OLEY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

OLEY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT in partnership with... HANDBOOK & POLICY MANUAL 2014-2015 Revised 07.14.14

I. Table of Contents Ø Introduction to the Berks Online Learning Program Ø Berks Online Learning District Implementation & Procedures School District Liaisons Enrollment Process Students with IEP's Attendance Academic Progress Grace Period Incomplete Work or Course Failure School District Provided Instructional Support Course Requirements and Online Course Limits Graduation Requirements Report Cards Textbook Only Policy Technology Repair and Retrieval Summer School Procedures 2

Introduction to the Berks Online Learning Program Just as all learners are different, so too are the people who teach them and the circumstances in which learning takes place. Berks Online Learning (BOL) offers Berks County students significant opportunities and advantages that other cyber and charter schools cannot. Berks Online Learning provides online delivery of curriculum that allows students to be taught from home through instruction via the internet and a computer. Courses available through Berks Online Learning are accredited and aligned to PA State Standards, Common Core Standards and are taught by PA certified teachers. Through this program each student is assigned a Berks Online Learning Program Specialist whose goal is to make sure each student is making progress and is meeting or excelling course expectations. Parents, Berks Online Learning Program Specialists and district liaisons partner together to provide students the most appropriate, effective, top-quality, online education. Students can work full or part time through online courses and work at home at their own pace. Students must have access to the Internet at home. All full-time students are given a laptop, computer, internet stipend, and a printer/scanner to access coursework. To help defray the cost of internet, each household receives a $36/month internet stipend. The Berks Online Learning Program is free of charge to students and families. Students in grades K-12 who are residents of participating Berks County districts, with the approval of school personnel, may enroll in courses with Berks Online Learning. Student enrollment requires district approval. BOL students remain enrolled in their home school district, which allows them to participate in the same school programs and activities as traditional classroom-based students. BOL students can still enjoy field trips, sports, social events, including the prom, and other aspects of student life. Best of all, BOL students earn a diploma from their home school district and graduate with their friends after they have completed their rigorous BOL education. Attendance and academic progress are monitored by Berks Online Program Specialists who are in constant communication with the school district liaison and parents when necessary. Coordinated efforts between BOL, the district liaison and parents will assist in creating an action plan that will help address any student concerns related to attendance, truancy and or academic progress. Online courses through BOL support students whom are gifted and talented by providing students the ability to move through course material at an accelerated pace and offer courses that are of a greater challenge than those available in local school districts. Students with IEP's are eligible for online courses through Berks Online Learning Program. It is the districts responsibility to meet student's accommodations as outlined in the IEP. This can be accomplished by utilizing a special education teacher employed by the district or contracting with the Berks County Intermediate Unit to provide case management and special education services relevant to the child and their program needs. A timely innovation from the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU), Berks Online Learning provides engaging, effective courses from several leading online education vendors. Different vendors provide different services, and the goal is to accommodate a diverse student populations varying needs with the most effective, appropriate services possible for each individual student. BCIU serves as a single point of contact between students, home school districts, and online education providers, ensuring a seamless, rewarding experience at no cost to students. 3

