Parent Orientation Guide 2010-2011 - K12 | Online Public School

Parent Orientation Guide 2010-2011

Arizona Virtual Academy

K12 Tucson Enrollment Center 4605 S. Palo Verde Rd. Suite 605

Tucson, AZ 85714 Fax: 866.989.0713

Phone: 866.467.6183

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PARENT ORIENTATION GUIDE CONTENTS Dear Arizona Virtual Academy Family: ....................................................................................................... 5 AZVA Administrative ................................................................................................................................... 6 Organizational Chart ................................................................................................................................... 6 AZVA Administration Town Hall Meetings .................................................................................................. 6 Back to ContentsArizona Virtual Academy ................................................................................................. 6 Arizona Virtual Academy ............................................................................................................................. 7 10-11 School Calendar ............................................................................................................................... 7 K-8 .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Parent-Student Handbook .......................................................................................................................... 8 2010-2011 ................................................................................................................................................... 8

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 9 AZVA MISSION STATEMENT ................................................................................................................ 9 ADMISSION & ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................... 9 APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT ....................................................................................................... 9 Back to Contents ................................................................................................................................... 12 INSTRUCTIONAL TIME ........................................................................................................................ 12 ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY ................................................................................................................ 12 ATTENDANCE FAQs ............................................................................................................................ 13 ACADEMIC CALENDAR ....................................................................................................................... 17 ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT ............................................................................................................... 17 PARENT, STUDENT, TEACHER COMMUNICATION .......................................................................... 20 PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE CALLS/PORTFOLIO SESSIONS .............................................. 21 EXPECTATIONS ................................................................................................................................... 21 I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE ............................................................................................................. 22 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY ......................................................................................................... 23 STUDENT DISCIPLINE CODE ............................................................................................................. 24 AZVA STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT AND ...................................................................................... 24 ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES ........................................................................................................ 24 SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................. 28 OUTINGS AND CLUBS......................................................................................................................... 28 EXTRA-CURRICULAR POLICY ............................................................................................................ 29 ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 29 CHILD FIND .......................................................................................................................................... 30 SPECIAL EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................... 31 RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RtI) ................................................................................................. 32 DIBELS .................................................................................................................................................. 33 TITLE I SERVICES ............................................................................................................................... 34 ADVANCED LEARNER PROGRAM ..................................................................................................... 35 FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) ............................................................ 35 SCHOOL PROPERTY........................................................................................................................... 37 OPTIONAL OUTINGS ........................................................................................................................... 37 PARENT CONNECTIONS .................................................................................................................... 38 OBJECTIONABLE MATERIALS POLICY ........................................................................................... 39 PROGRESS REPORT .......................................................................................................................... 39 STUDENT RECORDS .......................................................................................................................... 43 TECHNOLOGY ISSUES AND USAGE ................................................................................................. 43 INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) REIMBURSEMENT POLICY ................................................ 44 WITHDRAWALS ................................................................................................................................... 44

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COMPLAINT RESPONSE PROCEDURE ........................................................................................... 44 ADMISSION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH ...................................................................... 45 PARENT ACCESS TO STAFF RESUMES ......................................................................................... 45 REQUIRED SIGNATURE PAGE............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Assessing Student Achievement .............................................................................................................. 56 PORTFOLIO PLAN 2010-2011 ............................................................................................................. 57 WORK SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND COVER SHEET ............................................................................ 58 WORK SAMPLE FEEDBACK TEMPLATE: 8th GRADE ........................................................................ 60 GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC .......................................................................................................... 61 STUDENT GOALS THROUGH INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLANS ............................................... 67 PROGRESS REPORT GUIDELINES ................................................................................................... 68 Back to Contents ................................................................................................................................... 68

Academic Support ..................................................................................................................................... 69 WEEKLY ONLINE ELLUMINATE CURRICULUM SPECIALIST SESSIONS-TEACHER LED ............. 70 All Sessions Start in September ............................................................................................................ 70 ELLUMINATE TIPS AND TRICKS ........................................................................................................ 71 AZVA WRITING PROGRAM ................................................................................................................. 74 GRADES K-2 WRITING RUBRIC ......................................................................................................... 75

Student Honor Roll .................................................................................................................................... 77 & NJHS ..................................................................................................................................................... 77

ELEMENTARY HONOR ROLL (K-5) .................................................................................................... 78 MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL (6-8) ............................................................................................... 78 National Junior Honor Society Membership (Grades 6-8) ..................................................................... 79 Back to ContentsMIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL AND NJHS RUBRIC ........................................... 79 MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL AND NJHS RUBRIC ...................................................................... 80 NJHS VOLUNTEER WORK TRACKING SHEET ................................................................................. 82

The Learning Coach: Programs, Tips & Tricks ........................................................................................ 83 SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT TRAININGS ..................................................................................... 84 The special education department will be offering trainings on a variety of topics each month to all parents. Please join us in the online Resource Room during the open times to review the training, and have your questions answered by a special education teacher. ........................................................... 84 Back to Contents ................................................................................................................................... 84 AZVA PARENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ..................................................................................... 85 MOTIVATING STUDENTS .................................................................................................................... 87 LEARNING COACH TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SCHEDULING AND ..................................................... 89 MANAGING IT ALL ............................................................................................................................... 89 SCHEDULING ....................................................................................................................................... 91

Virtual School Community: ........................................................................................................................ 93 Family Directory, Events, Clubs, & Outings .............................................................................................. 93

FAMILY DIRECTORY ........................................................................................................................... 94 K12 /AZVA YAHOO GROUPS ............................................................................................................... 96 K-8 OUTINGS ..................................................................................................................................... 100 8th GRADE TRANSITION ................................................................................................................... 100 Back to Contents ................................................................................................................................. 100 LIABILITY RELEASE AGREEMENT ................................................................................................... 101

K12 PC Setup Guide .............................................................................................................................. 102 SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER, KEYBOARD, AND MOUSE ........................................................ 105 HOW TO LOG ON AND CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD .................................................................... 106 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................. 107 Back to ContentsA GUIDE TO COMMON COMPUTER TERMS ....................................................... 108 A GUIDE TO COMMON COMPUTER TERMS ................................................................................... 109

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ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................ 110 Technology Best Practices ..................................................................................................................... 115 & Self Help Guide ................................................................................................................................... 115

TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES & SELF-HELP GUIDE ......................................................................... 116 WINDOWS UPDATES ........................................................................................................................ 116 ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE ................................................................................................................... 117 SPYWARE/ADWARE REMOVAL TOOLS .......................................................................................... 118 CONTENT ADVISOR .......................................................................................................................... 119 TROUBLESHOOTING INTERNET BROWSING ISSUES .................................................................. 119 TROUBLESHOOTING ELLUMINATE ISSUES ................................................................................... 122 Close the Java Control Panel .............................................................................................................. 124 Back to Contents ................................................................................................................................. 124 CYBER BULLYING ............................................................................................................................. 125 INTERNET SAFETY TIPS .................................................................................................................. 125 INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES ........................................................................................................... 127 OPENING E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS ................................................................................................... 127 TO OPEN ATTACHMENTS IN MICROSOFT OUTLOOK AND OUTLOOK EXPRESS: .................... 128 OPENING ATTACHMENTS IN OTHER E-MAIL PROGRAMS ........................................................... 128

School Supply List .................................................................................................................................. 129

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Dear Arizona Virtual Academy Family: Welcome to the 2010-11 school year at the Arizona Virtual Academy. AZVA is serving students in every county in the state, and the size of our school continues to grow. To best serve our continuing and new families, our teachers and administrators have developed several new programs. These programs are briefly described in this orientation packet, but your family will enjoy the greatest success in our program if you discuss your interest and participation in these programs with your teacher. During the last year and over the summer, the AZVA team has developed several online trainings for parents and students. The training sessions are highlighted in the Weekly Updates. Please join us at these trainings to learn more about the school and its programs. These trainings supplement the information provided in this Parent Orientation Guide. Our goals for this school year are to improve student achievement and build school community. The

K12 Curriculum and our school programs were designed with these goals in mind. Our teachers are your partners, and they are eager to support and assist your family. Please keep your orientation packet handy. This packet contains important calendars, phone numbers, and descriptions of programs. We have an exciting year ahead of us and are pleased you have selected our school. Please do not hesitate to contact your teacher or the AZVA administration if you have comments. Best wishes for a great year, AZVA Administration

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AZVA Administrative Organizational Chart

AZVA Administration Town Hall Meetings

Please take this opportunity to meet the AZVA Administrative team and share in a round table discussion.

More information will be available at a later time.

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Arizona Virtual Academy 10-11 School Calendar

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K-8 Parent-Student

Handbook 2010-2011

Arizona Virtual Academy 99 E Virginia, Suite 200

Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 476-1320 - phone

(602) 595-6874 - fax

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INTRODUCTION

This Parent-Student Handbook sets forth general guidance for parents and students enrolled in the Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA). AZVA is a charter school and is subject to the rules and regulations of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools. The State Board for Charter Schools guidelines are available online at http://www.asbcs.state.az.us. The AZVA charter contract is available from the AZVA office.

AZVA MISSION STATEMENT Revised by the AZVA governing body 6/5/07 AZVA is a partnership of families and teachers that empowers students in a flexible learning environment with a challenging curriculum, regardless of geographic, financial, or demographic circumstance. We are a community of pioneering educators providing an innovative use of technology to educate well-rounded, well-educated students. ADMISSION & ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Students in first through eighth grade participating in the AZVA must reside in Arizona and meet the age requirements in order to be eligible to enroll in AZVA. Admission to AZVA is based on completion and submission of all enrollment forms and materials within state guidelines. AZVA conducts open enrollment in April and May. A lottery is implemented if new enrollments exceed AZVA‘s approved capacity during the open enrollment period. After the open enrollment period, students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Should the need for a waitlist emerge, a waitlist application is date-stamped when AZVA receives all paperwork and placement test results. Siblings of AZVA students receive admission preference. State law requires a child to be five years of age on or before September 1 to start Kindergarten. AZVA extends this eligibility to students who are five years of age on or before December 31 if they demonstrate the necessary skills required to be successful in our Kindergarten curriculum. State law also requires a child to be six years of age on or before September 1 to start first grade. AZVA extends this eligibility also, to students who are six years of age on or before December 31st. Back to Contents APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT

The enrollment application for AZVA is available online at www.azva.org. Learning coaches submit the online application online via this link. AZVA strongly recommends faxing the required physical compliancy paperwork to 866-989-0713. If a learning coach

completes a paper enrollment, he/she submits the completed form to K12 at the address or fax number provided on the enrollment application.

http://www.asbcs.state.az.us/

http://www.arvs.org/

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Required Documentation All students are required to submit the first two documents listed prior to gaining admission into the Arizona Virtual Academy. If you are a legal guardian, or your child has an active IEP/504 plan, please note the additional required documentation listed.

