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HCPSS / POLICIES

Policy 8200 Implementation Procedures - Digital Education

Implementation Procedures

I. Course Access

  1. Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) students may be eligible to enroll in HCPSS supplemental digital education (blended, fully-online and virtual learning) under the following:

    1. The school does not offer the course.

    2. There is a scheduling conflict which prevents the student from taking the course when it is available and there is no accessible alternative in future academic years.

    3. The student has been approved for early graduation or early college access demonstrated through their four-year plan.

    4. Home and Hospital Teaching Program.

    5. Administrative placement.

  2. HCPSS may establish an enrollment process for non-HCPSS students to apply to enroll in HCPSS supplemental digital education based on the number of available seats in published courses.

  3. HCPSS students may apply to enroll in a full-time digital education virtual program. Enrollment is based on the availability of courses and qualified teachers.

  4. The HCPSS may limit enrollments for all students based on the availability of courses and qualified teachers.

  5. The HCPSS will work with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), HCPSS Curriculum Offices and schools to determine course needs for the following school year.

II. Enrollment Requirements

  1. HCPSS offers two (2) forms of digital education with three (3) course options:

    1. Supplemental Digital Education

      1. Blended Learning – A student may enroll in supplemental blended learning courses through their designated home school or HCPSS program outside of the school day or year. The school or program will advertise enrollment processes prior to enrollment.

      2. Fully-Online Learning – A student may enroll in up to two (2) supplemental, fully-online learning courses per single school year. The school will receive parent approval prior to enrollment, consistent with the HCPSS course scheduling process.

      3. Virtual Learning – A student may enroll in supplemental virtual learning courses during the school day at a HCPSS school. The school will work with the Digital Education Program Office to schedule students in courses, consistent with the HCPSS course scheduling process.

    2. Full-time Digital Education

      Virtual Learning – HCPSS students enrolled in full-time virtual learning courses through a digital education virtual program may take all of their courses virtually per single school year. The parent will apply for enrollment prior to the start of the school year.

  2. A student may exceed the registration course limit for fully-online learning courses with approval from the school administrator and the Digital Education Program Office.

  3. Students may enroll in a supplemental digital education course after the posted withdrawal deadline if they are able to complete the course requirements by the posted end date.

  4. Students who do not successfully earn credit in digital education courses, may be denied enrollment in future courses. Parents may appeal in writing to the school administrator and the Digital Education Program Office before enrolling.

  5. Credit recovery may be earned by students who complete a course where they were previously enrolled but did not earn credit. Students who are currently failing a course may participate in school-based interventions outside of the credit recovery program.

  6. Students may enroll in a digital education virtual program after the start of the academic year with administrative approval.

  7. Students enrolled in a digital education virtual program may elect to continue enrollment for the following school year or return to their designated home school.

III. Supervision, Attendance and Participation

  1. Schools may schedule students in supplemental digital education courses at a physical school during or outside the traditional school day. When a supplemental digital education course is scheduled during the school day, students will be supervised by school personnel.

    School personnel supervising digital education students are responsible for:

    1. Recording the digital education student’s daily attendance.

    2. Ensuring the health, safety, and general welfare of students.

  2. Students enrolled in a digital education virtual program who come on-site to their designated home school to access an activity, program, or services will be supervised by school personnel at that school.

  3. Attendance for digital education courses will apply based on how and when the course is taken:

    1. Supplemental Digital Education:

      1. During the school day, digital education student’s attendance follows the process outlined in Policy 9010 Attendance.

      2. Outside the school day, digital education student’s attendance is tracked for all required face-to-face sessions (orientation, proctored exams, course instruction, labs, etc.).

      3. Policy 9010 Attendance does not apply to supplemental, blended or fully-online courses.

    2. Full-Time Digital Education:

      1. Student attendance, while enrolled in a digital education virtual program, follows the process outlined in Policy 9010 Attendance for scheduled synchronous class sessions.

      2. Policy 9010 Attendance does not apply to scheduled asynchronous work time.

  4. Participation requirements will be communicated to the digital education student prior to the beginning of the course.

    1. Participation is defined as the degree to which the digital education student is making adequate progress toward completing the course requirements by the posted end date.

    2. Digital education students in grades 6-12 who fail to participate in supplemental courses may be withdrawn from the digital education course in accordance with Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: Middle and High School.

