5 th Grade Online Single Subject Acceleration FAQ Principals and AIG Teachers July 2013

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1 5 th Grade Online Single Subject Acceleration FAQ Principals and AIG Teachers July 2013 What if a student is struggling with the course? The online teacher will communicate with parents and the AIG teacher at the child s elementary school. There may be times when it is appropriate for the students to return to the 5th grade class if the 6th grade content is too challenging. If the decision is made to move back to 5th grade curriculum (with strategic support from AIG), it should be accompanied by a written parent request. When should the student participate in the online course? The student should only miss the core content for the course they are skipping. For example, a 5th grade student should take Common Core Math 6 PLUS online during the scheduled math time for his/her 5th grade class. The student is still expected to fully participate in all other 5th grade content. Can students access the online course from home? Students should be encouraged to complete the course during the school day. However, students will have access to the course at home. What are the options for providing SSA students with the 6th grade content for ELA or Math? Option 1 - Principals can decide to offer the course face-to-face within the elementary school. In this case, the course should be taught by a teacher qualified to deliver the content. Option 2 - Principals can decide to allow students to access the course online. If the principal has opted to offer the course online, can we decide to then offer the course face-to-face if it better meets the needs of our students? Yes. What is the role of the AIG teacher? The AIG teacher will be the main point of contact at each elementary school. The responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Communicating with the online teacher and student Communicating with school case managers and sharing IEP, 504, or LEP accommodations with the online teacher Communicating with parents and the AIG department Following up with the student for missing assignments, etc. Facilitating plans for the daily logistics of student work How will assignments be submitted? This may vary by assignment, but most submissions will be electronic. When assignments need to be handed in physically, they can be given to the AIG teacher to be placed in courier to the online teacher. All students involved in this process will need access to their WCPSS student accounts and Blackboard. Both courses will also be using Edmodo. WCPSS 1

2 How will tests be administered? The online teacher will decide what best meets the students learning needs. Schools will accommodate based on those needs. This could include electronic completion, electronic submission, and/or paper & pencil. What will students do before the course starts in August? 5th grade Enrichment units have been created by both the AIG and Academics departments. These investigations will provide students with an opportunity to apply concepts to real-world problems and/or tasks. Students may also be provided with content from the subject they are skipping to eliminate gaps. In ELA, students should be reading text at levels more appropriate for their needs. Assessment and instructional feedback for these will come from the child s classroom teacher Should teachers begin teaching the fifth grade curriculum to students who qualify for SSA? As with any course, the year starts with solidifying core concepts that should already be mastered. However, if a student is being single subject accelerated, he/she is skipping the content for a subject. Instruction will not be delivered for the subject skipped. How are YR students going to catch up with their traditional calendar peers, as they will be behind several weeks with the online course and do not have additional days to catch up later in the year? The 6th grade online courses will be taught on a traditional calendar. Students will not miss instruction. The course will be archived for students to work slightly ahead. However, there may be times when the student must work during his/her track out to keep up with the coursework. This is the same format followed by North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS). One of the benefits of online learning, students can self-accelerate where they show mastery and spend more time where they need additional focus. This will allow the accelerated learner to adapt learning to their own style and instructional needs, and thus make up days when needed. How do elementary students get access to and Blackboard? Principals can request and Blackboard accounts for elementary students through the Help Desk. The online teacher will grant students and AIG teachers access to the online Blackboard course. Will the course be archived? Yes Will students be required to complete assignments during track out? The online course will follow the traditional calendar. There may be times when assignments are due during a student s track out. However, there may be some opportunities for students to complete work before or after a track out. Students should communicate with their online teacher about specific situations. How will students be graded? Students will be graded based on the middle school seven point grading scale, A-F. The grade will come from the online teacher. WCPSS 2

3 Will students receive a grade for 5th and 6th grades? They will only receive grades for the courses in which they are enrolled, e.g. if in Math 6 PLUS - the student would only received a grade for this course. There would be no grade for a 5th grade math class. Will students be required to take the EOG for 5th and 6th grade? Students will take the 5th grade EOG only. Students only take the EOG for the grade in which they are enrolled. Why can t parents just drive the child to the middle school to take the course there? Wake County Public Schools no longer provides transportation from the elementary to the middle school for single subject acceleration. In order to ensure all students have equal access to acceleration opportunities, the online course was created to offer 6th grade ELA and math courses to elementary students. How will the online teachers know about an IEP, 504 Plan, LEP, etc.? The AIG teacher at the school needs to communicate with the case managers within the elementary school to identify any enrolled students with IEPs, 504 Plans or LEPs. The AIG teacher should then communicate with the online teacher if needed. Can students get a copy of the 6th grade math textbook? The Holt Course 1 book is not a required text for the online math course. If a parent or student wants to have a copy of the text, the AIG teacher can contact the elementary or middle school math departments to schedule a time to pick up the book.. Principals should be prepared to answer the following questions based on building level protocols: Why is this course being offered online in your building instead of face-to-face? How will you ensure all students have access to technology needed to access the online course? Who should students go to if they have a problem accessing ? Blackboard? Who will be responsible for supervising these students to ensure their safety? How will students know how to address their needs when the AIG teacher is not present? How are students being instructed on appropriate Internet safety? How will the master schedule support SSA in your building? WCPSS 3