Proof of residence Birth certificate Report card from the prior (2009-10) school year (if appropriate) State Standardized tests score from the 2009-2010 school year (if

appropriate) Proof of guardianship if not the biological parent (if appropriate) IEP/504 Plan (if appropriate)

Submission of the enrollment application does not guarantee acceptance into the school. All enrollment applications are placed on an enrollment list. If AZVA‘s enrollment list exceeds the charter‘s capacity after the open enrollment period, AZVA uses an equitable method to select students for admission. Sibling preference is given to students who have a sibling enrolled in the AZVA during the current or prior school year. Upon selection, families are notified by the AZVA to confirm intent to enroll and complete the enrollment process. Parents must fully complete the online or paper enrollment form, submit required documentation. Failure to provide all requested information may delay or forfeit the enrollment process. Students who have received services under the Individuals with Disabilities In Education Act (IDEA) must provide this information and, when possible, a copy of the student‘s most recent Individual Education Plan (IEP). Falsification of any information may be grounds for removal from the school. Back to Contents

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Families new to AZVA have the luxury of participating in a K¹²course entitled Introduction to K¹² Online Learning. This course will appear in the student‘s daily plan in the Online School and should be the VERY FIRST course that the learning coach and the student complete together. The course is required and is intended to be completed during each day of the first ten days of school. During this time the learning coach and student will:

Receive instructions about how to best use the Online School (OLS)

Review daily attendance and login requirements

Learn how to use the synchronous tool Elluminate

Participate in Scantron diagnostic assessments

Log on to Study Island, K¹² ‗s test preparation program

Receive an introduction to all courses

Get directions on communicating with the teacher via our internal mail system called K-mail

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We believe learning coaches and students will benefit greatly from participation in this course. We know that the lessons will help jump start the school year so learning coaches and students will soon be swiftly soaring to success!

OLS STUDENT ACCOUNT

AZVA requires students in grades 4-8 create a student account that is separate from the adult log in. The student account prevents student access to the answer keys, assessments, and other sections intended to be supervised by the Learning Coach while permitting access to the independent student material. All AZVA 4th through 8th grade students must have their own student login. As stated during the enrollment conversation with the enrollment specialist, a student‘s courses will be active 24 hours after the official enrollment date. Since the Online School (OLS) is a secure site, you will need to use the user name and password you created during the enrollment process to access it. Directions to log on to the OLS Adult Account:

1. Go to www.azva.org 2. Select Online School in the upper right-hand corner 3. Enter user name and password and click Login

Directions to create the OLS Student Account:

1. Login to the OLS using the Adult OLS Account username and password 2. Select My Account in the upper right-hand corner 3. Select Edit next to Student Accounts 4. Click the student‘s name and then complete the form on the right,

entering a username and password 5. Click Save

Under no circumstances should the student be given the Adult Login information or allowed to access the OLS using the Adult Login. Students who gain access to the OLS via the Adult Login will be given a warning and the teacher will reset the Adult Login Information. If a second incident occurs the student will be placed on Academic Probation which may result in withdrawal. Teachers who suspect a student has gained access to the OLS via the Adult Login will immediately notify the Learning Coach. The teacher will work with the Learning Coach to change the adult username and password and help the family establish username and password safety procedures as well as establish a separate student account. If the teacher is unable to make contact with the Learning Coach, the teacher may reset the password and user name for the Learning Coach.

Progress and/or attendance logged under suspicious circumstances will require verification. If progress and/or attendance cannot be verified in a timely manner; progress and/or attendance will be removed by the teacher.

http://www.azva.org/

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Back to Contents INSTRUCTIONAL TIME Arizona Revised Statutes 15-901(A)(2) requires all public schools offer a minimum of one-hundred-eighty (180) days of instruction between July 1 and June 30. Additionally, statute requires a minimum number of instructional hours by grade level:

Grade Level Yearly Hours Required Weekly Hours

Daily Hours

Part-time Kindergarten

356

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Grades 1-3 712 20 4 Grades 4-6 890 25 5 Grades 7-8 1,068 30 6

AZVA students may log instructional time anytime during the day beginning with the first

day of school, August 4, 2010 and the last day, May 20, 2011. Instructional time must

directly relate to lesson objectives which are aligned to the Arizona Academic Standards.

ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY

As a public charter school, Arizona Virtual Academy is required to monitor student attendance in accordance with all applicable statutes and State Board of Education Rules. AZVA teachers and administration monitor student attendance. Responsibility for compliance with state attendance statutes and regulations belongs to the parents, but the school is obligated to keep an accurate record of daily attendance. An AZVA student is considered truant if he/she fails, without a legitimate excuse, to log attendance for 10 consecutive calendar days or at a rate that is 10% below the attendance requirements over a given month. AZVA staff follows the procedures outlined below to notify parents of a truancy situation. Truancy may result in expulsion from the Arizona Virtual Academy. If a student is expelled from a public school in Arizona, any public school in the state may refuse the student admission. Process for Withdrawal and Expulsion of Truant Students:

1. K-8 teachers monitor student attendance and progress weekly through their Online School (OLS) class list.

2. Individual K-8 teachers send an e-mail or conduct a phone conference informing parents that their child(ren) has been absent for 10 or more calendar days or attends 10% less time than mandated by state requirements and is in danger of being withdrawn or expelled due to excessive absenteeism. If parents respond within 24 hours, the teachers create attendance action plans with the families. Adherence to these action plans are monitored by AZVA teachers. (Response expected within 24 hours)

3. Attendance logged in the OLS must reflect the progress made in the courses. If attendance does not match the progress, teachers have the option of deleting the

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attendance for those hours logged. Please also note that if a student fails to attend a portfolio conference call he or she will be asked to turn in work samples in regards to the objectives. If a student fails to turn in the work samples within two weeks, the teacher will delete hours logged for those certain objectives until the objectives can be verified. This deletion of hours can put the student in jeopardy of becoming 10 consecutive days behind in attendance or 10% below the mandated state requirement for attendance. The student would then be considered excessively absent.

4. If a family does not fulfill the attendance action plan, the family is withdrawn from AZVA due to excessive absenteeism. AZVA‘s teachers and administrators may make a recommendation to the Expulsion Hearing Committee to expel a truant or excessively absent student. Parents are notified in writing of this recommendation and provided a date and time for a hearing during which the Expulsion Hearing Committee considers expulsion. The decision of the Expulsion Hearing Committee is final.

5. K-8 teachers take responsibility for monitoring family progress toward the attendance action plan and updating the operations manager regarding the family‘s progress at the dates outlined in the plan.

6. If there is no response within 24 hours, K-8 teachers forward the student‘s name, contact information and file documentation (number of missed days, etc.) to the operations manager with a copy to the appropriate academic program leaders. A letter is sent to the family via e-mail and ground postage that notifies the family that the child(ren) has been withdrawn from the AZVA due to excessive absenteeism. AZVA‘s teachers and administrators may make a recommendation to the Expulsion Hearing Committee to expel a truant or excessively absent student. Parents are notified in writing of this recommendation and provided a date and time for a hearing during which the Expulsion Hearing Committee considers expulsion. The decision of the Expulsion Hearing Committee is final.

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ATTENDANCE FAQs

1. When can I log attendance? You are able to log attendance from your first day of school, August 4, 2010 until May 20, 2011, the last day of school.

2. What if my child exceeds the required attendance hours?

Your child is encouraged to attend school above the required attendance hours.

3. Where do I need to log my child’s attendance and how often?

Student attendance hours are logged in the attendance screen on the parent‘s OLS and must be entered daily.

4. Why should I log attendance?

In addition to meeting the legal attendance requirements for AZVA, logging attendance provides you and your child with a log of the work accomplished.

5. What are supplemental hours?

Provided you complete your K12 coursework first, attendance time may be logged for activities in which your student engages that relate to the course

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objectives. Please contact your teacher before entering supplemental attendance time to ensure the additional activity you wish to include satisfies course objectives.

6. What should I do if I forgot to log my child’s supplemental hours?

You can go back and add hours after initially entering attendance. If you have already entered hours for the specified day and clicked the ―Submit‖ button, contact your teacher and he/she may assist you in entering additional hours.

7. How many hours should my child log if they enrolled after the start

of school? Hours are based on a yearly required amount based on the student‘s grade level. Students who start after the first day of school should follow the daily or weekly attendance guidelines outlined in the Instructional Time section of this Parent/Student Handbook.

8. Is there a maximum number of hours a day a student can log?

There is no maximum number of hours per day that a student may log, however the student‘s teacher must document hours in excess of 12 hours per day. Notify your teacher of each circumstance requiring more than 12 hours of instructional time.

9. Do I log attendance for the actual time the lesson took or just the

default time that comes up on the OLS? You must log the actual amount of time it took for the student(s) to complete the lesson(s) each day. If you consistently observe your student(s) complete lessons before he/she accumulates the required amount of time, you may benefit from setting a time limit to each subject rather than just expecting one lesson per day.

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Excused and Unexcused Absences Students are expected to attend all assigned classes each day. Teachers shall keep a record of absences.