Berks County Intermediate Unit offers the BOL cyber option to school districts at a cost that is significantly lower than the prices charged by for-profit cyber schools. As a result, while students benefit from high-quality online learning with superior local support from BCIU personnel, school districts and taxpayers enjoy substantial cost savings. Berks Online Learning provides the best of both worlds: virtual learning and real-world cost effectiveness. Berks Online Learning District Implementation & Procedures School District Liaisons 1) Superintendent and Director of Student Services - Central office liaison (liaison for decision making)- responsible for policies, procedures, major curriculum issues, equipment inventory, and budget 2) School Counselors - School liaison (liaison for progress reporting)- designee for all other decisions made on a more consistent basis, registration, course requirements, attendance, and progress monitoring Enrollment Process 1) The parent/guardian will contact the Guidance Counselor to enroll in the Berks Online Learning Program. 2) Student shall be enrolled as a student in the Oley Valley School District. 3) The Guidance Counselor will notify the superintendent and principal of the parent s request to enroll in BOL. Student Services should also be contacted if the student requires special education and/or gifted services. 4) Building Administrator and Director of Student Services (for those students whom have IEP's or GIEP s) will review each request for Berks Online Learning and issue approval. 5) The Guidance Counselor will meet with the parent/guardian and student and discuss why the student wishes to attend BOL. During this discussion, Child Find concerns must be considered (individual levels of academic and functional performance, behavior, social skills, bullying, etc.). During this time, the Berks Online Learning Student Enrollment Data Form and accommodation form (for students with an IEP) will be completed and submitted via the Berks Online Learning website. Guidance Counselor will contact IEP teacher and IEP teacher will revise IEP transition grid/course work to include BOL course(s) and the student s schedule will be revised to include one period in the learning center for support in BOL course work. IEP teacher will issue a NOREP for final parent approval. Guidance Counselors should prepare for the BCIU, parent/guardian and student a listing of all important dates/deadlines. Including, but not limited to: Testing dates (PSSA's, Keystone Exams, etc.), District Calendar (important dates relevant to all students), extracurricular activities, field trips and assemblies. Guidance Counselors should provide parent/guardian and student with a Health and Physical Education Completion Log (if applicable) which needs to be completed in order to fulfill Physical Education requirement 6) The Guidance Counselor will complete the Berks Online Registration Process: Go to Berks Online Learning Web Site http://bol.berksiu.org/pages/default.aspx Above Berks on home page, click Sign In 4

Enter your user name and password received from the BCIU Click Enrollment Form found on the right side under School Districts Complete Enrollment Form Mentor Name, Email and Phone is that of the guidance counselor assigned to the student Please fill out all information, including if student is full time, if student needs laptop and/or printer, and requested courses Click Submit Copy your enrollment form for your file and send copies to Pupil Accounting and Student Services. Sign Out A BOL representative will contact you to schedule orientation. Please call Marcelle McGhee at 610-987-8379 or email at marmcg@berksiu.org, if you do not receive a phone call or email confirming your registration. Contact the Student Services Office to determine if a district computer and printer are available. If a district computer and printer are not available, the BCIU will provide equipment to students. 7) The following are expected course of actions from the BCIU liaisons throughout student enrollment in the BOL program: consult with district liaison about recommended coursework will schedule a meeting with parent/guardian and student provides parent/guardian and student with a Welcome packet of information, including operation and navigation of software program contact Guidance Counselor regarding student enrollment date and start date provide Guidance Counselor with monthly student progress reports. Regular monitoring will occur and correspondence will be sent to the Guidance Counselor for at-risk students (see Academic Progress for further details). Student progress report contacts at the BCIU are Marcelle McGhee. send quarterly progress reports to parents for all part-time and full-time BOL students contact Guidance Counselor if a student is not meeting the program requirement for attendance (see Attendance Monitoring for further details). Send weekly attendance reports to guidance counselors for all part-time and full-time students who do not log in 5 out of 7 days. at the end of each month provide Guidance Counselor, Student Services and Business Manager a list of current students and a list of relevant students that may have had changes in BOL enrollment 8) Students can receive a computer. The computer belongs to the district. When student is no longer enrolled in BOL the computer is returned to the district (see Technology Retrieval and Repair for further details). 9) The Guidance Counselor will notify the attendance secretary, nurse, principal and Student Services via email and provide the students name, program enrollment date and program start date. the student will be marked excused by the district until the "start date". The start date will determine beginning of student attendance 10) The school nurse will keep student records in the nurse's office. The school nurse will send letters to families when physicals and dental exams are due and being conducted in the school district. 5

