APS Online

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What characteristics will APS online students have?
  • High School students motivated to complete tasks and have stamina and perseverance for self-paced learning.
  • Have the necessary academic and technology skills to be successful in an online environment
  • Seeking an online alternative to the traditional high school environment.
  • Need and/or desire to complete classroom work both at home and in a lab setting.
• What will graduation look like?
  • Students who graduate from high school in the initial semester of APS Online (Spring 2010) will have the option of attending graduation at their home school, as well as, a ceremony honoring their achievement at APS Online.
• Can students participate in sports?
  • Students can participate in clubs, sports and other activities at their home high school for the initial sememster of APS Online.
• Why an online high school?
  • “Providing Students a Choice to be Successful” is the vision of APS Online. Many of today’s students require an educational experience beyond that of the traditional High School. APS Online provides that choice for those students who wish to pursue their high school education in an online environment. Students who wish to accelerate their learning or need the flexibility of an online program will thrive in APS Online.

    “Educating the 21st Century Student in a 21st Century Classroom” is our mission. In order to properly prepare our students to meet the unique challenges of the 21st Century APS Online will provide the core academic rigor while at the same time preparing the student for an increasingly technological society.

    The purpose of APS Online is to provide for a choice for Aurora Public Schools students who wish to pursue an online alternative to the traditional high school program. According to the Sloan Consortium, the overall number of K-12 students nationwide engaged in online courses in 2007-2008 is estimated at 1,030,000. This represents a 47% increase since 2005-2006. In Colorado alone the estimated enrollment for 2008-2009 is about 12,000, up from 9,200 the previous year. Many families across the nation and here in Colorado are increasing choosing online courses over traditional high school courses for a variety of reasons.

• Will my child have a high school counselor?
  • Yes, all students will be required to meet with an Aurora Public Schools counselor as part of the admission process. At this meeting the counselor will be able to conduct a transcript review to determine an individualize learning plan for the student Students will have ongoing access to a counselor to plan for learning plan changes, test preparation, and post secondary plans.
• How do students complete assignments?
  • Students will complete the bulk of their work online in the courses provided by Education 2020. Online work will include vocabulary, multimedia lectures, online lab, online assignments including journaling in all academic content areas, and online quizzes. Students will be required to attend the APS Online Lab to take topic and cumulative tests. Students will also be required to complete internet safety topics, academic success training, and skills remediation if required both online and at the lab.
• Why do students have to meet twice a week?
  • Students accepted into the APS Online Program will be required to attend 2 afternoon or evening sessions each week. During this time students will have to complete secure topic and unit tests in their academic classes as these cannot be taken remotely. In addition Students will receive small group and individual academic skills remediation to ensure academic success. Online safety and academic success strategy workshops will also be offered by an APS instructor in the classroom. Students will also be working on the content course in a collaborative atmosphere.
• What is the curriculum?
  • The majority of the curriculum will be provided by the commercial vendor, Education 2020. These courses contain rich multimedia content and supplemental materials delivered over the internet.

    Lectures and Labs within the course are taught by Licensed/High Qualified Teachers in their content areas. Courses are divided into quarter length units. Each year long course is from 70 to 110 hours to complete and replicates in breadth and depth the content provided in a traditional classroom setting.

    A student progresses in each course as mastery is achieved over each lesson segment, and student competency can be supported with formative and summative assessment for each lesson, unit and course.

    Education 2020 will provide the following courses aligned to Aurora Public Schools pacing guides, content standards and benchmarks. These courses are already in use in Aurora Public Schools Original and Credit Recovery supplemental programs at Aurora Central HS, Hinkley HS, Rangeview HS, and Gateway HS.

• How do I enroll my child?
  • Student and Guardian must attend and Orientation/Overview session or appointment to receive the application documents
  • Student and Guardian must complete all required admission documents by the admission deadline
    • Interest Inventory
    • Online student self check
    • Declaration of Residency
    • Emergency Contact Card
    • Acceptable Use Policy and Computer Use Agreement
    • APS Registration Information (if new to APS)
  • Student and Guardian are notified of acceptance into APS Online student makes an appointment with counselor
  • Meeting with counselor for transcript review and completion of Individual academic plan completes the admission process.
• Who are the staff members?
  • Principal (full time): Randy Wood has worked with Aurora Public Schools for over 25 years as a teacher, media specialist, technology teacher, technology training specialist and coordinator of online learning. The Principal is responsible for the administration of the online program and the supervision of Counselors and Instructor. The administrator will also act as a liaison to the Chief Academic Officer, Director of Student Achievement (Curriculum) and Director of Instruction Technology.
  • Online Instructor (full time): To be determined
    The online instructor is responsible for the daily instructional interactions with students both online and face to face.
  • Counselor (part time): Counselors will be recruited from Aurora Central High School and will be responsible for helping students to plan an appropriate educational pathway, test preparation and post secondary plans and internships.
• What technology and access will students need?
  • Students will receive a netbook computer with a high speed broadband card to access content for any location. This will ensure that all students at APS Online have access to the online content. It will be the students responsibility to ensure that the technology provided is not lost, stolen or misused. Students will return the netbook and broadband card upon graduation or when exiting APS Online. The netbook has security features built into the system to monitor internet usage and include filtering inappropriate content.
• When does the program run?
  • Classes will begin the week of January 4, 2009. APS Online will follow the traditional district calendar for holidays and deadlines. The calendar can be found at online at www.aps.k12.co.us/district-info/calendar/cal0910.pdf
• How will I track my child’s progress?
  • Students can request updates on academic progress daily or weekly by email. Parents/guardians can also attend scheduled parent/teacher conferences and request conferences with staff when necessary. Progress will also be reported to parents/guardians at mid-quarter and quarter breaks.
• How long do students have to complete classes each semester?
  • Students will have one quarter to complete each class. The time necessary to complete courses will vary from student to student. Students will be able to access their content and proceed at their own pace provided they are on target to complete assigned courses at the end of each quarter and semester.