Guide to Online Courses

Taking individual online courses for credit

If you are interested in taking online courses for credit, first contact your local district to see what sort of online options are offered there. By August 31, 2010, all districts in the state will have adopted policies and procedures regarding student access to online courses and online learning programs.

Districts may be able to offer some of the following options:

  • District-created online courses. Contact your local district for enrollment procedures.
  • Courses purchased from a contracted provider. Contact your local district for enrollment procedures.
  • Courses taken through the Digital Learning Department (DLD). If you are already enrolled in a school that uses the DLD for online courses, talk to your DLD registrar. The registrar will help you review the OSPI-approved list of available courses and will assist you in signing up for your class.

Things to note:

  • Your district may not offer credit for a course enrolled independently of the district.
  • Some districts may pass some or all of the course cost on to the student. Check with your district for their policy on paying for online courses.
  • Starting in the 2011-12 school year, in order to claim state funding for online enrollments, districts must use either approved providers, run a program that serves fewer than 10% non-resident students, or follow the criteria for district use of non-approved courses. This could impact the courses and providers with which your student may participate.