Students with IEP's 1) Students with IEP's can take online courses through BOL, but student work needs to be monitored by an IEP teacher of record. o Students must be monitored by a teacher of record through the school district. It is required that the student meets with the special education teacher on a regularly scheduled basis to continually monitor student work. The student s IEP transition grid/courses and schedule must be revised to reflect the plan of instruction and monitoring in the learning center for one period. 2) If a student is found to need a specialized program in order to address a need, the district would provide services at the school. 3) All accommodations that were outlined in an IEP would have to be provided in an online setting and submitted to the BCIU through the accommodations checklist. Any programming would have to be supplemented; adapted, and modified in the same manner that conventional school programming would to meet the needs of the children with disabilities. 4) If, to access online "general curriculum", the child required modifications the district would have to take care, in choosing an online provider, to ensure that modifications could be made. 5) Denying access to cyber education to children with disabilities is not an option, whether such denial is implemented categorically or based on severity of need. No child, however seriously impaired, could be denied at the outset the opportunity to participate in the Cyber School. Only once the District had exhausted every reasonable form of replacement instruction, modification, and adaptation could an IEP team recommend that the child receive education in a setting other than the Cyber School. 6) If a parent refuses to come into the building to receive services, it is still the parent's burden so it falls on them to make the travel arrangements. The school district does not have to provide transportation or try to gain parent cooperation. 7) For students who enter cyber education, the students IEP should be revised to identify the needs of the student that are different from a traditional school setting. The needs should reflect the modified and/or adapted materials, work, and standards. IEP revisions must include a list of BOL courses in the IEP transition grid and a revised schedule to include one period of learning center for support in BOL course(s). Parent consent to changes is documented in a NOREP. Attendance 1) The BCIU will contact the Guidance Counselor if a student is not meeting the program requirements for attendance. 2) The Guidance Counselor will consult with the principal and attendance secretary if a full-time BOL student demonstrates any unexcused absences and/or truancy at any age. 3) Building Administration will use district attendance policies/procedures, letters, citations, etc. for students enrolled in the Berks Online Learning Program. 4) Attendance for students attending BOL on a part-time basis, will be monitored through progress reports. Academic Progress 1) Parent/guardian can access student progress through the Parent Portal. Information on how to access student grades is a part of the BCIU Welcome packet. 6

2) BCIU will provide Guidance Counselors with monthly student progress reports. Regular monitoring will occur and correspondence will be sent to the Guidance Counselor for at-risk students. Student progress report contacts at the BCIU are Marcelle McGhee. 3) The Guidance Counselor will contact the parent/guardian to discuss concerns about academic progress. 4) The Guidance Counselor will mail quarterly progress reports to parents. 5) For all grade levels, coursework is to be completed by the BOL established deadline. Credit will not count if course is not completed by deadline. If courses are not completed by the determined deadline, credit will not be awarded. 6) Students enrolled in BOL on a full-time basis will NOT have Honor Roll opportunities. 7) Students will have GPA (if applicable). GPA will NOT count for class rank, for students enrolled in BOL on a full-time basis. Grace Period for Intervening 1) Newly enrolled students must log into course(s) the next school day after enrollment. Full-time and part-time students must complete course work 5 out of 7 days each week. If a student does not have the required amount of course log in time, the student will be removed from BOL and return to district courses. If a student is failing, at the end of Part I or at the end of a semester, he/she will be returned to district classes. All discussion/meetings will be documented and a plan of action established will be monitored. Students who fail online courses may be billed for the cost of the course and will need to repeat the course. Course Requirements and Online Course Limits 1) Students must take a course that is equivalent to a financial literacy course. 2) Students must take 1.0 Art credit and 1.0 Tech credit. 3) Students graduating in 2015 and 2016 must complete a graduation project and community service requirement. Students graduating in 2017 and beyond, must successfully pass Keystone exams and community service requirements. Students must submit graduation project proposals for approval to the High School principal. 4) Students must complete a health and wellness bundle of 1 credit. 5) All courses are subject to prior administrative approval. Online Gaming Courses are not permitted. Graduation Requirements 1) Students who are eligible to graduate must complete and submit coursework by the established deadline of their senior year. If the coursework deadline is met, students are permitted to graduate with brick and mortar peers. For students who submit required course work after the May 20th deadline, they will be able to participate in the following year's graduation. Students have a choice as to whether or not they will participate. 2) Students will receive an Oley Valley School District Transcript and Diploma. 3) Full-time BOL students are permitted to participate in the district graduation ceremony. Report Cards 1) Guidance Counselors will provide quarterly progress reports to parents. Final grades will be indicated on the final progress report. Summer progress will be issued mid-summer and at the end of the course. 7

