Many kids come to us thinking online school will be a breeze, but ONLINE LEARNING IS HARD! We hear this from our students all the time.

Students have to log in 5 days a week. This is how we take attendance. It doesn't matter which days they work as long as they are working 5 days. Students who have a jobs during the weekdays, might log into courses on Saturday & Sunday to free up hours during the week. Failure to log in 5 days each week however, is grounds for removal of the program.

WILL YOU BE ABLE TO LOG IN 5 DAYS EACH WEEK?

Learning takes time. You will be reading online textbooks, watching & listening to lectures, completing assignments. You will need to spend 4-5 hours working but it does not matter when you log those hours. If you don't like mornings, you can do your work at night. In fact we have online students logged in from 8:00 pm to 1:00am!

Just as in regular high school, some classes are easier and take less of your time while others are harder and you have to spend more time, the same is true in online courses. You may be able to complete assignments in some courses in less time. Others may take more work. The 4-5 hours is just an average of what we see our successful students doing.

WILL YOU SPEND 4-5 HOURS EACH DAY WORKING ON COURSE WORK?

Since you do not come to school, all your contact with teachers is via email, phone calls, chat and online tools. If you are stuck on an assignment, it is your responsibility to let your teacher know so she/he can help. Also, you will need to keep in regular contact with your mentor. Failure to return phone calls and/or email is grounds for removal from the program.

WILL YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEACHERS AND MENTORS ON A WEEKLY BASIS?

There are times when you will need to come into the District. You will have to take any State tests (like the MEAP and MME) in person in one of our buildings. Also, you will need to come in for your course final exams. We also offer tutoring and assistance with assignments frequently. You will need to come into our office for this help.

WILL YOU BE ABLE TO GET TO OUR DISTRICT FOR THE REQUIRED MEETINGS?

Since you will be using a computer to complete your courses, communicate with your teachers and complete assignments, you will need fairly good tech skills. You will need email and high speed internet access, and the ability to send and receive attachments.

HOW GOOD ARE YOUR COMPUTER SKILLS?

You will be working from home! No more going to classrooms filled with kids (some friends and some not). Many kids like this about online learning. They hate the "drama" of high school and like working from home. But some kids miss the fun things that go along with high school. They miss the clubs and sports. They miss seeing their friends every day.

WILL YOU MISS THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF HIGH SCHOOL?

Again, online learning is not easy! One of the best things about online learning is that you have control; one of the worst things about online learning is that you have control. It is VERY easy to put off logging in because you don't feel like working on your courses. You promise yourself that you will log in the next day. This is how kids get behind and fail classes. We can help you with assignments and course material, but ONLY YOU can make yourself log in and do the work.

WILL YOU WORK HARD?

Follow these links to see if you are ready for online high school:

Student Self-Assessment for Online Learning Readiness

Online Learning Readiness Assessment

Self-Assessment for Distance Learning