Digital Learning Department

Accelerate Education/Accelerate Online Academy

Books – No textbooks are required, most reading can be found online or embedded directly into the course. Some Language Arts courses ask students to check out reading novels from the local library or purchase online. Any required course materials are also found in the course syllabus.

Course Extension Requests – Mentors can submit extension requests via the DLD.

Grades and Progress, final grades and transcript info for mentors – Student Mentors are emailed credentials to access the Accelerate Ed platform where progress info can be found. Mentors also have access to training upon registration that walks them through mentor tasks. All final grades and transcript requests go through our Accelerate Education Helpdesk. Helpdesk URL: https://accelerate.happyfox.com/.

Registration Confirmation and Login Info – Upon enrollment completion both the student and the student’s mentor will receive a copy of the student’s course login information as well as links to tools and support.

Roles of Support for Students – Students are provided phone, e-mail, and web ticket support avenues. Accelerate Education Helpdesk is open from 8am EST to 8pm PST.

Registration and Orientation – Students are provided a link to the Student Toolbox which contains orientation videos. Student Toolbox Link: http://accelerateeducation.com/toolbox/student.htm. Students are also have access to “live” Orientation sessions that are held every Tuesday and Thursday.

Exam proctoring and security – Exams are proctored locally by the assigned Student Mentor.

Attendance – Attendance is monitored and a report is shared with the assigned student mentor once a week.

Plagiarism/Cheating – Our Policy for Plagiarism is outline in our AE Handbook. This can be found online in the Student Toolbox: http://accelerateeducation.com/toolbox/student.htm

Auto withdrawal policies – Students can withdrawn within 15 days without penalty.

Student email – Accelerate Education uses the student’s DLD e-mail address to communicate. Accelerate Education will not assign a new e-mail.

Advanced Academics

Books:
Textbooks and materials required for participation in Advanced Academics courses MUST BE PURCHASED BY THE SCHOOL OR STUDENT; book information can be found in the Other Materials field in the AA course descriptions in the DLD online course catalog. Schools and students should consider the time required to order and receive the materials when selecting the start date for student registrations.

Course Extension requests:
Extension requests should be made directly to Advanced Academics at dld_enrollments@advancedacademics.com (with a cc: to leslie.st.pierre@k12.wa.us) prior to the scheduled end date. An additional charge of $30 per each 7 day extension will be added to the course cost.

Grades and progress information:
Mentors can access progress and final grade reports via the online mentor system; students can see real-time grade reports upon logging in to the AAI courseware system.

Registration confirmations:
Students will receive, via auto-email, a welcome message including course URL, login information and term dates; new students receive two messages: one with student account info and another with course enrollment info. Mentors do not receive any notice of enrollment but will receive their own Mentor welcome message including URL and login information to access the AAI mentor system.

Apex Learning

Books:
Apex Learning will ship requested texts ordered through the DLD Registrar to the Mentor’s attention at the school.

Grades and Progress Information:
Apex Learning provides real time reports to students, site coordinators and mentors to show student performance and progress. Coaches receive a weekly email that provides summary data as well as the ability to look at more detailed information about the student’s progress and performance for the previous week and final grade reports (Grade Letters) are obtainable via the ALHS reporting systems. The data that Apex Learning provides is flexible to meet local policies based on the performance and progress of the student. Mentors should work with teachers to confirm requested mid-term and final grade postings.

Proctoring:
During the school year, students are most successful with an active mentor that proctors work. Mentors help support student progress by proctoring high stake activities while ensuring that local policies are being met. During the Summer, students will have natural proctoring which allows the students to take their high stake activities three days before the activity due date. If the student is moving at an accelerated rate, the mentor and student will want to communicate directly with the teacher to allow earlier activity access.

Registration and Orientation:
Apex Learning emails students directions and login credentials after the enrollment order is received from the DLD and processed. New site coordinators and mentors each receive an email from Apex Learning Support with directions and access information. Students receive an introduction from each teacher and are directed to the Student Guided Orientation where the student is shown how to navigate the program and communicate with the teacher. Upon starting the Apex Learning program, mentors are provided with orientation information by email. These resources help ensure that mentor has the tools to help them and their students successfully start the online program.

