Make administrative decisions regarding the implementation of online courses that best support student learning.

School and district administrators can make specific decisions about the implementation of online courses in their school that can positively affect the impact of the Course Support team on the experiences of online students.

Authority. Give your Course Support (CS) team the authority to make decisions regarding the:

• Identification of potential online students.
• Selection of appropriate courses.
• Logistical support of online students.
• Application of students' online credits to their local transcripts.

Communication. Communicate the CS team members' responsibilities to school staff (who does what and who to talk to when staff have questions).

Schedules. Help accommodate CS team members' roles in supporting online students by adding some flexibility to their schedules.

Release time. If possible, give Teacher/Mentors release time to work with students during the school day and compensate them for time spent on their CS duties outside of their normally contracted hours.

Policies. Create policies addressing which students can take which courses, how, and according to what procedures. Make sure these policies are in place before students enroll in online courses. This enables schools to respond consistently and fairly to all students and their varied needs. Answering these common questions can help you create policies:

• Who will pay for students' online courses?
  • Are DLC Course Credit Funds allocated in the form of "scholarships"? Based on what criteria?
  • Are refunds awarded to students for successful completions?
  • Will retained FTE dollars be contributed to defray course costs?
  • Will other funding sources, like Title I monies, be earmarked for online courses?
• Do students have access to online courses otherwise available at the school?
• Will online courses be used when a student's schedule prohibits enrollment in a local version of a course?
• Can a student be required to take an online course when discipline or other problems make participating in a face-to-face course problematic, even when other options are available (such as taking the course at a later date, with another teacher, or at a nearby school)?
• Are online courses used for credit recovery only? Or for enrichment only? Or other reasons?
• Are students required to complete an "application process," which may include:
  • parental/guardian permissions
  • teacher recommendations
  • verification of minimum academic standing
  • a statement of commitment to the completion of the online course, in order to participate in an online course?
• Are students given a scheduled class period during or outside of the regular school day to complete online coursework and connect with their Teacher/Mentor?
• Were the ways in which credit values will be applied to student transcripts determined before the students registered for their courses?
  • Are online courses granted the same credit and value as face-to-face courses?
  • Are there limits to the number of online courses a student may enroll in? Can a full diploma be earned online?