    3. Parents of students who are not making progress in a digital education virtual program may request reassignment following the process outlined in Policy 9000 Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment and Assignment to request student reassignment to in-person instruction at their designated home school.

    4. All students in all grade levels participating in assessed digital education courses will be required to take state mandated, district-selected and district-designed assessments and surveys.

      1. Remote participation will be offered if allowed by the assessment or survey program.

      2. Students will be required to attend in-person testing sessions at a designated school/site to complete assessments or surveys that do not offer remote participation.

      3. When students are unable to attend in-person sessions, arrangements will be made to administer assessments or surveys by staff in an appropriate setting.

IV. Fees

  1. There are no fees for full-time digital education courses as they are the student’s primary instruction.

  2. The HCPSS will provide a fee schedule for HCPSS and non-HCPSS digital education supplemental courses, which may include application fees, course material fees or tuition.

    1. HCPSS students who meet the eligibility requirements are not responsible for course fees.

    2. HCPSS students who do not meet the eligibility requirements, or exceed the registration course limit, may enroll in additional approved courses with an online learning provider under a separate agreement that requires the parent to pay any tuition or course fees.

    3. Non-HCPSS students enrolled in HCPSS digital education will be charged a fee based on the fee schedule.

  3. Fees for supplemental courses are non-refundable unless otherwise specified in the fee schedule. The schedule will include options for tuition reduction based on student circumstance.

V. Curriculum Review, Design and Development

The HCPSS will use the following to inform digital education courses:

  1. The curriculum standards for HCPSS digital education courses will be the same used for all HCPSS schools.

  2. In order to offer fully-online courses, the HCPSS will comply with COMAR. In the event a fully-online course has not been approved by MSDE, the HCPSS may conduct a review and submit its results to MSDE for approval.

  3. The course expectations for student-to-teacher communication and academic support meet nationally recognized professional standards and are described as such in a course syllabus.

VI. Teacher Criteria

  1. HCPSS teachers teaching supplemental or full-time courses will meet the certification requirements determined by the MSDE and HCPSS. Teachers will complete required professional learning with a focus on digital teaching and learning.

  2. HCPSS teachers teaching a fully-online course will meet the following criteria:

    1. Completed online teaching preparation course.

    2. Completed a digital education mentoring experience.

  3. The HCPSS will include the following contract language with the online learning provider when using non-HCPSS teachers to teach fully-online courses:

    1. Hold a state-level certification in the content area (for AP courses, have met the criteria for AP courses).

    2. Completed online teaching preparation course.

    3. Received satisfactory evaluation from the online learning provider.

  4. Additional staff may work with digital education students in a supporting role (site-based mentor, supervising teacher, paraeducator, special educator, etc.). Supporting staff may not grade student work but may provide other academic and non-academic supports.

  5. The delivery of instruction begins when the digital education student interacts with the digital education teacher and related digital content and receives ongoing assistance and assessment of learning. The instruction may include approved curriculum developed by HCPSS or online learning providers.

VII. School Responsibilities

  1. Designated home schools will provide programs and services such as meals, extracurricular opportunities, special education and related services to students enrolled in digital education virtual programs. Some services may be provided at a physical location through a face-to-face provider as determined by the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The digital education virtual program will designate staff to coordinate services with the appropriate staff from the student’s designated home school.

  2. HCPSS schools will provide school-based staff members to work with the Digital Education Program Office. Identified school staff will assist in disseminating information regarding digital education to students, parents, school staff and administration. Staff may also facilitate:

    1. Site-based mentoring.

    2. Scheduling digital education student supervision.

    3. Monitoring academic progress.

  3. Responsibilities can be shared between an administrator and school staff. Schools will match staff members with the responsibilities that best meet the needs of the students and the school.

  4. For supplemental digital education courses, the school will provide information on a student’s progress and final credits earned to the student and the student’s parent.

  5. For full-time digital education courses, the Digital Education Program Office staff will provide information on a student’s progress and final credits earned to the student and the student’s parent.

VIII. Technology Access

  1. Students using a personal device or HCPSS-owned device are responsible for the use of the device in accordance with Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media and the HCPSS Student Code of Conduct.