1. Excused Absences The following are valid excuses for absences. Assignments and/or activities not completed because of an excused absence may be made up in the manner provided by the teacher. A. Participation in school-approved activity. To be excused this absence must be authorized by a staff member and the affected teacher must be notified prior to the absence. B. Absence due to illness, health condition, family emergency or religious purposes. When possible, the parent /guardian is expected to notify the homeroom teacher on the morning of the absence by sending a K-mail note of explanation. A parent or guardian may request that a student be excused from attending school in observance of a religious holiday. In addition, a student, upon the request of his/her parent or guardian, may be excused for a portion of a school day to participate in religious instruction. A student shall be allowed one makeup day for each day of absence. C. Absence for parental approved activities. This category of absence shall be counted as excused for purposes agreed to by the principal and the parent guardian or guardian. The district ―Planned Absence‖ form is to be completed and submitted to the principal for approval. An absence may not be approved if it causes a serious adverse effect on the student's educational progress. In such a case, a parent or guardian approved absence would have an adverse effect on the student's educational progress which would ultimately be reflected in the grade for such a course. D. Absence resulting from disciplinary actions — or short-term suspension. As required by law, students who are removed from a class or classes as a disciplinary measure or students who have been placed on short-term suspension shall have the right to make up assignments or exams missed during the time they were denied entry to the classroom if the effect of the missed assignments shall be a substantial lowering of the course grade. E. Extended illness or health condition. If the student is unable to do his/her schoolwork, or if there are major requirements of a particular course which cannot be accomplished due to extended illness or being hospitalized, the student may be extended deadline accommodations. Parents are required to

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submit a doctor‘s note or hospital admittance paperwork to AZVA through their student‘s teacher. F. Excused absence for chronic health condition. Students with a chronic health condition that interrupts regular attendance may qualify for placement in a limited attendance and participation program. The student and his/her parent or guardian shall apply to the principal or counselor, and a limited program shall be written following the advice and recommendations the student's medical advisor. The recommended limited program shall be approved by the principal. Staff shall be informed of the student's needs, though the confidentiality of medical information shall be respected at the parent or guardian's request.

2. Unexcused Absences Unexcused absences fall into two categories: A. Submitting a written or telephonic excuse which does not constitute an excused absence as defined previously; or B. Failing to submit any type of written or telephonic excuse by a parent, guardian, or adult student.

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ACADEMIC CALENDAR Due to the design of the linear calendar, students in a traditional school are expected to progress at the same rate during the one-hundred-eighty day (180) day school year. High-performing students may be held back and low-performing students may be left behind. All students are presented the same lesson at the same time. Students are often not required to master the lesson objectives before advancing to the next grade level. Advancement of students before they are ready may result in gaps or deficiencies of knowledge that is essential for success in the next subject level. Within the AZVA program, every child can progress through the curriculum at his/her own pace as long as he/she is meeting the minimum progress requirements. Decisions to advance in a course level are made jointly by the parent and teacher at any time of the year. Advancement of a student from one course level to the next requires the approval of the AZVA administration. Every lesson is presented independently to each child at his/her own ability level. Students are required to master the course objectives before advancing to the next course level. This approach results in a solid foundation of core knowledge essential for success in the next subject level.

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STATE TESTING DATES Pursuant to A.R.S. 15-808 B, AZVA must notify students and parents of mandatory state testing requirements. AZVA 2nd grade students must take the Stanford 10 and 3rd through 8th grade students must take the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards 3-8 (3rd through 8th) in the spring during a testing window determined by the state of Arizona. If AZVA fails to test 95% of its students within each applicable subgroup, the students who did not take the test become ineligible to continue enrollment in AZVA.

ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT

It is important to understand that the decision to advance a student to the next course or grade level is made jointly by the parent and teacher and focuses on what is in the best interest of the child. Academic achievement through content mastery is the cornerstone

of the Arizona Virtual Academy and the K12 curriculum. AZVA understands that children

do not learn at the same rate or in the same manner. The program offers families flexibility in scheduling and instructional strategies. AZVA focuses on mastery of lesson objectives, encouraging families and students to spend the time needed daily and throughout the year to reach mastery of most lesson objectives. It is the goal of AZVA to allow students to advance to the next course level at any time of the year up to March 24, 2011. Parents and teachers evaluate every student‘s course level and grade level prior to the conclusion of the current school year. This evaluation does not affect course level changes, which can be made at any time up to March 24, 2011. Together, the AZVA teacher and parent arrive at a decision on the advancement of the student. Advancement of a student from one course level to the next requires the approval of AZVA administration. Sufficient progress in all courses is expected before

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course level advancement in one area may be considered. Students must be on grade level in language arts and math before being promoted in other subjects. Mid-Year Course Promotions We intend that our students complete 100% of the content in each course, should time permit. With this in mind, mid-year course promotions are not ordered until a student has achieved 90% mastery of a course.

End-of-Year Course Promotions AZVA encourages students to complete all lessons in a course, if possible, since courses in the subsequent grade levels assume completion of lessons in the prior grade. A lesson is completed when the student has mastered the objectives as measured by the lesson assessment. It may not be necessary to complete every lesson if the student can demonstrate mastery of the objectives on the assessments. Please see the progress report completion table for details related to your student‘s individual start date. End of year course promotions for science, history, art and music will be based on each student‘s grade level and content mastery. Students must complete at least 90% of their enrolled English and math courses by the end of the year to order the next level at the end of the school year. The Online School is designed to collect and record data that substantiates the academic progress of our students. Therefore, it is mandatory that the Online School be used to enter attendance and assessment data that reflects the standing of the student. The Online School data serves as the primary tool for determining advancement into subsequent course levels. It is essential that parents/learning coaches understand that by signing on with Arizona Virtual Academy, they agree to participate in the program as designed including documenting regular and appropriate academic progress in the Online School, participate in required phone conferences with the assigned teacher, turn in work samples, and participate in the state-mandated academic assessments.

AZVA requires that parents maintain samples of student work to assist teachers with the decision to advance a student to the next course/grade level. Examples of materials/work to keep on file include, but are not limited to, the following: handwriting samples, artwork, creative story samples, math worksheets and spelling tests. AZVA requires student work to be original with appropriate citations for references to published works. Parents of K-8 students are provided a work sample submission guideline at parent orientation sessions and work sample submission is a topic of discussion during teacher phone conferences. Work samples must be mailed or scanned and K-mailed to their teacher. Parents should not ―drop-off‖ work samples to teachers‘ houses.

At the Arizona Virtual Academy we understand that our school is academically rigorous. Meeting the challenge of completing one year of course work in this model can be demanding. Our certified teachers are here to assist parents and learning coaches to meet the associated challenges. Parents and learning coaches may utilize their expertise as they progress through our program.

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8th Grade Promotion Policy

For an Arizona Virtual Academy student to be promoted from 8th grade, he/she must complete at least 90 percent of Pre-Algebra A, Intermediate Language Skills A, and Intermediate Literature A. AZVA teachers may bring parents‘ appeals to the school‘s administration for consideration. AZVA is pleased to provide parents with a scope and sequence of their student‘s completed courses to take to the next school for placement purposes. Promotion for Special Education students in 8th grade will be decided by the IEP team. In the event that a student is currently working in the above courses, but is not on track to complete 90 percent of the coursework by the end of the school year, the student may choose to take the final semester assessment with an AZVA staff member. If the assessment is mastered by at least 80 percent, the student may be promoted from the 8th grade. In addition the student must be making progress in all of their courses, whether in the minimum required courses or beyond, to be promoted from the 8th grade.

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Assessing out of Curriculum Your student is encouraged to assess out of curriculum already mastered. In doing this, your student takes the unit or semester assessments and if he/she achieves a score of 80% or higher, the student may move on to the next lesson/unit. Students are given credit for the lessons skipped towards course promotion. If your student assess out of the first unit in math, he/she is still required to complete math on a daily basis, moving at a quicker pace. A unit with 5 lessons taken and mastered does not count as 5 days work. Lessons students skip are counted in progress towards moving into the next course but are not counted in the student‘s grade mark. Only lessons completed count towards grade marks. The AZVA staff wants to encourage continual growth and achievement and we cannot allow credit for lessons not completed. At a brick and mortar school students would not be allowed to take an assessment in math and then if they earn a passing grade, refrain from any math for a week or month since they are ahead. As a student assesses out of the curriculum, learning coaches will mark the ―assessed out‖ lessons in the unit as skipped and move on to the next unit. Once a unit in which the student is no longer mastering the material, he/she should begin working in this unit, completing each lesson prior to taking the unit assessment. It is important that while doing this, the student is completing a minimum of one lesson each day, with an average of 5 lessons each week. If he/she assesses out of a unit on Monday, this would count as one lesson and he/she would start on lesson 1 of the next Unit on Tuesday, and so on.

Course Chunking

Chunking is working on a course for blocks of time above the default time listed in the OLS. You as a learning coach are given flexibility regarding which lessons and/or how many lessons are to be done on what day. You can decide to complete one lesson per day or chunk more than one lesson together for history, science and art. For example: 2 history lessons on Mondays, 2 art lessons on Tuesdays, 2 Science lessons on Thursdays.

The benefits of chunking include decreased preparation time and reduced transition time between subjects which results in more time spent learning. Chunking also allows you to involve students in creating their own schedule, which may increase student motivation.

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Please note that all lessons scheduled for the OLS each week must be completed. Students are expected to complete math, language arts and writing daily. However, more than one lesson may be scheduled for these core subjects per day. Science, history, art and music are optimal courses to consider chunking. Chunking these courses allows for students to complete more lessons for the same subject on fewer days. Math and language arts courses need continual practice and daily reinforcement. Students are not allowed to chunk writing and complete all writing units in the first month of school as students will need to practice and review composition skills throughout the year. Likewise, math continually builds upon previous skills. Students need daily reinforcement to increase retention. The staff at AZVA does not encourage or allow students to go long durations without continual math and language arts course work.

Please note that any changes to the online school schedule must be approved by the teacher. If you think your student(s) may benefit from chunking courses please discuss the option with your teacher. Your teacher can adjust your online school schedule to allow chunking. Successful chunking may take up to 10 days to adjust to. Be sure to keep in close contact with your teacher if you decide to choose chunking courses as an option.