Roles of Support for Students:

• Teacher—Subject-certified Apex Learning teacher guides student learning and communicates regularly with student and mentor. Most communication will be via email or student Message Center; appointments can be made for telephone or web-conferencing.

• Site Coordinator – This school employee is able to view student grades and progress through high level reports. Site Coordinators have the ability to add a Coach to a student. By default, the DLD Registrar is awarded the Site Coordinator role in the Apex Learning system.

• Mentor—School staff member active in proctoring and supporting student locally. Mentor may view grade book and student progress in designated courses at the school site. Mentors may also be added as a Coach. By default, DLD Mentors are awarded the Mentor role in the Apex Learning system.

• Coach (optional role)—Involved adult community member that is a stakeholder for student accountability, (parent, guardian, school counselor, etc.). The Coach will receive a weekly email report detailing student progress and performance. Coaches should encourage their student outside of school setting. Coaches are assigned by the designated Site Coordinator.

Start and End Dates:
Standard semester course duration is 18 calendar weeks. Apex Learning is able to accommodate for earlier end dates if Students and mentors request earlier end dates with their teacher during orientation. The Apex Learning teacher will adjust the scope and sequence of the course as requested. Purchases of full year courses (two semesters) should expect the 2nd semester to begin the Monday after the 1st semester end date. The 2nd semester start date can be adjusted by the student or mentor by communicating with the Apex Learning teacher during the orientation.

Aventa Learning

Books:
Aventa orders materials opted for purchase by the Registrar upon receipt of registration; materials are sent to the Mentor’s attention at the school.

Communication:
Communication:
New for 2012-2013 school year: Aventa has upgraded to the current version of Blackboard (9.1). One of the new features of this version is the Journal. This journal serves as the primary communication between teachers and students, instead of external email, which will only be used as a backup for students with low engagement. Mentors are still welcome to contact the teacher via email or phone, but students should be encouraged to use the journal to communicate with teachers.

Dates of Enrollment:
Upon enrollment, students are provided access to a dynamic scheduler which allows students to enter course start and end dates and generate an approximate schedule by which they should try to complete their course. If a student needs to make adjustments to his/her end date, the request should be submitted by the Mentor or DLD Registrar via the DLD.

Exam Proctoring and Security:
In order to maintain the integrity and security of their courses, Aventa has added passwords to ALL unit and final exams.

Also, students should be forewarned that their assessments (quizzes and exams) are designed to be completed in one sitting; they will be ‘locked out’ if they close or have interrupted internet access mid-way through an assessment. These kinds of interruptions will leave students unable to complete the quiz, though mistakenly closed assessments might be re-opened via a request to the online teacher. Mentors should submit reset requests directly to the teacher. Mentors should note that Firefox is a more reliable browser in which to take Aventa assessments, as it is less prone to mistakenly closing and locking assessments.

Aventa Students – Aventa Quizzes and Exams are password protected to facilitate proctoring by your school. To take a quiz or exam, please contact your Mentor for further assistance. If you are unsure who your Mentor is at your local school or institution, you may refer to your original enrollment confirmation email, or contact our technical support department by emailing support@aventalearning.com or calling our help desk at 855-K12-TIPS.

Aventa Mentors or Administrators – The exam passwords can be found within PEAK12. To obtain the password, search for the student, and select the course that you need the password for. On the Enrollment details screen, you will see the password for Unit Tests and Final Exams. If this password found in PEAK12 is not working, please submit a support ticket by visiting Online School Solutions (onlineschoolsolutions.com). We have found that if there is an error with the password in PEAK, it most likely is due to the student being in a course section from the 2011-2012 school year. You can find these exam passwords from the 2011-2012 school year in the Support section of www.onlineschoolsolutions.com and signing in with your mentor credentials. Once you are signed in, navigate to the AVENTA LEARNING folder, then AVENTA EXAM PASSWORDS folder to find these documents. Alternatively, you can use the live chat support from PEAK or Online School Solutions to receive the password from one of our support technicians.

Please note: the Aventa Exam Passwords folder will not appear in Online School Solutions unless you are logged in with your Aventa mentor or administrator credentials.