2) Student grades will be presented in a percentage format. The grade reported on the student's report card will align with the District s grading system. Elementary school students will be awarded percentage grades and not the districts standards-aligned report card. Textbook Only Policy 1) Students have the option of having a hardcopy textbook instead of an online textbook for some vendors. When students enroll in courses through BOL, each student will automatically be enrolled in courses with online textbooks. If the vendor offers a hard copy textbook, the student may only be able to receive the hard copy with district approval. The only exception to this policy is when a hardcopy textbook version is a course requirement. The need for a hard copy textbook can be assessed on an individual basis. 2) Upon graduation, withdrawal or termination students/families are instructed to return all textbooks to the district Student Services Office. Student Services will log and recirculate, if applicable, all textbooks to future OVSD students. Technology Repair & Retrieval 1) Any equipment (laptop, printer, etc.) issued to a Berks Online student that requires repair should contact the Oley Valley School District technology support staff member for the building/grade the student attends to notify him/her of your need for repair. If repair is needed, a loaner unit will be provided to the student. This provides uninterrupted access to the online content. 2) Upon enrollment into the Berks Online Learning Program students receive a laptop from the Oley Valley School District. 3) Parents will have the option to purchase laptop insurance as per the Oley Valley School District 1 to 1 Laptop Handbook. Students and Parents are required to read and sign the Program Participation Options and Responsibilities and Expectations documents within the 1 to 1 Laptop Handbook. 4) At the end of the school year or summer course, all equipment must be returned to the proper school building: K-5 elementary school, 6-8 middle school and 9-12 high school. Berks Online Summer School Procedures for Credit Recovery 1) Counselors distribute summer school pamphlets to families with failure letters designating which courses their child is eligible to take in summer school (need at least a 50%). Counselors will ask parents/student to notify the district of their plans by June 21. Options include: BOL summer school, summer school at a neighboring district, or scheduling the course for the following school year. 2) Counselors will compile a list of students that are eligible for BOL summer school and which courses they are eligible for enrollment. This list will be copied to Student Services and Marcelle BCIU. 3) Parent/Student will register for summer school courses at home and pay with credit card. Final deadline to sign up for summer school is June 27 th. (Note: Pre-Calculus was added to list of credit recovery courses) 4) Summer school will be held during established hours determined by the Berks County Intermediate Unit. Courses are self-paced. Students are responsible for providing a computer. They can sign a computer out from the district prior to school ending from technology staff in your school building. 8

5) A face-to-face orientation is required at the BCIU after student registers to explain course requirements and procedures. 6) BCIU will notify counselors of which students have signed up and double check that courses are appropriate and approved for credit recovery. 7) BCIU will contact counselors with student progress. 8) Final grade will be sent to counselors within one week of the end of summer school. Counselors will determine if grade is passing at 65% or above and issue credit as appropriate. Counselors will complete a credit review summary to include BOL credits. Grades will be listed as Pass/Fail. 9) Failure to complete the course may result in adjustments to the student schedule or the nonissuance of a diploma. Additional Credits Independent Study 1) A student may enroll in a BOL course as an independent study anytime during the school year. 2) Students are responsible for the completion of all coursework as required. 3) To enroll in an independent study course, students should contact their guidance counselor. 4) Courses may be taken for academic advancement. 5) Courses will be weighted at 1.0 and be issued credit according to the BOL course description. 6) BOL courses will be listed on student transcripts and count toward GPA and class rank with a CP weight regardless of course. 7) BOL courses for independent study must be board approved in accordance with policy. 8) If a student fails a BOL course, they are responsible for repayment of all costs associated with the course. 9