Fast Track Plans Your student‘s teacher may send fast track plans for your student to complete. These plans outline the essential material within your student‘s grade level in language arts and math and are available for grades K-8. Fast track plans are designed to help students who enroll after the start of the school year to catch up to their peers in the curriculum and assess out of material already mastered. Fast track plans allow students to skip all optional lessons and only complete the necessary lessons as per the unit assessment results. These fast track plans take out the optional, review lessons or lessons not relevant to master at the particular grade level, and they pare down each grade level into standards/lessons necessary for the targeted grade level. The K12® curriculum is robust and rigorous. The fast track plans pare the curriculum down to the essentials.

PARENT, STUDENT, TEACHER COMMUNICATION

Certified Arizona teachers are an essential and a vital piece of the educational model utilized by the Arizona Virtual Academy. The teacher is responsible for validating student attendance, curricular progress and educational growth. The teacher is also the first point of contact for the parents and students with all issues regarding the school. Resources provided by AZVA teachers include: instructional and curricular support, organizational assistance, and ‗good old-fashioned‘ encouragement. A healthy working relationship between the student/learning coach and the assigned AZVA teacher is essential. Parents of K-8 students are required to participate in conference calls with their AZVA teacher.

K12 ‘s internal email communication system, K-mail, is a primary source of contact

between the AZVA teacher and the parents/students, therefore parents and students are encouraged to check their K-mail at least twice a day (morning and evening). Parents

and students are asked to promptly reply to any K-mail received from the AZVA or K12 .

AZVA teachers are instructed to allow their voice mail to answer all in-coming calls. This

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allows teachers to thoroughly research the answer to questions or problems posed by parents and to prioritize returning calls to make the most efficient and effective use of their time. This also allows long-distance calls to be charged to AZVA and not to the parent. AZVA does not reimburse parents for long-distance calls. Parents and students are expected to inform their AZVA teacher of any changes to contact information. Parents must also update contact information within the My Account section within the Online School. The Online School includes a landing page for each parent and student account. The landing page provides families easier access to all aspects of the Online School. AZVA posts important, school-wide information in the Announcements section of the landing page. Included on the landing page is a link to My Info. My Info allows parents to access important information such as the email address, phone numbers, and shipping

address that K12 has on file, the courses in which their children are enrolled, shipments,

and a direct link to communicate via K-mail with their assigned teacher.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE CALLS/PORTFOLIO SESSIONS

One of the strongest points of the school‘s program is the close monitoring of each student‘s educational progress. Parents of students in grades K-8 are required to participate in scheduled conference calls with their AZVA teacher. The conference calls are conducted periodically throughout the year. Teachers will begin portfolio sessions with the student when they feel it is appropriate. These sessions will be held periodically in Elluminate. Please read about Portfolio Sessions on page 41. The date and time of the conference calls are arranged at a mutually agreeable time. The conference calls/Portfolio Sessions are an opportunity to voice concerns, relay good news about the student, obtain enrichment ideas for the child, and discuss attendance and progress through the curriculum. The conference calls/Portfolio Sessions are vital for tracking student accomplishment of assignments and attendance. Since regular attendance is mandatory to stay enrolled in AZVA, it is expected that students and parents attend all of their scheduled conference calls, provide 24 hours notice if a cancellation is required, and reschedule a new appointment (at the time of cancellation) for the same week. Failure to participate in the conference calls may result in the removal of the student from the program. Back to Contents

EXPECTATIONS Schooling children at home is a full-time job. AZVA‘s program is challenging. Parents of K-8 students can expect to work with their child five hours per day in addition to lesson planning to maintain a typical school year‘s pace for accomplishing lessons associated with assigned grade levels. The Online School and its curriculum have the flexibility which allows students to be challenged according to their mastery of skills. Most elementary school learning coaches and students spend between 15 and 25% of their day actually online and the remainder of their time working off line with their children in workbooks, printed lessons, or other related activities. Middle school students and learning coaches may spend between 20 and 30% of their time on their computers.

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AZVA has chosen the K12 curriculum because it is designed to help children exceed

state, national and international standards. For an overview of the educational

approach, please visit the ―K12‘s Approach to Learning‖ section of K12 ‘s web site.

Lesson planning, materials preparation, progress planning, mentoring and the administration of a student‘s day-to-day education are both exciting and challenging and require parental commitment to the discipline and organization implicit in the skills needed to manage a first-class education. It is a useful practice to cite basic expectations and understandings with which all parents of AZVA should be acquainted. Please read the ―I Understand and Agree‖ statements below very carefully as these expectations should be a part of each parent‘s calculation of commitment as an AZVA parent.

I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE

The purpose of this ―I Understand‖ section is to set expectations for AZVA parents. Students‘ success is a primary goal of AZVA and that can only be achieved if you, the parent, are successful. To be successful it is important that parents of AZVA children understand, and are in agreement with, the following curricular and attendance requirements: I understand and agree that I am required to have access to a computer and Internet

access at all times during my student‘s enrollment in the Arizona Virtual Academy. I understand that I am responsible for personal computer repairs.

I understand and agree that I am responsible for submitting work on time even if I am experiencing computer difficulties.

I understand and agree that I am enrolling my student in a public charter school and

schooling at home is not homeschooling.

I understand that by submission of this form I am requesting to enroll my student in a public school with attendance requirements that I am expected to meet. (Attendance Requirements: Grade K = 356 hours, Grades 1–3 = 712 hours, Grades 4–6 = 890 hours, and Grades 7–11 = 1068 hours) State requirements are slightly less for 9-12 grades

I understand and agree that I must log student attendance daily.

I accept the responsibility to supervise my student in using the K12 curriculum, and I

understand that I am expected to become knowledgeable about it. Any other work

accomplished by the student is supplemental to, and not in place of, the K12

curriculum lessons. AZVA does not consider it acceptable to leave a student home alone or unsupervised all day to complete coursework.

I understand and agree that student progress is an expected part of the AZVA

program in addition to the hours logged. Teachers review progress and consider

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other factors, including parental input, when making student advancement decisions. Promotion is based on progress, not simply attendance.

I understand and agree that I am expected to follow the guidance and support of a

professional teacher in implementing the AZVA program with my student. I understand and agree that I am expected to participate in regular telephone

conferences with my student‘s teacher, and that I must submit work samples monthly by the specified due dates.

I understand and agree that, as a public school, AZVA students are required to participate in state standardized testing. My child is expected to fully participate in the testing at his/her grade level. AIMS testing is not conducted online, and it is my responsibility to take my child to and from testing.

I understand and agree that it is my responsibility to secure an Internet service

provider, and that I am reimbursed according to the school policy, as described in this handbook.

I understand and agree that AZVA is a full-time public school program, and that my

student may not be enrolled in any other full-time or part-time public school.

I understand my student will need to adhere to the academic integrity policy in which plagiarism is discussed along with consequences for violations. I will read the plagiarism policy with my student(s) Back to Contents

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY Academic Integrity All work submitted is assumed to have been completed only by students. Students are responsible for observing the standards on plagiarism and properly crediting all sources relied on in the composition of their work. Failure to abide by these standards will be reported to the K-8 Principal and will result in a conference with the student‘s parent and/or Learning Coach. Students who violate this policy are subject to the following consequences. Consequences 1st offense- Redo work sample, no credit for initial plagiarized sample, mandatory

plagiarism training 2nd offense- Redo work sample, no credit for initial plagiarized sample, mandatory

plagiarism training, may not promote from course(s) without more proof of mastery through work samples or Elluminate portfolio sessions

3rd offense- Expulsion Plagiarism

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The definition of plagiarism is: Copying or imitating the language, ideas, and thoughts of another writer and passing them off as your own original work. Specific examples of plagiarism that is not tolerated are:

Copying or rephrasing another student's work.

Taking material from Internet sources and using it as your own, even if some words are changed.

Having someone else write an assignment or rephrase any part of an assignment (not just proofread it).

Directly copying student aids (for example, CliffsNotes), critical sources, or reference materials in part or in whole without acknowledgment.

Indirect reproduction of students aids, such as CliffsNotes, Coles Notes, critical sources, or reference materials by rephrasing ideas borrowed from them without acknowledgment.

Source Citation Many courses require written work in which students need to cite sources. Any direct quotations from a textbook can simply be cited as (Author, Page Number). Any quotations from outside sources require full citations, including author, title, publisher, date of publication, and page number. If a student cites information found on a Web site, he/she provide the complete Web page or site title, URL, author if known, page number if applicable, and publication date of the site, if available, and date of access. Back to Contents STUDENT DISCIPLINE CODE AZVA students are subject to the rules and restrictions implemented by the virtual academy and the Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Guidelines which is provided at the end of this handbook. Prior to the start date for each school year, students must read the Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Guidelines and agree to abide by its terms. AZVA STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT AND ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES This document describes the policies and guidelines for the use of the AZVA and exists to ensure that all AZVA students are aware of and understand their responsibilities when accessing and using AZVA resources. AZVA administration reserves the right to update or alter this agreement at any time. Such revisions may substantially alter access to AZVA instructional computing resources. AZVA instructional computing resources include any computer, software, or transmission system that is owned, operated, or leased by AZVA. Students enrolled in AZVA should be aware of the following guidelines and expectations. Any activity that is not listed here, which violates local, state, or federal laws, is considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Guidelines.

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Failure to follow these guidelines could result in the:

Removal of student access to AZVA instructional computing resources, which could result in his/her inability to complete learning activities.

Suspension or expulsion from AZVA.

Involvement with law enforcement agencies and possible legal action. Accountability Posting anonymous messages is not permitted unless authorized by the course‘s

online teacher. Impersonating another person is also strictly prohibited.

Students must use only their own user names and passwords, and must not share these with anyone.

Students must log into Elluminate with first name and last initial and homeroom teacher‘s name only.

Students may not interfere with other users‘ ability to access AZVA or disclose anyone‘s password to others or allow them to use another user‘s account. Students are responsible for all activity that is associated with their usernames and passwords.

Students should change their password(s) frequently, at least once per semester or course is encouraged.

Students must not publicly post their personal contact information (address and phone number) or anyone else‘s.

Students must not publicly post any messages that were sent to them privately.

