HIGH SCHOOL FAQ. Last edit date 2 June 2014 ATTENDANCE/PACING

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1 Last edit date 2 June 2014 ATTENDANCE/PACING How will students know what needs to be completed on a daily basis? o The Course Guide will provide an overview of the program for the Classic, Plus, and Academy. In the Classic and Plus, when the parent is the teacher it will be their opportunity to sit with the student and develop daily/weekly goals. In the Academy, the syllabi and pace chart provided by the teacher will set weekly goals for the students to complete to stay on pace based on a traditional time period to complete a course. Of course, even in the Academy the time does have some flexibility, so students may work ahead and/or take additional time as needed. How is attendance tracked and how will that be reported on the transcript? o In the Classic and Plus model, attendance will be tracked by the parent where the parent is the teacher. o In the Plus (Mastery Transcript and Live Teaching) and the Academy, the Education Counselor and/or Academic Coach will be entering attendance on a daily basis. o Attendance will be taken based on a student logging into the course and submitting at least one assignment for the day. o Attendance will not be reported on the final transcript, but there is an attendance report that can be given with the transcript or anyone who needs to meet state requirements. CURRICULUM Are there books and/or printed resources for the high school courses? o The high school courses are built to work as completely digital courses. There is not a set of books that the courses are built upon and therefore perfectly align to for page number reference, questions, and answers. However, the following printed resources will be available: Supporting Materials Suggestions of textbooks and other resources that align with the courses for those who want additional support or learning away from the technology. Course Guides that serves as a syllabi and includes: Overview of the course Suggested Pacing

2 Essential Questions Enduring Understandings Is the ninth grade digital "content" (created specifically for the Calvert courses) or e- textbooks. o This is digital content created on the platform, not an e-book. What material within the platform will be printable from the screen for students to study and work? o You can always print from screen; however, the courses are not built to print out in a PDF fashion. o One suggestion we always make is to remind students that the learning online should not be their only source and that they should be taking notes, writing down next steps, and even creating guides for themselves to help with assignments as reference and support to help them learn and study offline. o Brain research shows that using multiple modalities at the same time increases learning, so reading and writing will help a child retain knowledge at a higher level than just one activity. Will the technology be updated to keep up with the times? o The current learning management system includes many of the latest technologies and is operable on the current versions of Google Chrome and Apple IOS. What happens when a student is currently in a home school curriculum and will not complete one course or subject prior to the start dates of 9 th grade? o In Classic and Plus, the student will receive all six courses. When they begin and end those courses is completely up to the families. In the Plus model, we would work with the student in regards to the Mastery Transcript and when the teacher would be grading the work. o In the Plus with a live teacher, and in the Academy, the suggestion might be to test their current math level and possibly allow them to begin 9 th grade with a double subject in one course until completion of the one 8 th grade courses. Are the courses NCAA approved? o Calvert courses and teaching requirements are designed to meet the NCAA requirements.

3 DATES What are the start dates for Semester 1 and Semester 2? o Please view calendar and information on the High School Pacing Options page. Will there be a Semester 1 start up when Semester 2 begins? o Classic and Plus can start semester 1 at any time. o There are no plans for the school year to start a semester 1 during semester 2 for the Academy. When will the course catalog be released? o The course catalog for the school year is already released, but we hope to have the suggested course catalog for the entire 9-12 grade academy released by June 1 st. When will the curriculum be released? o The curriculum will be released to students on September 2 nd, unless the parent has chosen a later start date. Students typically receive their materials and/or online curriculum when their school year starts. Because this is our first year, all students (Classic, Plus, and Academy) will start on September 2 nd. When can we see samples of the curriculum or a course outline/syllabus or a video of the features of the platform? o We hope to have a video showing samples very soon. We are working very hard to make sure that this is an educational opportunity that will continue in the tradition of excellence that Calvert has earned. If my child is currently in Algebra 1 in middle school will it count for high school credit? o If your child is currently in a middle school Algebra 1 course, not a high school Algebra 1 course, there are several options. The student can take the I-ready test for math and either go straight to Geometry if the scores are high enough and that will start a student towards the three credit minimum needed for high school. If the student does not score high enough to show strong math standards achievement, then the child would start by taking the high school Algebra 1 course. If my child is currently taking Geometry from another educational service and will be receiving credit for the course, then what does Calvert have to offer her as the next step? o We have Algebra 2 that will be ready for those students who need it, but are not advertising it since most 9th graders will not be ready for it at that time.

