuring his/her success! Attendance is required four days per week, Monday through Thursday, for half a day. If a day is missed, the student comes to class on Friday morning to make-up the absence. The parent or student must call his/her instructor with information regarding the absence. It is expected that each student will complete at least five quizzes or otherwise demonstrate productive work every day. Through the APEX Learning system we monitor students work in/outside the classroom. The student may also work outside the classroom wherever internet access is available. Cheating is absolutely prohibited! Going to other internet sites while testing destroys the validity of the entire program. Any type of cheating may result in the student being removed from the Virtual Academy. Students will enter the building and go directly to the Virtual Academy lab. Students are not permitted to be in any other part of the school before or during school hours. Respect and courtesy will be shown at all times to peers and staff members. Students will not be permitted to distract other students. Phone use will be determined by the teacher. Teacher may require student to lock up phone during class time. Communication is the key to the success of this program. If a problem occurs, whether there is a problem understanding material, or a personal issue--make sure the instructor is informed. The parent will be contacted by the teacher at least bi-weekly stating the student s progress for that period. The Virtual Academy teacher will explain and enforce classroom procedures and expectations. If a student has not taken or has failed any areas of the OGTs, he/she must attend morning class on Friday s during assigned weeks. This is not optional! No classes taken through the Virtual Academy will be weighted on a student s GPA. Be aware that the NCAA may not accept courses completed in the Virtual Academy. Entering Virtual Academy one year does not guarantee you a spot in the next year. At the end of the each school year, a student/parent conference will be held to discuss the next option. Parents and students have contact access to the instructor, five days per week, from 7:15 a.m. 2:15 p.m. (by phone, or in person). Students and parents should be aware of class standing at ALL times! A weekly progress report can be sent electronically through APEX to individual parents.. In-School Virtual Academy gives each student the opportunity to be in control; virtual education is only successful when structure and discipline are enforced at home, as well as school

12 Acceptable Use and Internet Safety *Students shall not attempt to read, delete, copy, or modify or forge other students work. Doing so may result in termination from the Virtual Academy Program. *Students shall report any security problem or misuse of the network to the instructor immediately. *Always use appropriate language. Do not use profanity, obscenity or other language which may be offensive to other users, illegal activities are strictly forbidden. *Never reveal your personal home address or phone number or those of other students or colleagues. * is prohibited, as is any intention of wasting system resources or materials. Network and internet access is provided as a tool for educational purposes. The District reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store at any time without prior notice any and all usage of the computer. *Use of the computer and/or network is not for personal or financial gain or for any commercial or illegal activity. *The network should not be used in such a way that it disrupts the use of the network by others. *All communication and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be the property of the West Clermont School District. *The user in whose name an on-line service account issued is responsible for its proper use at all times. Users shall keep personal User ID s and Passwords. Users shall keep personal account numbers, home addresses and telephone numbers private at all times. *The system shall be used only for purposes related to APEX education. The administration reserves the right to monitor any computer activity and on-line communications for improper use. *Users shall not use the system to encourage the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco nor shall anyone promote unethical practices or any activity prohibited by law or Board Policy. *Users shall not view download or transmit material that is threatening, obscene, disruptive or sexually explicit or that could be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on their race, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or political beliefs *Copyrighted material may not be placed on the system without the author s permission. *Vandalism results in the cancellation of user privileges. Vandalism includes uploading/downloading any inappropriate material, creating computer viruses and/or any malicious attempt to harm or destroy equipment or materials or the data of any other use. (Student Signature) (Date)

13 Virtual Academy Dress Code The Dress Code for all Virtual Academy students is the same as it is for students in the traditional school setting. Part of the total education of the students is learning to dress appropriately and behave responsibly in a variety of situations. As part of the educational process, all students are expected to appear at school in reasonable, neat, safe, and appropriate attire for the academic environment. Clothing or make-up that detracts from the educational environment is out of place in the school setting. The determination for acceptable dress lies with the administration. The following regulations will assist in determining appropriate student standards for dress and personal appearance while at school: 1. Parents and students maintain responsibility for their dress and personal appearance. 2. When dress or grooming interfere with cleanliness, health, welfare, or safety of students, or disrupts the educational process by being distracting, offensive, indecent, or inappropriate, it is prohibited. 3. The administrators, with the assistance of the Virtual Academy instructor, have the responsibility of uniformly administering the dress code. 4. Violation of the dress code could result in removal from the classroom until the violation can be resolved and/or disciplinary action taken. 5. Clothing, jewelry, tattoos, and other personal items are not permitted which specifically or generally contain, promote, glorify, or refer to: a. Alcohol, drugs, tobacco; b. Sexually suggestive contents; c. Profane, vulgar, or lewd symbols or slogans; d. Gangs or cults, antisocial or harassing behavior; and or e. Hate, violence, death, suicide, gore, and/or blood. Acceptable Dress: Shirts, Blouses, Tops -- Shall be appropriately sized and long enough to cover the midriff at all times. Sleeveless shirts and blouses should not have oversized armholes or open sides exposing undergarments or skin. May NOT be halter, crop, midriff, tank, strapless, backless, spaghetti strap, or muscle shirts. May not be revealing and/or see-through. The neckline must be high enough not to show cleavage. Slacks, Pants, Trousers, Shorts, Skirts, and Dresses -- Shall be appropriately sized; not tight or loose fitting. Slacks, pants, skirts, shorts must fit at the waist. (Sagging and/or exposure of undergarments is not allowed). Length must be no higher than mid-thigh. Head Wear -- May not wear head coverings such as hats and caps, bandannas and sweatbands. May not wear sunglasses. Jewelry & Personal Items -- Body piercing, other than ears, is prohibited. Heavy chains, spiked or studded jewelry and/or chains, or other inappropriate jewelry are prohibited. Shoes must be safe.