Students must not download, transmit or post material that is intended for personal gain or profit, non-AZVA commercial activities, non-AZVA product advertising, or political lobbying on an AZVA owned instructional computing resource.

Students may not use AZVA instructional computing resources to sell or purchase any illegal items or substances.

It is not allowed to upload or post any software on AZVA instructional computing resources that are not specifically required and approved for student assignments.

Students may not post any MP3 files, compressed video, or other non-instructional files to any AZVA server.

Inappropriate Behavior Inappropriate behavior includes:

Insults or attacks of any kind against another person.

Use of obscene, degrading, or profane language.

Harassment (continually posting unwelcome messages to another person) or use of threats.

Posting material that is obscene or defamatory or which is intended to annoy, harass or intimidate another person. This includes distributing ―spam‖ mail, chain e-mail, viruses, or other intentionally destructive content.

Student Internet Safety

Students must not reveal on the Internet personal information about themselves or other persons. For example, a student should not reveal his/her name, home address, telephone number, or display photographs of him/herself or others to persons outside of the AZVA.

Students cannot agree to meet in person anyone they have met only on the Internet and who is not affiliated with AZVA. First meetings with AZVA affiliated students should be at school sponsored events.

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Network Etiquette AZVA students are expected to follow the rules of network etiquette or netiquette. The word "netiquette" refers to common-sense guidelines for conversing with others online. Students are encouraged to abide by these standards:

Establish Instant message user names and e-mail addresses that are appropriate for the school setting.

Avoid sarcasm, jargon, and slang. Swear words are unacceptable.

Never use derogatory comments, including those regarding race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, political persuasion, body type, physical or mental health, or access issues.

Focus your responses on the questions or issues being discussed, not on the individuals involved.

Be constructive with your criticism, not hurtful.

Review your messages before sending them. Remove easily misinterpreted language and proofread for typos.

Respect other people‘s privacy. Do not broadcast online discussions, and never reveal other people's e-mail addresses.

Monitoring AZVA reserves the right to review any material transmitted using AZVA instructional computing resources or posted to an AZVA instructional computing resource to determine the appropriateness of such material. AZVA may review this material at any time, with or without notice. E-mail transmitted via AZVA instructional computing resources is not private and may be monitored.

AZVA Indemnification Provision AZVA assumes no responsibility for information obtained via the Internet, which may be illegal, defamatory, inaccurate or offensive. AZVA assumes no responsibility for any claims, losses, damages, costs, or other obligations arising from the use of instructional computing resources. AZVA also denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of the information obtained through user access. Any statement, accessible on the computer network or the Internet, is understood to be the author‘s individual point of view and not that of AZVA, its affiliates, or its employees. AZVA assumes no responsibility for damages to the user‘s computer system. Nothing in this policy negates any obligation the student and parent have to use the instructional computing recourses as required in the Use of Instructional Property Agreement ("Agreement") the parent or guardian signed as part of the student's enrollment packet. In the event that this Code conflicts with the Agreement, the terms of the Agreement shall prevail." Back to Contents

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Student Conduct Notice Student: Administrator: Homeroom Teacher: Parent/Guardian: Grade: Student ID: Date: What kind of conduct is noted?

Fighting/Physical Assault

Harassment/Bullying

Inappropriate Language

Weapons

Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty.

Disruption or obstruction of teaching

Attempted or actual theft of and/or damage to property

Use, possession, or distribution of controlled substances

Description of the conduct: Sanctions One or more of the following sanctions may be imposed. A. Warning -Written or verbal notice to the student that continuation or repetition of

specified conduct may be cause for other disciplinary action. B. Probation -A written notice placing the student on disciplinary probation for a

specified period of time. The terms of the probation will be decided in each case.

C. Suspension -Exclusion from classes and from other privileges or activities for a specified period of time.

D. Expulsion -Termination of student online school access for an indefinite period. Sanction imposed Parent signature and date _______________________________________________ Principal signature and date_________________________________________ Student signature and date__________________________________________ Signing this form is acknowledgment of the conduct/infraction.

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QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? AZVA staff recognizes that life at school does not always run smoothly. As problems arise, school personnel and parents must collaborate to solve them. AZVA staff also realizes that parents and students do not always know what to do or where to seek out answers and often give up and become frustrated when problems remain unsolved. Please follow these procedures for general information or for assistance in resolving a problem:

Step 1. All concerns and issues should first be directed to the student‘s teacher.

(Phone appointments may be set up.) If an AZVA teacher cannot resolve the issue (e.g., materials and computer issues) he/she directs the parent/learning

coach to the appropriate contact for assistance. The AZVA teacher monitor resolution to the concern through an online tracking tool.

Step 2. If the concern is not resolved at this level, parents/learning coaches are advised contact a lead teacher at 602-476-1320.

Step 3. If you still have questions or concerns, you may discuss your concern with the operations manager or program director at 602-476-1320.

Back to Contents

SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES

Parents seek to provide the best possible education for their child and often enrich the child‘s curriculum with extra activities and family trips. These activities may be logged into the student‘s daily schedule and counted toward his/her mandatory hours of instruction if the activity directly relates to lesson objectives. However, it is important that parents/learning coaches initially discuss their supplemental activities with their student‘s assigned AZVA teachers and then notify the teachers of the hours to ensure the supplemental activities are recorded in the appropriate area(s) of the curriculum.

OUTINGS AND CLUBS

To assist parents in providing social experiences for their students, AZVA hosts monthly regional outings throughout the state. These outings may be attended by any student, regardless of area in which a family resides. It is AZVA‘s staff and administration‘s goal to provide quality and educational outings that also promote a social atmosphere. AZVA teachers facilitate clubs in which students may participate. Parents can also host a club and organize outings, please check thebigthinK12 for frequent updates regarding clubs and outings. Clubs meet ―on-line‖ and/or at specific locations throughout the state. AZVA teachers facilitate clubs in which students may participate. Families may refer to the ―Family Directory, Events, Clubs & Outings‖ section in the Parent Orientation Guide for more information.

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EXTRA-CURRICULAR POLICY Any student who considers participating in an AZVA-sponsored club or sport should realize that he or she is assuming a responsibility and a commitment of his or her time and energy as a member of the club or sport. Students need to consider academic commitments when participating in sports. AZVA student-athletes or those who participate in an AZVA club must be passing all courses to be eligible to participate. While we fully encourage students to participate in extra-curricular activities, we must recognize academic progress as the priority. Progress checks will be conducted with registration in a club or sport. Students who do not maintain their grades (progress), have attendance problems or, have severe disciplinary issues will not be allowed to participate. Regular progress checks will be conducted throughout the school year and throughout the club or team season. Back to Contents

ASSESSMENT Lesson and Unit Assessments Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their acquisition of course academic objectives through the use of end of lesson and end of unit assessments. AZVA teachers collect student work samples to assist in assessing a student‘s academic progress. Standardized Testing (AIMS) AZVA students are required to participate in the state-mandated academic assessments. The 2010-11 testing window for standardized testing is listed on the school calendar. Specific testing days and locations are distributed closer to the actual testing window. These tests are administered by an AZVA teacher or administrator. Third through eighth grade students complete the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS. These assessment tools provide useful information to parents and teachers about their students‘ academic progress. The performance of AZVA students on the state-mandated assessments are also an integral part of assessing the success of the virtual school program. Failure to participate in these assessments may result in the student‘s removal from the virtual school program and could negatively impact the future of the AZVA program being available to the student and others. Scantron All students grades 3-8 will take two sets of Scantron Performance Assessments during the school year. Students will test in math and reading both at the beginning and the end of the school year. Scantron Performance Assessments are computer adaptive tests to be given in your home through a secure website. You will be e-mailed your child‘s login information. The purpose of these tests is to provide your teacher with information on your child‘s strengths as well as areas which need additional focus this school year. The first Performance Assessment will be taken as soon as the family has access to the Online School. All students who have not yet taken their math and reading Performance Assessments will be urged to do so immediately.

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There will be an end-of-the-year Scantron day. Beginning and end-of-year Performance Assessments will be compared, and a growth score will be determined. Your teacher will share this information with you after the tests are taken. Scantron tests are not optional. All students in grades 3-8 are required to take these tests. Students who do not take the assessments will not be eligible for course promotions and will not earn a grade mark higher than ―Approaches‖ the standard. Study Island Study Island is the online test preparatory program AZVA and all K12 schools use. Participation is highly encouraged. Most students will have an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) goal written outlining monthly participation of at least 30 questions per month. We strongly encourage students to complete an hour of Study Island per week. Study Island has been identified as a resource which helps our students increase student achievement. During the course of family and school activities, please have your student(s) spend their suggested time working in Study Island. While Study Island is not a graded subject, it is a very useful tool that helps students prepare for spring standardized testing. Study Island presents math, writing, and reading in a manner similar to state testing. In fact, through a study conducted by our Operations Manager, we have positively correlated the use of Study Island with test scores. In every grade, and every subject, the scores of students who used Study Island improved up to 22% compared to students who did not

use Study Island. Back to Contents

CHILD FIND

AzEIP (Arizona Early Identification Program for Infants and Toddlers) is a program that identifies children who have special needs, provides a Service Coordinator, provides screening/evaluation services and helps families to find services. It is funded by and based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C. The law gives primary responsibility for planning and implementation to a single state agency, named by the Governor. In Arizona, this is the Department of Economic Security (DES). The law requires the lead agency to obtain interagency agreements covering the fiscal and programmatic responsibilities for Part C. The Governor appoints an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) to advise and assist the lead agency in carrying out its responsibilities. Early Intervention is simply a name for services which are provided for children (birth to three years old who have developmental delays or established conditions known to be associated with developmental delays) and their families. Services include but are not limited to: audiology, family counseling and home visits, nursing services, nutrition, occupational and physical therapy, psychological services, special instruction, transportation, speech and language pathology, vision services and others. These services are designed to help children become ready to learn.