Grades and Progress Information:
Progress reports are provided weekly through email to mentors. Mentors also have access to PEAK12 which provides real-time progress reports that detail students’ progress and performance in their online courses. These reports reflect grade to date information and % completion statistics. Use PEAK12 to find the progress and grade info for any student (active or inactive) by searching for the student and locating all of the student’s registrations. Select the course in question and then pull up the Activity Detail. Click on the Assessment tab to see when each assessment of assignment was submitted, the date it was graded, the points earned out of the total points possible, and the % score.

Registration Confirmations:
Aventa emails students their account information, including login and start-up instructions; Mentors receive a copy of those welcome messages. When a mentor is assigned to a student or school, they will receive a username and password.

Mentor Training and Resources:
Local, on-site mentors play a valuable and integral role in helping students succeed in an online learning environment. Mentors work directly with students to provide feedback and support, and serve as a liaison between the online teacher and the school community. Mentor training registration and resources can be found at onlineschoolsolutions.com.

DigiPen Institute of Technology - Online Academies

Attendance:
Students are highly encouraged to attend the live synchronous sessions through WebEx.com. An email invitation is sent to students upon registration. All live sessions are recorded and the recordings may be downloaded from the DigiPen Distance Education website. If students have prior commitments and are unable to attend the live sessions, or an occasional absence occurs, they should review the recordings at their earliest convenience and must do so no later than the following live class session.

Books:
Textbooks and materials required for participation in DigiPen Online Academy courses are included in the tuition cost. Workbooks are printed by DigiPen, spiral bound, and are mailed. Workbooks take up to a week to arrive after the student enrollment is received. Software resources are provided by DigiPen or are available at no cost online.

Grades and progress information:
Mentors can access progress and the current grade book through the DigiPen Distance Education website. Live synchronous session attendance, login records, and activity reports are also available through the Distance Education website.

Plagiarism / Cheating:
DigiPen holds academic honesty as an important value that all students should and must observe. Students are expected to create their own projects and complete their own homework assignments. Collaborative studying and learning is encouraged, but copying of work is disallowed. Copying assignments and cheating on quizzes will be penalized with a grade of zero, and a second offense will result in removal from the course.

Registration confirmations:
Students and mentors will receive a welcoming email after DigiPen receives the student registration. The welcome email includes a checklist of tasks that should be completed before the first day of class, such as signing up online for the student’s account and installing any required software. Students will receive access to the DigiPen Distance Education website, where their course(s) will be listed. An invitation to the live synchronous sessions through WebEx.com will also be sent. Students and mentors should check their email regularly after applying to the course and start the setup process as early as possible.

Required satisfactory progress:
Students who are not making satisfactory progress on a monthly basis may need to complete an intervention plan and/or may be withdrawn from the online course. A student who does not access the Distance Education website for any continuous 14-day period may be withdrawn from the course at DigiPen’s discretion.

Transcripts:
DigiPen sends an electronic grade letter to each student and mentor at the conclusion of the course. The letter includes instructor feedback, final percentage and grade for the course, and credit earned.

EdOptions Online Academy

Course Extension Requests:
Extensions are not typically available at EdOptions; if a student does not complete in time, he will be graded out and withdrawn. In the event of extenuating circumstances, EdOptions will consider an extension comparable to the student’s needs. Extension requests should be submitted to EdOptions via the DLD.

Exam proctoring:
EdOptions requires a proctor for all exams; Mentors may serve as proctors.

Grades and progress information:
EdOptions’s parent and mentor login allows parents and mentors to see progress and final grade reports as they are posted in the student grade book.

Student orientations:
EdOptions students are not required to complete orientations, but orientation modules are available at any time throughout the course.

Federal Way Internet Academy

Auto withdrawal policy:
Any student failing to complete the required Federal Way Internet Academy student orientation within the first two weeks will be put on notice to be automatically withdrawn by the Federal Way Internet Academy for inactivity in their online course. Mentors assigned to these students will receive an email from the Federal Way Internet Academy, prompting intervention to keep the student enrolled in the course.

Books:
FWIA courses generally link to required reading online, or require students to read materials readily accessible at local and school libraries. Neither the DLD nor FWIA orders these print materials for your students.

