Approved Providers
Red Comet
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Website: www.redcomet.org
Email: jay@redcomet.org
Phone: 972 365 0561
Fax: 866 758 9631
Grades Served: 9-12
OSPI Approval
Approved as a Multidistrict Online Course Provider and Online Program Provider from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 school year.
Access
Online Program Purchasing Information:
Districts can visit www.redcomet.org for purchasing information.
Individual Online Course Purchasing Instructions:
Individual courses from Red Comet are available for schools to purchase in the DLD course catalog.
Overview
Red Comet offers a complete online solution featuring common core and state standards-aligned curriculum, a comprehensive learning management system and highly-qualified, Washington-certified teachers based in WA State. Red Comet provides extensive additional support for Spanish-speaking students whereby students can easily access a complete translation of course and website content. All students have access to multiple weekly online sessions with teachers. Red Comet also offers flexible enrollment, self-paced study and credentials for school administrators and parents to log into the Red Comet system to monitor student progress.
Course Offerings
• Math
• Science
• Language Arts
• Health
• Social Sciences/Studies
• Electives
• Advanced Placement (AP®)
Students
• Advanced Placement Courses – Authorized by the College Board, Red Comet Advanced Placement® courses meet higher-education expectations of college-level courses and prepare students to demonstrate achievement through success on the AP® exams. Courses target students who are reading at grade level or above and who are looking for additional challenges beyond their regular school work.
• Core Courses – Core courses are aligned to state curriculum standards and help students earn credits toward high school graduation. While Core courses assume readiness for grade-level academic challenges, they also include reviews of all fundamental concepts. Students first review and learn the fundamentals and then build upon this knowledge. Each semester course offers 70–90 hours of self-paced study, practice tests, assignments and reading comprehension exercises followed by assessment.
Red Comet also offers several solutions to schools:
• Dropout prevention and dropout recovery: Schools can partner with Red Comet to create a safe environment where already-dropped out students take courses on the Red Comet platform. Once they are on track, these students can return to school to complete the remainder of their education.
• Improving on-time graduation rates for credit-deficient students: Students who need specific credits to graduate can enroll in the Red Comet courses whenever they have to. Since Red Comet enrollment is flexible and can happen at any time throughout the year, students can make up for missing credits or recover credits by enrolling in Red Comet courses.
• Accelerating students: Students who are advancing further than the rest of their peers can enroll in the wide variety of electives that we offer and also in the Advanced Placement courses.
• Meeting needs of an ethnic group: Red Comet curriculum in its entirety has been translated into the Spanish language. With the click of a button, the student can view the Spanish translated version of the course content. With the click of a button, even the website can be converted to Spanish.
• Students who are not being reached currently, such as homeschool or homebound students: Our excellent support staff is well-experienced in serving the needs of this population.
Instructional Model
Red Comet online teachers are readily available to students throughout the course. Online teachers hold regularly scheduled office hours where they are accessible via online sessions. Online teachers provide one-on-one support or group instruction during this time based on the number of participants. Additionally, our online instructors usually respond to emails within two school days, and grade and return assignments with feedback within three school days. Red Comet students also receive regular announcements and reminders from their online teacher via emails. Students have the option to communicate with their teachers using email, phone or via the online sessions.
Curriculum Alignments
Each Red Comet course is developed by experienced instructional designers and subject matter experts and aligned to state and national standards. When developing courses, the Red Comet Curriculum Development team begins by analyzing national and state standards. Red Comet courses are fully aligned to the curriculum requirements of Washington State.
Accreditation
Red Comet is accredited by AdvanceEd and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NWAC). In addition, our courses have been approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Instructor Certification
Red Comet instructors supporting students in the State of Washington meet the “highly qualified” requirements of the “No Child Left Behind” federal education law, and are certified to teach in the State of Washington. Our instructors all hold Bachelors and/or Masters Degrees in their subject areas and average more than ten years of traditional classroom experience.
AP Audit
University of California College Prep (UCCP) developed Red Comet’s AP course content. All our AP classes are on the College Board AP Course Ledger – Authorized Courses
https://apcourseaudit.epiconline.org/ledger/school.php
Courseware Platform
Red Comet uses Moodle-based Learning Management System. Moodle is a tested platform for education institutions. The platform is completely web-based and hosted on large enterprise servers, requiring very little IT infrastructure from our partner schools and districts.
Student Performance and Demographics
Teacher-to-student ratio: 1:45
Course completion rate: 89%
Course pass rate: 81%
Student Satisfaction Survey
Data for school year: 2011-2012
Average Student Satisfaction:
4.9 (80 responses)
Sample Comments
(Very Satisfied)
Parent of a 11th grade student enrolled a single class. (January 4, 2012)
I have really appreciated how flexible Red Comet has been when my children have had to take classes. The customer service from [teacher name] has made all the difference. She has been nice and very helpful which made a confusing situation much easier.
(Very Satisfied)
12th grade student enrolled part-time (two or more classes, but not all of a student's classes). (January 6, 2012)
Thank you for helping me graduate. The Washington State History course was very interesting, and I learned lot.
12th grade student enrolled part-time (two or more classes, but not all of a student's classes). (January 10, 2012)