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AzEIP‘s mission is to optimize the developmental potential of Arizona children, birth to three years old, who have developmental delays or established conditions known to be associated with developmental delays, and their families. This is accomplished, through the development and implementation of a comprehensive, coordinated, community-based service delivery system that is family-focused and culturally appropriate. AzEIP has established a public awareness program focusing on early identification of eligible infants and toddlers. AzEIP must inform the public and primary referral sources about the program and the child find system, including how to make referrals and how to gain access to evaluation and services. AzEIP established a comprehensive child find system with an effective method for hospitals, physicians, parents, day care programs and other providers to refer children to the early intervention system for evaluation and assessment. You may call the school office, (602) 476-1320 if you require further information or assistance. Additionally, you may refer children for evaluation to the State AzEIP Office, (602) 532-9960 or Maricopa County AzEIP, (480) 820-3605. Back to Contents

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AZVA is responsible for providing a free and appropriate education under the federal Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). The AZVA special education manager assists parents in accessing and coordinating services pursuant to a current Individualized Education Plan. Parents must indicate that their child has an Individualized Education Plan on their enrollment form. SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special education services are available to students identified with a disability by a multi-disciplinary team. A multi-disciplinary team consists of teachers, the parent/guardian and oftentimes a school psychologist, therapist and the student. AZVA follows the requirements of IDEA 2004 and the laws of Arizona. Documentation of the disability must be provided, such as medical records, prior educational records, and/or a psychological evaluation. For new referrals AZVA uses Response to Intervention (RTI), school-wide, as a first level support to assist in the identification of educational needs and to document that the student is unable to learn with scientifically based interventions.

Students in need of adapted learning support services are those whose complex learning needs impact their academic achievement and their ability to make sufficient progress in the general education setting. Services offered may include: adaptations and modifications to the general education curriculum, specialized instructional strategies, and adjustments in pacing. The program has various levels. In many cases student services are provided through an inclusion program. There is some resource room help available, and a self-contained classroom is provided for students with serious involvement. All Special Education services are proved virtually through the Elluminate online classroom, phone, e-mail and by a highly qualified special education teacher.

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What to expect:

Every special education student will be assigned a special education teacher who is part of the grade level teaching team. The special education student will have a team of regular education teachers and a special education teacher to work with and assist the student in making academic gains. The student will be expected to meet regularly with the special education teacher and the other teachers on the teaching team in the Elluminate online classroom. The learning coach will be asked to participate in conference calls.

The special education teacher provides the learning coach/parent or guardian assistance to modify and adapt the learning environment and curriculum paths for success.

The special education teacher provides direct instruction to the student in the Elluminate online classroom.

The special education teacher is available as a resource for instructional strategies, adaptations, and modifications to the curriculum.

The special education teacher will provide a progress report at the end of each semester noting the progress on the student‘s IEP goals.

Special Education students are required to meet the same attendance policies as their peers. The home environment, one on one instruction, and accommodations to the curriculum can help create a learning environment which meets the student‘s specific needs.

The student‘s learning coach is expected to keep records that assist in determining the student‘s progress on IEP goals.

Related Services

Related services may include occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physical therapy when it is necessary to the child‘s ability to make adequate progress in the general curriculum.

Related services, placement, and goals are determined by the IEP team. Options for related services should be discussed with the special education staff before a decision is made to enroll with AZVA. Related services will be provided virtually in many cases depending on the individual student‘s needs. AZVA has web based speech therapy that is overseen by a speech therapist. AZVA also provides therapy through web cams with qualified therapists. Face to face therapy is another option. Related services are provided by independent contractors across the state of Arizona. Students are expected to keep appointments (web based and face to face appointments). Missed

appointments may result in the contractor refusing to provide services.

Back to Contents RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RtI)

AZVA uses Response to Intervention (RtI) school-wide as a first level support, to assist in the identification of educational needs, and to provide scientifically based interventions for struggling students.

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Students in need of extra assistance are identified by placement tests, DIBELS (reading test), prior state test results, parent input, and progress in the curriculum. Students may be indentified at any time during the school year. Highly qualified teams provide instructional and behavioral strategies. The learning coach is expected to carry out the activities and provide records of results to the team. Interventions may include teaching

and behavior modification strategies, materials from another level of K12 curriculum, and Elluminate/Elluminate online sessions.

If you believe your child has a learning problem, the first step is to request an RtI consultation with your child‘s assigned homeroom teacher. If you have further questions contact Hope Terhaar, AZVA RtI Coordinator [email protected] or 520-723-5368. Back to Contents

SECTION 504 ACCOMMODATION PLANS The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly referred to as ―Section 504,‖ is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination against persons on the basis of their disability by institutions that receive financial federal assistance. It states:

*No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Section 504‘s purpose is to assure that disabled students have educational opportunities and benefits equal to those provided to nondisabled students. An eligible student under Section 504 is a student who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. If a student is covered by Section 504, schools must provide such accommodations as are necessary to ensure that the student has equal access to services, programs and activities offered by the school. Section 504 protects students from discrimination on the basis of disability to the same extent as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In order to qualify for a 504 the student MUST present a doctor's note or the school medical form filled out describing the mental or physical disability. If the student is going to be absent or X* number of days/weeks they must present a doctor's note for excuse. The 504 student is still under the general rules of withdrawal if they do not comply with a doctor‘s note for extended absences. *3-5 consecutive days = doctor's note may be requested if student is failing classes and/or not logging attendance. Back to Contents DIBELS Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literary Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized individually administered measures of early literacy and development. They were designed and created as a way for teachers and parents to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills. DIBELS provides a clear picture of

mailto:[email protected]

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students‘ literacy skills and allows teachers to identify areas in need of more assistance and direction. DIBELS will be administered to students three times during the course of the school year: at the beginning of the first semester, at the end of the first semester, and at the end of the second semester. Regular reading assessment of students is required by the No Child Left Behind Act and mandated by the Arizona Department of Education.

TITLE I SERVICES

Our Title I Program is changing! AZVA is excited to introduce a new school-wide model for the 2010-2011 school year. Students will be placed with grade level specific teachers to meet the unique needs (and state standards) for each grade level. This allows teachers to better meet the needs for remediation and enrichment. Students will have a grade level homeroom teacher and access to additional Elluminate (virtual classroom) sessions for their specific curriculum subject areas. Some students will also have the benefit of having a single homeroom teacher who is able to address their specific Title I or Special Education needs. The goal of AZVA is to promote student achievement. We have students who are advanced as well as a growing population of students who need remediation. Focusing on one set of learning goals for a specific grade level allows teachers to most effectively address the needs of all learners. How are School-wide and Targeted Assistance programs different?

School-wide Targeted Assistance

Title I funds support a comprehensive school-wide plan for improving the educational program of the entire school to increase the achievement of all students, particularly at-risk students.

Title I funds provide supplemental instructional services for specific students who have been identified as failing, or most at risk of failing, to achieve academic proficiency.

Title I funds may be used to provide services to any student.

Title I funds may only be used to provide services to the most academically at risk.

All teachers will be considered Title I teachers.

In past years, Title I teachers were available to students who were eligible for services based on an academic ranking system. Previously, these teachers were not able to assist non-Title I students.

Both programs must use instructional strategies based on scientifically based research and implement parental involvement activities.

Both programs must use instructional strategies based on scientifically based research and implement parental involvement activities.

All mandates outlined in NCLB are followed.

All mandates outlined in NCLB are followed.

AZVA will continue to have additional help available for students who struggle academically.

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All learning coach trainings and parent involvement activities will be available to the entire school. This was not possible with our TA program.

AZVA‘s interventionists will offer additional instructional sessions to meet the needs of students who are academically struggling with grade level material.

ADVANCED LEARNER PROGRAM The Advanced Learner Program (ALP) classroom placement is offered for students that want support for their advanced academic needs. Placement in an ALP classroom is open for all advanced students K-8. Teachers assist the learning coach in providing a learning environment that allows ALP students to advance through the K12 curriculum while providing resources and enrichment that ALP students need. If you would like to have your child considered for our advanced learner program, or would like further information, please respond to [email protected]. Back to Contents FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides parents and students over 18 years of age (―eligible students‖) certain rights regarding the student‘s education records. These rights are:

(1) The right to inspect and review the student‘s education records within 45 days of the day the School receives a request for access.

To request an inspection and review, the parent or eligible student should submit a written request to the program director that identifies the record (s) they wish to inspect. The program director makes arrangements for access and notifies the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

(2) The right to request an amendment of the student‘s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate.

Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the program director, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the School decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the School notifies the parent or eligible student of the decision and advises him/her of his/her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures is provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.


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(3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student‘s education records, except to the extent that FERPA allows disclosure without consent.

One exception that permits the School to disclose information without consent is when the School discloses information to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by or contracted to provide services to or designated by the contractor to provide services to the School as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the Board of Directors of the School; a person or company with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, the School discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:

Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20202-4605

(5) FERPA requires that the School, with certain exceptions, obtain a parent‘s or eligible student‘s written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a child‘s education records. However, the School may disclose ―directory information‖ without written consent, the parent or eligible student, have advised the School in writing that he/she does not want all or part of the directory information disclosed. The method for objecting to disclosure of directory information is specified below. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the School to include the following information from education records in certain school publications or disclose it to certain parties. Examples include:

Shipment of computer and school materials to and from student‘s home Entry of student enrollment information into a computer database for use by

school officials Honor roll or other recognition lists Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team

members School yearbook

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent‘s prior written consent. In addition, federal laws requires the School to provide

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military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents or eligible students have advised the School in writing that they do not want their student‘s information disclosed without prior written consent.

The School has designated the following information as directory information:

name address telephone number e-mail address photo athletic information honor roll status grade level activities and clubs awards

If there are certain items the School has chosen to designate as directory information that parents/learning coaches do not want disclosed from their student‘s education records, without their prior written consent, parents/learning coaches are encouraged to send an e-mail identifying the information they do not want disclosed, the student‘s name, and the name of the virtual academy or affiliate school in which the student is enrolled to: [email protected]. This e-mail must be sent within 30 days of the first day the student attends school. Notice of these rights is available, upon request, on audiotape, in Braille, and in languages other than English. The Arizona Department of Education may be contacted at 602-542-5393. Back to Contents

SCHOOL PROPERTY

AZVA provides books and other curricular supplies. These materials are school property and must be kept in good condition. Parents are responsible for the repair or replacement of all lost, stolen or damaged school property. A list of property that must be returned is provided to parents. All property and equipment must be returned in good, working condition upon withdrawal from the program. All printed materials are copyrighted and unauthorized copying of that material is a copyright infringement. Materials cannot be sold or transferred and are to be used solely by the student in his/her studies while enrolled in the school. Parents are to comply with this policy and all the terms and conditions of the Use of Instructional Property Agreement submitted with the enrollment materials.