4 LEARNING DIFFERENCES Will there be any accommodations for students with learning differences or IEPs? o In the Plus and the Academy, the academic support team will work with the student, parents, and teachers to communicate any needed accommodations and work with developing a plan for ensuring every student s opportunity for success. LIVE SESSIONS Will Live sessions be archived? o For Plus with Live learning and Academy, there will be recording of the sessions available until the end of the semester or six months time period of completion. Will students be required to attend Live sessions to get the Mastery transcript? o There are no live sessions in Mastery Transcript except when a student completes a one-on-one teach session with a teacher. The live sessions are only when the Plus with a teacher is added or in the Academy courses. In which case, students are required to attend at least 50% of the live instruction. Will the Live sessions vary in time? Will all time zones be covered? o Yes, the live sessions will vary in time each week for the purpose of making sure that as many time zones as possible are covered every month. The teachers will work the first few weeks to identify the time zones in their courses and build the schedules from there. Is the Live Instruction option available for electives? o Yes, electives will have live sessions. How long are Live sessions? o Live sessions are approximately one hour long. Do I get a transcript with Live instruction? o Yes, Live instruction provides the necessary verification that the student has mastered the material so that Calvert can provide a transcript of credits earned. PRICING Can I upgrade to Plus or Academy after I ve begun the semester? o A student can upgrade from Plus to Academy as long as it is within the three cohorts that are available to start (or depending on the level of services purchased), but definitely at semester break. What will tutoring cost if I purchase Calvert Plus?

5 o Live classes with a teacher for full time support are $400 per class per semester. This provides the student with at least one live class a week, as well as full access to the teacher by phone and for tutoring and support. TESTING Will the Calvert Test Series be available? o No, the tests are built into the courses. Will students in Classic have daily checkpoints? o No, there are no daily checkpoints, just assignments and work the students should complete as they are learning the material in their courses. Will there be any paper testing? o Only if the parent chooses for a child to participate in a paper test. How similar will the assessment process be to what current 8 th grade Calvert students are accustomed to? o It will be very different. All assignments are embedded in the individual courses and submitted online. They are graded by the individual teacher and sent back with personal feedback and reflection. The responses from the teachers should be of the same high quality feedback that the students are accustomed. When taking the online assessments, will students be able to save and return to complete the test or will they need to complete the entire test in one sitting? o Because it is a test, they will be required to complete in one sitting. However, most assessments in the virtual environment should be able to be completed within an hour because they are subject based, not cumulative of the interdisciplinary subjects. What is the placement testing process? o Students will be taking the I-ready. Are there requirements for admission? Is it possible that a student will not be accepted into the High School program because of academic reasons? o There is an enrollment process for the Plus and Academy to ensure that we know the best way to start every child into the learning process. The only reason a child would not be accepted is if they were multiple grade levels behind and we felt as though we knew the curriculum was not going to help them find academic success.

6 TRANSFER STUDENTS Will students be able to transfer within the Calvert High School Options mid year and how much does it cost for Classic, Plus and Academy? o It would depend on which program you were transferring from and which program you were transferring into. o You cannot transfer from Classic to Academy after 30 days. o From Plus to Academy, it would be approximately $3,000. Will students be able to transfer partial credits from their current school? o We are only accepting 9 th grade this year, but if students have credits from an accredited institution, yes, we will accept those as transfer credits.