  2. Students using an HCPSS-owned device are required to complete an HCPSS Device Agreement Form.

IX. Grading and Progress Reporting

  1. Grading and progress reporting for digital education courses will apply based on how and when the course is taken:

    1. Supplemental Digital Education:

      1. Students enrolled in supplemental digital education synchronous courses during the school day are subject to grading, reporting, and eligibility guidelines outlined in Policy 8010 Grading and Reporting: Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 5 and Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: Middle and High School.

      2. Students enrolled in supplemental digital education asynchronous blended and fully-online courses are subject to grading, reporting, and eligibility guidelines outlined in Policy 8010 Grading and Reporting: Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 5 and Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: Middle and High School with modifications, such as:

        1. Marking Period

          • The start and end dates for course instruction may be different than the traditional school calendar.

          • Marking period grades will be earned by semester.

        2. End of Semester Examinations

          End of semester examinations may be scheduled at a time outside the traditional school calendar exam window.

        3. Reporting

          Course names are listed on interim and quarterly report cards; however, grades are only included on the final report card.

    2. Full-Time Digital Education

      Students enrolled in a digital education virtual program are subject to grading, reporting, and eligibility guidelines outlined in Policy 8010 Grading and Reporting: Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 5 and Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: Middle and High School.

      1. Digital education virtual program courses may be scheduled as a semester or full-year option which may differ from the schedule at the student’s designated home school.

      2. If a student is reassigned from a digital education virtual program to their designated home school during the school year, their grades will be averaged proportionately with classroom grades where possible.

  2. When a course is taken as a combination of traditional face-to-face courses and digital education, the digital education grades are averaged proportionately with classroom grades and placed on the report card.

  3. When a course is taken as credit recovery, the final grade from taking the course originally and for retaking the course will both be included in the cumulative GPA and will be recorded on the transcript.

  4. Digital education students are expected to monitor their own progress daily. Parents and school counselors may receive progress reports through the student, the digital education virtual program, the Digital Education Program Office, or the online learning provider.

X. Program Reporting

  1. The HCPSS will prepare a yearly digital education status update that may include the following:

    1. Number of digital education student enrollment.

    2. Number and type of courses taken.

    3. Completion/retention data.

    4. Stakeholder survey data.

    5. HCPSS digital education teacher summary.

    6. Non-HCPSS digital education teacher summary.

  2. The HCPSS will review and evaluate the course delivery models available to HCPSS students.

XI. Definitions

Within the context of these implementation procedures, the following definitions apply:

  1. Asynchronous – When learning occurs in elapsed time and where the teacher and student do not share the same physical location.

  2. Blended Learning – A digital education instructional method where instruction is a combination of asynchronous and synchronous with less than 80 percent of the instruction asynchronous.

  3. Credit Recovery – Credit awarded for the completion of a course where the student was previously enrolled but did not earn credit.

  4. Designated Home School – The school appointed by virtue of a student’s attendance area as outlined in Policy 9000 Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment and Assignment.

  5. Fully-Online Learning – A digital education instructional method where the majority (80 percent or more) of the instruction is asynchronous.

  6. Parent – Any one of the following, recognized as the adult(s) legally responsible for the student:

    1. Biological Parent – A natural parent whose parental rights have not been terminated.

    2. Adoptive Parent – A person who has legally adopted the student and whose parental rights have not been terminated.

    3. Custodian – A person or agency appointed by the court as the legal custodian of the student and granted parental rights and responsibilities.

    4. Guardian – A person who has been placed by the court in charge of the affairs of the student and granted parental rights and responsibilities.

    5. Caregiver – An adult resident of Howard County who exercises care, custody, or control over the student but who is neither the biological parent nor legal guardian, as long as the person satisfies the requirements of the Education Article, §7-101 (c) (Informal Kinship Care) or has been issued a U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Verification of Release form entering into a custodial arrangement with the federal government.

    6. Foster Parent – An adult approved to care for a child who has been placed in their home by a state agency or a licensed child placement agency as provided by the Family Law Article, §5-507.

  7. Synchronous – When students communicate with the teacher in real time but may not share the same physical location.

  8. Virtual Learning – A digital education instructional method where the majority (80% or more) of the instruction is synchronous.

XII. History

ADOPTED: January 12, 2017

REVIEWED:

MODIFIED: July 15, 2021

REVISED:

EFFECTIVE: July 15, 2021