OPTIONAL OUTINGS

AZVA sponsors optional outings for students and families on a regular basis that

enhance the K12 curriculum/learning activities. While attendance is not mandatory, it is


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a wonderful opportunity to meet other school participants and have conversations about our children and programs and share practices that work. Outings are opportunities for both the students and parents to socialize. It is our hope that the teacher and parents work together to design and implement these activities. Parents are responsible for the cost of transportation and any entrance fees associated with optional outings. While credit for field trips is not offered in lieu of the regular curriculum for most outings, time can be counted similar to current optional activities in the OLS. AZVA expects students to dress appropriately when attending outings. Examples, of inappropriate dress include:

Clothing, apparel, or jewelry that by words, signs, pictures, or any other combinations thereof, advocates or promotes sexual activity, violence, death, suicide, or the use of alcohol or drugs, or demeans, degrades, or intimidates another because of race, sex, religious persuasions, national origin, disability, or gang membership.

Apparel that reveals or exposes the midriff/lower back or sides of the upper body or torso and/or undergarments.

Any clothing that is excessively tight, is of transparent material, see through material, or that is ripped or torn, or has suggestive signs or symbols.

Any clothing through which underwear or any type of undergarment may be seen.

Spandex, clothing that does not cover backs, clothing that permits viewing of cleavage, halter tops, tank tops with open sides, spaghetti strap tops, and muscle/tank shirts.

Spikes, dog chains/chokers, ball bearing chains, wallet chains, or other jewelry that increases the risk for accidents.

AZVA parents and students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all optional outings. Parents are responsible for supervision of their children at all times.

PARENT CONNECTIONS

Parents are encouraged to become involved in their school community through participation in outings and clubs and also arranging other ―non-official‖ outings with AZVA parents. Parents may freely meet and organize unofficial outings as they wish. These outings are not considered ―official‖ outings unless an AZVA representative attends. ―Weekly Updates‖ are distributed via K-mail by teachers at the beginning of each school week. It is paramount that parents take the time to review these on a regular basis. Weekly Updates contain important information about upcoming events, special announcements and other helpful school information. The bigthinK12 School Community Board is a collaboration and social networking platform to encourage learning, sharing and support among K12 students, parents, teachers, school personnel and K12 staff. All outings and school activities are displayed on a school calendar within thebigthinK12. Back to Contents

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AZVA PARENT BOOSTERS

The AZVA Parent Boosters organization is a robust group of parents who are committed to enhancing the school for the students. Their mission statement reflects that commitment: To empower and encourage AZVA families to make meaningful connections, participate in quality programs, and ensure that AZVA students get all they can out of the virtual school experience. Go to thebigthinK12 parent booster page to find what activities are on tap for a certain time period. Please consider joining this group.

Boosters: the big thinK > thebigthinK @ AZVA > AZVA Parents > AZVA Parent Booster Club

OBJECTIONABLE MATERIALS POLICY

There may be times a parent finds certain lessons, books or materials objectionable for various reasons. If a parent finds objectionable material, he/she should contact his/her AZVA teacher via K-mail. Teachers work with parents to find alternative lessons to meet the lesson objectives. The assessment for the lesson must be completed to show that

the objectives have been met. Parents should also contact K12 directly using the

feedback option of the OLS. The feedback option is available on any page of the OLS at the upper right-hand side next to the help and print functions. Back to Contents

PROGRESS REPORT

One of the many features afforded by the Online School is a current report of a student‘s academic progress and attendance information. A parent may log on to the system at any time and view this information. If a parent wishes to have a printed version of academic and attendance information, he/she may print a copy of the planning and progress screen in the Online School account for the student. Back to Contents

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/parents?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/parents/booster?view=overview


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K-8 ACADEMIC PROGRESS AND PROBATION POLICY AZVA makes every effort to work with all students to be successful in their courses. However, we recognize not all students are successful in the online environment for a variety of reasons. AZVA has designed the Academic Progress and Probation Policy to ensure students are making satisfactory academic progress towards promotion in the most appropriate school environment. This program ensures that students are given the support to be as successful as possible. However, if students are not making satisfactory academic progress, we will encourage them to locate an alternate school placement. During the course of a semester, student progress is monitored by the administration, lead teachers, and teachers. If a student exhibits signs of academic risk over the course of a semester, we will meet with the learning coach to devise strategies to assist the student. If the student‘s academic progress does not improve throughout the semester and the student continues to receive ―falls far below‖ progress marks meaning the student is not making adequate progress in the curriculum, the AZVA K-8 academic team will place the student on academic probation status. The academic probation program provides additional support and mentoring to students to improve their academic progress throughout the following semester.

1. The learning coach will attend a conference call with the K-8 teacher in which the teacher will express his/her concerns about the student‘s lack of progress and/or attendance.

2. Parent must watch the parent online school tutorial and/or online school recording and provide date of completion along with submitting or approving a daily schedule.

3. Action plan created if progress does not improve after viewing of tutorial and submission of schedule.

4. The learning coach must attend weekly ―Student Success‖ meetings. The success meeting is a conference call scheduled with the teacher.

5. If the learning coach misses a meeting, he or she will have to check in with the teacher for a progress check that same week.

6. The learning coach and student will conference with the student‘s academic team at least three times during the semester.

7. The learning coach and teacher will attend a meeting with the principal in which an Academic Progress and Probation form to be completed if action plan is not being followed.

8. The learning coach will have the option to request a peer mentor for additional tips and assistance.

9. The student will have to attend at least one, weekly teacher –led portfolio session, for clarification, instruction, and support.

10. The student must have very close to matching attendance and progress in the OLS.

If the learning coach does not comply with the conditions of the Academic Progress and Probation program after at least three warnings, AZVA administration will shut down and suspend the courses until a meeting can be convened to discuss student progress and goals.

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If the student complies with the Academic Progress and Probation program and makes satisfactory progress (earning ―approaches‖ grade marks in at least 3 courses that semester), the student can choose to continue or be removed from the program. Students who do not make satisfactory progress after a semester in the Academic Progress and Probation program can be retained in the program for the next year or referred to the Response to Intervention Team for further review and assistance. In either case, a meeting will be requested to determine the next steps taken for student success. Back to Contents

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99 E Virginia, Suite 200

Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 476-1320 - phone

(602) 595-6874 – fax

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REMOVAL FROM AZVA Students may be removed from the AZVA due to disciplinary action, lack of attendance/progress, failure to participate in state-mandated assessments, or attendance in another public school. The program director must approve re-enrollment in AZVA. Students are provided all necessary due process rights before removal. AZVA administrators and teachers may recommend expulsion to the Expulsion Hearing Committee for student violation of school policies. Students and parents are made aware of the date and time for an expulsion hearing before the Expulsion Hearing Committee. Public schools in the state may refuse admission to a student who has been expelled from AZVA. Back to Contents

STUDENT RECORDS

Student records are maintained at the AZVA office. Parents/legal guardians may contact the AZVA office to obtain a copy of student records. A copying fee may be assessed. If parents/learning coaches change their address, telephone number, e-mail address, or place of employment, they are asked to notify their teacher immediately. Parents are responsible for keeping contact information current within the My Account section of the OLS. Back to Contents

TECHNOLOGY ISSUES AND USAGE

All issues regarding K12 computers can be directed to K12 technical support

directly. Technical support is available at 866-512-2273, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. AZVA teachers monitor resolutions to parents‘ concerns through an online tracking tool. Access to the Internet via equipment and resource networks provided to families as a result of their enrollment in AZVA are intended to serve and pursue educational goals and purposes. In addition, parents are to comply with the Use of Instructional Property Agreement completed as part of the enrollment process. Communications and Internet access should be conducted in a responsible and professional manner reflecting the school‘s commitment to honest, ethical and non-discriminatory practice. Therefore the following is prohibited:

Any use that violates federal, state, or local law or regulation.

Knowing or reckless interference with the normal operation of computers, peripherals, or networks.

The use of AZVA Internet-related systems to access, transmit, store, display, or request inappropriate materials.

Any use that is deemed to adversely affect AZVA.

Violation of AZVA or K12 ‘s Terms of Use for any AZVA or K12 website. Back to Contents

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INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) REIMBURSEMENT POLICY

ISP reimbursement checks will be issued if the following eligibility requirements are met, after the end of each school year and will be mailed by the end of June. Families must be enrolled on the last day of the school year, student must meet academic progress guidelines described in the Parent Orientation Handbook, student must be eligible for free/reduced lunch as determined by the National School Lunch Program standardized form, student must have 100% of required attendance logged, and student must complete required state standardized testing in order to qualify for ISP reimbursement. Students who have a current Individualized Education Plan that require assistive technology will receive an Internet service provider subsidy of $12.95 per month if they are enrolled on the last day of the school year. Families who meet the reimbursement requirements will be reimbursed at the rate of $12.95 per eligible month. ISP Reimbursement for Summer Existing families, who re-enroll by July 1, who meet the eligibility requirements, and are still enrolled on the last day of the semester, will receive Internet reimbursement for the summer months. Families with Two or More Students Families with two or more K-8 students, who meet the eligibility requirements, will receive reimbursement at the rate of $12.95 per eligible month. Families with Two K12 Computers If a family has two K12 computers, they will be reimbursed at the rate of $12.95 per eligible month. Back to Contents

WITHDRAWALS Parents of students who are withdrawing from the Arizona Virtual Academy must contact

their AZVA teacher and notify him/her of their desire to withdraw. K12 contacts parents

to schedule an exit interview and to arrange for the return of all school equipment and materials. Failure to return all school equipment and materials in satisfactory condition may result in a collections action. Back to Contents

COMPLAINT RESPONSE PROCEDURE

The Arizona Virtual Academy is interested in achieving and fostering student/family satisfaction. The following procedure ensures that student/family grievances are addressed fairly by the appropriate people in a timely manner. AZVA prohibits discrimination against students/families on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, or religion.