Course Support roles:
FWIA considers DLD Mentors the primary adult contact for students. FWIA instructors often engage parents, though, when parent contact information is provided during the registration process.

Email:
After students have retrieved their FWIA “welcome” email messages and login instructions from their DLD email accounts, all correspondence with FWIA teachers from students should take place through the internal email system within the FWIA learning platform (Angel LMS). Students continue to use their DLD email accounts to communicate with their assigned DLD Tutors.

Grades and progress information:
FWIA will email the Mentor instructions on setting up an Insight Account. The Insight account allow the Mentor to track student progress giving access to the students current grades, log data, syllabi, and course content. Mentors may add additional students to their Insight account provided the Mentor has the student’s FWIA User ID and originating passwords. FWIA emails final grades to the student and mentor following each course, and mails a paper copy of grade reports at the end of the school year. Mentors can request the grade report prior to the end of the year via email.

Registration confirmations:
FWIA emails students their account information, including login and start-up instructions; a copy of this email is sent to the Mentor and parents.

Required student orientations:
Students will not have access to their online course and instruction until they have completed the required student orientation.

Weekly Contact Requirements:
Students are expected to submit work each week following the provided checklist. They are also expected to maintain weekly communication with their teacher, ask for assistance when needed, and respond to e-mails from the teacher. If they are having trouble keeping up with the checklist, they should email their teacher immediately. The teacher is flexible and willing to work with students to meet their needs as they are communicated. If students are unable to meet these expectations, they will be dropped from the class for lack of attendance.

Giant Campus of Washington

Extensions
Giant Campus will allow extensions due to special circumstances such as inclement weather, power outages, etc. Students can make the extension request through their Mentors and online teachers or Mentors can request extensions via the DLD who will process the request through Giant Campus’ enrollments team. The maximum extension will be 10 school days. There will be no fees associated to approved extensions.

Grades and Transcripts:
Giant Campus emails final grades to the student, mentor, and parent (when their email is disclosed at registration) in the week following the end of each semester. A paper report is issued to students and parents approximately two weeks after the end of each semester.

Progress Reports:
Progress reports are emailed to students, mentors and parents (when their email is disclosed at registration) once a month. Students, parents and mentors can access grade information from the online campus at any time.

Registration Confirmations/Login Info:
Giant Campus sends a welcome email to the student’s DLD email account one week before the start of the semester. This email includes login and start-up instructions. This email is also sent to parents (when their email is disclosed at registration) and mentors, detailing their process for logging in and accessing current grades and progress reports.

Required Student Orientations:
Students are required to attend one of the live orientation sessions that are scheduled in the first week of each semester. Students who miss the orientation must watch a recorded version before beginning their coursework. In addition, students must attend a course-specific orientation, led by their instructor, during the first week of the semester.

Software:
Some Giant Campus technology courses require students to purchase software before starting the course. Required software is included in the course description and purchase information is communicated via email to parents, students and mentors once the student’s registration has been processed by Giant Campus.

Weekly Contact Requirements:
Students are required to maintain regular, weekly communication with their Giant Campus teacher, keep pace with the assignments calendar for their course, and attend weekly synchronous class meetings. For students who cannot attend the weekly class meetings, a recording is made available for them to view. Students who are having difficulty completing work on a regular basis will be contacted by their teacher.

Red Comet

Registration confirmations:
Students will receive, via auto-email, a welcome message including course URL and instructions for accessing their course work and they will receive an additional email with their username and password. School mentors do not receive any notice of enrollment but will receive their own Mentor welcome message and credentials to Red Comet’s system.

Student/Mentor orientations:
Red Comet students and mentors are not required to complete orientations; however, orientation and an instruction manual are always available on the platform.

Books:
Red Comet courses generally link to required reading online, or require students to read materials readily accessible at local and school libraries. Neither the DLD nor Red Comet orders these print materials for your students.

Progress Reports:
Red Comet monitors student academic performance and lesson completion. School mentors will be notified of performance and completion status.
To monitor student lesson completion, mentors may access student status reports online.

Progress reports are emailed to the school mentors as a student completes a section (student submits final essay and exam for a section). Status reports will not be released to parents or students. It is the school mentor’s responsibility to maintain student contact regarding grades and completion status. School mentors may request a current grade report at any time by contacting Red Comet administration.