4 Approximately how much time should be anticipated from homework from the online course? o Approximately 10 minutes per subject per grade level therefore, for sixth grade coursework, plan for 60 minutes for Math or ELA. What would the cost be for classes once a student maxes out of course offerings at the high school level; Who pays for these courses- the school system or the parents? o Courses will cost what the current rate for college courses is at the time of access; Parents will incur the cost for any course as well as the transportation. Can you share information about a Day in the Life of.? o This course will be asynchronous. Some students may have to complete work during their track out. o A middle school grading scale will be used. Students will receive an elementary report card for the courses taken for elementary. The online course will be scored using the 7-point grading scale since it is a middle school course. These teachers are accustomed to working with the students during the transition from standardsbased grading to letter grades. Will students could max out of math courses by moving along this accelerated path? o Based on the level of acceleration yes. Will students be able to take college courses? o It is possible. They would be dual-enrolled, and any costs associated will be the parents responsibilities. Are the same EOG restrictions placed on the students in middle school taking accelerated courses? o Yes, all students must take the EOG for the grade in which they are assigned. o For the courses that require an EOC, students have to take both EOC and EOG. Does the enrichment material run concurrently with the online course? o The enrichment units can be used for the start of the year to determine gaps. They will also be available throughout the online course as well. Can we get the results of the Case 21 test to see where the gaps are? o Yes, we can look into that. WCPSS 4

5 Will students complete the course at school? o Yes, during the regularly scheduled day. Will students be responsible for the 5 th grade course aside from the benchmarks and EOGs? o Students will not do the 5 th grade work. They will only take the 6 th grade benchmark. Will there be videos or will be all reading (like Study Island, etc.)? o There will be more reading than would be in a face-to-face setting. But there will also be videos to deliver some of the instruction. There will be a variety of tools. o If students start to struggle, we need to be aware of this. However, we have to be conscious of the level of support provided. What technology will be available for students to communicate with the teacher face-to-face? o Students will communicate through online collaboration using Edmodo. o The teachers are currently teaching other courses during the day. There may be times where we can bring the teachers in to provide some face time with the teachers. How long have you been doing this and what is your track record? o We modeled our courses after NCVPS. Could students have opportunity to instant message during the school day? o That is not a possibility during the school day. It will not be real time. What about the office hours? o There will be office hours for each teacher. What is the role of the AIG teacher? o The AIG teacher will serve as the main point of contact. He/she will also serve as a support to the teachers and students during this process. There will be regular communication to maintain that information. How many students will be in the online teacher s class? o We are trying to limit it to 25, which is modeled after NCVPS. WCPSS 5

6 My child is on track 1, which is when the course will be available for the first time. What does that mean for us? o We need to be purposeful in knowing what the child is mastering and identifying the strengths/weaknesses. It is not about 180 days of seat time. The videos will be no longer than 15 minutes, and if students have mastered the information. What if my child decides he/she wants to drop out? o Students would have to repeat a course, but it is an option. They can also change courses in the middle of the course this year. Once students reach the 20 th day of a high school math course, they can no longer drop the class. What about assessments do we have to come during the school day if the student is tracked out? o No. o There will be a variety to how the tests are submitted. Will the on-line course be self-paced? o The lessons will be posted in advance. However, only a few weeks at a time. Why are the online courses being offered on the traditional calendar? o We are modeling this course after the NCVPS online courses. These students are on a trajectory to be enrolled in these same type courses in the future which are also delivered on a traditional schedule. Does participation in an online, accelerated course count for AIG services? o No. Students should continue to receive services as required by their identification. Can students access the online course at home? o Yes. All assessments should be completed at school. ** If your school needs support developing a strong plan for any of these questions, please contact the AIG or Elementary Math/ELA Departments. WCPSS 6