Technology Applications Readiness Grants for Empowering Texas
TARGET

Virtual High Policy Manual

Effective Fall 2004

Registration process

1.    Copy of student application and parent letter faxed to VS administrator and a teacher report with student's information emailed to VS teachers.

2.    Welcome email sent to student from VS administrator .

3.    Registration verification sent to school counselor from VS administrator.

4.    Follow-up on student orientation completion within one week by VS administrator.  Students must complete orientation within two weeks or counselors will be notified that the student is not a good candidate for online learning. VS teachers will be notified of this result.

5.    Upon successful completion of the orientation (ie-VS administrator receives Orientation Verification form from student via email), a username and password is issued to the student.  Teacher is notified that orientation is complete.

6.    Teacher places welcome call to student.

7.    Student is required to page teacher to ensure that he/she knows how to do this.

Student Responsibilities

  Quality

It is important for the student to approach all course activities with his or her best effort.  This will result in quality results that will be evident in the work that is turned in, test results, and overall success in the class.

Assignments

The student should consult course pacing charts, and keep in close contact with the teacher to insure that lesson modules are completed in a timely manner.  Failure in this aspect of student responsibility can result in point deductions, falling behind, and failure in the class completion.  Assigned work helps the student to learn the concepts, and prepare for proctored tests.  The student should complete assignments by the established due dates, and turn in their best efforts.

Communication

There are several ways that the student can contact the class teachers.  E-mail, pager, and telephone calls are all options that are available.  When the student experiences difficulties, problems, or has questions, his or her responsibility is to contact one of the teachers using one of the available means of contact.  The students should contact the class teachers once a week to report their concerns and successes.  This weekly contact is required, and will count 10% of the course grade.

Exams

The exams count 50% of the course.  These are proctored tests, and will be monitored.  The student has the responsibility of studying for these tests.  The importance of this test makes it imperative that the student starts preparing for the tests well in advance.  In the event that the student fails a proctored test, they will be allowed one opportunity for retake.  The retake will be a different test.

Instructor  Responsibilities

Instructors will:

Communication Policy

Students: 

1.         The student must communicate with the teacher at least once a week.  If students are unable to complete an assignment during an entire week, they must make contact with the instructor in some form.  This will make up a portion of the participation grade for the course.

2.         During the first week of class participation, students will utilize the instructor's pager as one of the class tasks.  This will allow both instructor and student to clarify that the pager number has been communicated properly and is working.

Teachers:

1.         Teachers will return the call to the students, email or TikiWiki as soon as possible.

2.         Teachers will send out progress reports, at the very least, every six weeks. These will be sent to the counselors. 

Parents:

1.         Parents should make initial contact with the teacher by means of the beeper.  In this way we know that they know how to do this and that they can do this whenever they want to check on the child. 

2.         In addition, parents are a part of their child’s success in the program.  The parent should not remain uninvolved.  Parents should feel free to contact the teacher via phone, email, or IM at any time.  Parents should, if possible, give their personal email address to the teacher. 

3.         The policy of SUPERNet Virtual School is to deal with the student first.  If students do not respond, parents will be contacted.  If a teacher is contacting the parent about a concern, they will have attempted to resolve the issue with the student first, therefore, the matter needs parental intervention.

Counselors: 

1.   Teachers will have the name(s) email and phone numbers of the counselors and they will have the same for instructors.

2. Counselor should contact the teacher if they fail to receive the scheduled progress report or need any additional information on the progress of the student.

Grading Policy

1. Late work will result in a grade reduction to be determined by the teacher.

2. Course grade will be determined by the following:

          a) Proctored Exam(s)- 50% *

          b) Daily - 40%

          c) Participation - 10% 

*The nature of online coursework demands that proctored exams make up a significant enough percentage of the grade as to make it virtually impossible to pass the course without passing the cumulative exam.

3. The participation grade resulting in 10% of your final grade will be earned by communicating weekly with the teacher in addition to lesson submission by at least one of the following methods (per teacher discretion):

a) phone

b) e-mail

c) instant messenger

d) face-to-face 

e) Tiki Wiki