The Enrollment Expiration Date is displayed on the Table of Contents for every course. Red Comet sends (via automatic email) weekly notices to students once their registration has less than 30 days to expire.

Upon the student’s completion of the course, final grade reports will be emailed to the school mentor. Red Comet will issue Official Transcripts of Credit and send via US Mail or Fax directly to the Registrar at student’s high school.

Course Extension Requests:
Extensions are not typically available at Red Comet; if a student does not complete in time, he will be graded out and withdrawn. In the event of extenuating circumstances, Red Comet will consider an extension comparable to the student’s needs. Extension requests should be submitted to Red Comet via the DLD.

Exam proctoring:
Red Comet requires a proctor for all exams. School Personnel/Teachers/Mentors may serve as proctors.
In order to maintain the integrity and security of their credit recovery courses, Red Comet has added passwords to ALL unit and final exams. Mentors will receive proctoring passwords via email but Red Comet administration will NOT give the password to the student.

Students should be forewarned that their assessments (essays and exams) are designed to be completed in one sitting and are timed. Exams will be ‘locked out’ if they close or have interrupted internet access mid-way through an assessment. These kinds of interruptions will leave students unable to complete the quiz, though mistakenly closed assessments might be re-opened via a request to Red Comet administration.

Mentors should note that Firefox is a more reliable browser (and is recommended) in which to take Red Comet assessments, as it is less prone to mistakenly closing and locking assessments.

Plagiarism/Cheating:
All Red Comet students are expected to be honest and behave with integrity. There will be no questions asked nor explanations accepted for plagiarism, cheating, or any other acts that suggest that the student has not fulfilled these responsibilities. Any evidence of academic dishonesty and plagiarism may result in a grade “F” for the course or for a particular activity. All instances of dishonest behavior will also be reported to the High School administration.

Communications:
Red Comet allows the student to communicate with teachers and administrative staff via phone, email, fax, and Live Chat.

Red Comet supports various communication tools to help the student effectively communicate with the teacher. These include: GoToMeeting / Skype meeting to solve academic issues, addressing issue during “Office Hours” posted by the teacher, messaging on the platform.

Spokane Virtual Learning

Books:
SVL courses generally link to required reading online, or require students to read materials readily accessible at local and school libraries. Neither the DLD nor SVL orders these print materials for your students.

Grades and progress information:
Once a student has been enrolled, SVL sends the mentor a welcome message containing the credentials needed to use the “observer” role within SVL’s courseware system. This will allow mentors to view everything going on with the online student, including grades, announcements, and teacher feedback. SVL also sends student progress reports to the student’s assigned Mentor, by email, every two weeks.

Registration confirmations:
SVL emails students their account information, including login and start-up instructions; Mentors receive a copy of those welcome messages.

Required student orientations:
Students will not have access to their online course and instruction until they have completed the required student orientation.

The VHS Collaborative (VHS)

• Books:
  Required books and materials are sent to the VHS-eligible Mentor at the school one week after the course start date. Books can be tracked via the VHS media tracking system on the VHS website.

• Communications:
  Student-Teacher communication happens within the VHS course environment. Outside emails to teachers, even those sent using DLD email accounts, cannot be tracked and accounted for in the VHS system. Be sure students know to look for their private student-teacher discussion thread within their online course.

• Course Support roles:
  Once Mentors have successfully completed the VHS Course Support Training and have signed the VHS participant agreement, they are given VHS login credentials and activated in the VHS system.

• Grades and progress information:
  Student grades and progress information can be accessed via the VHS online grading system on the VHS faculty website.

• Pacing: To afford students the benefit of the weekend, VHS course weeks begin on Wednesdays and run through Tuesdays. VHS courses are broken up into weekly units, so students need to be mindful of this schedule when planning their coursework and assignments.

• Registration confirmations:
  VHS does not send registration confirmations and login information to the students. This information can be located within the DLD registration system in the registration roster under “Existing Registrations.” Registrars should email VHS login and start date information to students’ DLD email accounts upon registration.

• Required student orientations:
  While students will have access to their online course and instruction on their first day of class, they must complete the required student orientation found on their VHS homepage.

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