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The student and parent(s), custodian(s) or legal guardian(s), address in writing any concern or grievance to the program director. The program director responds within ten (10) working days. If the concern or grievance is not resolved by the program director, the parent(s), custodian(s) or legal guardian(s) may, within ten (10) working days of the program director‘s response, request in writing a meeting (via phone or in person) with the program director to discuss the concern or grievance. He/she investigates and responds within ten (10) working days. If the family‘s concern is not resolved at the meeting with the program director, the family may file a complaint with the AZVA governing body. The AZVA governing body may address the complaint directly, or the family may file a complaint with the State Board for Charter Schools. AZVA has 30 days to respond in writing to a formal complaint filed with the State Board for Charter Schools. Back to Contents

ADMISSION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH

The McKinney Act of 1987, or P.L. 100-77, ensures that each child of a homeless individual, and each homeless youth shall have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as provided to other children and youth. Under the Act, schools are prohibited from delaying a homeless child‘s entry into school due to delays in obtaining school records. Rules regarding guardianship must be waived for homeless students living with foster parents or relatives other than their legal guardians. The Arizona Virtual Academy can offer school supplies to qualifying homeless youth. Determinations of qualifying students are made on a case-by-case basis. Parents may review the Arizona Virtual Academy‘s Admission of Homeless Children and Youth policy by calling the school office at (602) 476-1320. If you feel you may be eligible for services please call the school office at (602) 476-1320 or talk to your child‘s teacher.

PARENT ACCESS TO STAFF RESUMES Parents may review resumes of Arizona Virtual Academy teachers by calling the school office at (602) 476-1320. Back to Contents

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MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM *The Middle School Program will be changing slightly for the 2010-2011 school year. More details will come at a later date. Dear AZVA Family, It is with great excitement that we welcome you to AZVA and the Middle School Program! The foundation has been laid to provide an educational journey that promotes student responsibility and accountability while preparing students for the transition between elementary and high school. Students in the program can expect more opportunities to participate in group and individual learning, increasing their academic success and creating an opportunity to work with their peers. Each content area will be hosting a minimum of three live teaching sessions per week plus an additional two hours of open tutoring. These live teaching sessions will also assist with the pacing of each course and reinforce the content standards. As a participant in the Middle School Pilot Program it is important to remember that components of the program could change due to student needs. Communication is highly encouraged between student, learning coach, and teacher. You will be working with an experienced team of teachers whose primary focus is to assist you in achieving your academic goals. Here is a short biography on each of your teachers: Ms. Hodge: Ms. Hodge is teaching Math this semester. Ms. Hodge is an Arizona Highly Qualified middle school math teacher. Ms. Hodge has been dedicated to teaching Mathematics for 8 years now. She recently joined AZVA in November of 2009 and is extremely excited to be working with the Middle School Pilot Team. Ms. Hodge graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor‘s degree in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Mathematics. She earned a master‘s in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and she is currently pursuing a second master‘s degree in mathematics education (she really loves math!). Ms. Hodge enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, swimming, reading and watching live music. She can be contacted via KMail, email at [email protected] or via phone at 928-775-9190. Mrs. Statler: Mrs. Statler will be teaching Science this year. Mrs. Statler has been teaching with AZVA since 2007. Lindsay earned her bachelor‘s degree in Biology with an emphasis in secondary education from Northern Arizona University and also earned her master‘s in Educational Leadership. She has been teaching for the past 10 years, eight of which she spent teaching and coaching for the Cave Creek Unified School District. Mrs. Statler enjoys spending time with her family, gardening and riding horses. She is an advocate for supporting parents that have a desire to provide an exceptional educational environment at home for their children through AZVA. She can be contacted via KMail, email at [email protected] or via phone at 928-632-8619. Mrs. Hurley: Mrs. Hurley will be teaching Social Studies this year. Mrs. Hurley has been with AZVA since the fall of 2008. She earned both her bachelor‘s in International Relations and master‘s in Education from the University of Southern California-Fight On Trojans! Mrs. Hurley has been teaching for ten years. For five years she taught at an arts charter school in Southern California and spent three years with the Buckeye District



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here in Arizona. Mrs. Hurley is thrilled to be working with the Middle School team to provide the individualized attention that will help students achieve success. Outside of AZVA, she is a devoted wife and mother to two rambunctious boys and one happy old Rosie dog. Mrs. Hurley can be reached at KMail, email, [email protected] or via phone at 623-474-6440. Mrs. Marble: Mrs. Marble will be teaching English this year. Mrs. Marble joined AZVA in fall 2006 as a K-8 teacher. She has been a lead teacher for the past two years specializing in teaching writing classes in Elluminate. For the 2010-2011 school year, she will be the Middle School English teacher. She has been an educator for the past 12 years in a variety of modalities. In Georgia, she taught fourth grade as a science specialist, grades 3-5 in remedial education, and a multi-age third- and fourth-grade class. Mrs. Marble‘s most recent teaching was a traditional third-grade classroom in Gilbert. Her experience teaching has spanned several states as her husband was in the military. Mrs. Marble was also an English teacher in Japan for three years and has taught piano lessons for eight. She has a master's degree from the University of Phoenix and is currently pursuing a second master‘s degree in Administration. She is also a mother of 6 children ages 5 to 16 and enjoys spending time with them. She can be reached via KMail, email at [email protected] and via phone at (480) 219-7040. In this section are some policies and procedures that will help you prepare for the year ahead. Please take some time to review them before our Orientation session. Write down any questions that you have and we will be happy to answer them at the orientation session. You can access the AZVA school-wide POG (Parent Orientation Guide) in thebigthinK12. We have attached the signature page to insure that you have read the POG and understand its contents. Again, welcome to the AZVA Middle School Program. We look forward to a productive and successful academic year. Respectfully, Your Middle School Team, Patty Hodge, Kari Hurley, Kayleen Marble and Lindsay Statler Back to Contents



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Middle School Success Essentials Attendance: Daily attendance is essential in achieving success in the Middle School Pilot program. The goal is to prepare students for the upcoming High School experience which requires engagement with peers and teachers.

Daily: Students are expected to spend about an hour a day in each content area in order to reach 100% completion in the OLS progress by year end.

Homeroom: It is critical that students join their teachers for a bimonthly assembly to discuss important academic topics and have some fun with peers. This is a great opportunity to bond with teachers and make new friends. Students should plan ahead to be at these required meetings.

Content Lessons and Tutoring: Each week content teachers will be offering two Elluminate lessons and two hours of tutoring (math will offer four). In order for student success, students should begin the school year attending these sessions. The Elluminate lessons will build on concepts that are being discussed for the week and provide them with insight on how to complete weekly work samples. This will also give chances to meet other members in the same class. Tutoring allows students to ask specific content area questions and have teachers guide them step by step through the work samples or other lessons they may be struggling with. Below is the weekly schedule for the 2010-2011 school year:

Middle School Schedule The class schedule will be available at the beginning of the 2010/2011 school year.

Pacing: K8 offers great flexibility in schooling. However, as students progress in school, it becomes more important that they are on pace with their peers. The necessity of similar pacing is important so students can work together on assignments while receiving valuable, relevant instruction from teachers. Teachers will be sending out a weekly lesson announcement. This announcement will list all lessons and assignments that should be completed in a given week. We ask that students respect this announcement and complete the stated lessons and assignments in that week. Work Samples: Each week, students will be submitting one work sample. The work sample will be due each Friday by 5pm. Work samples are rotated by content area. For example, week 1 may be Math, week 2 Science, week 3 Social Studies, week 4 English. The work samples are required and will be graded. Satisfactory completion of these work samples is necessary in order to progress in the curriculum. Each assignment will be graded based on the criteria of exceeds, meets, approaches, or falls far below the standard. Work samples should be submitted as an attachment via KMail in either Word format or a scanned document. If these options are unavailable, students may arrange an alternate way to send assignment to their teacher. Assignments should be submitted to the appropriate content area teacher

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Parent, Student, Teacher Communication Contacting Teachers: In the K8 model, the first point of contact for all families is one primary teacher. However, in the middle school program, each student will have multiple teachers. It is important for each student/learning coach to develop a healthy working relationship with each of their assigned AZVA teachers. Homeroom Teacher: Every student in the pilot middle school program will be assigned a homeroom teacher. The role of this teacher is to work closely with students/learning coaches in the areas of attendance, OLS concerns, school announcements, state and school-wide testing, and individualized learning plans. Students and families should contact the homeroom teacher with any questions in regards to these areas. Content Teachers: Every student in the middle school program will be assigned a content teacher for Math, Social Studies, Science, and English. The primary role of these teachers will be to work closely with students/learning coaches in their content area. Please contact each individual teacher with questions you may have regarding work samples, grades, lessons, and course pacing. Back to Contents Who will answer your questions?

Homeroom Teacher

Attendance

OLS

Monthly Announcements

State and Schoolwide

Testing

Individualized Learning Plan

Content Area Teacher

Content Work Samples

Grades

Questions about Lessons

Course pacing

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KMail and My Info: Included on the OLS landing page is a link to ―My Info‖. My Info allows parents to access important information such as the email address, phone numbers, and shipping address that K12 has on file, the courses in which their children are enrolled, shipments, and a direct link to communicate via KMail with their assigned teacher. KMail is a primary source of contact between the AZVA teachers and the learning coaches/students; therefore, learning coaches and students are encouraged to check their KMail at least twice a day (morning and evening). Parents and students are asked to promptly reply to any KMail received from AZVA or K12. When teachers receive email communication, they will reply letting the sender know they have responded in KMail. If teachers should need to send something to the learning coach‘s email, they will follow up with a KMail reminding students/learning coaches to check their email. If a teacher does not respond to a KMail within 24 hours, students/learning coaches should follow up with another KMail. Phone Messages: AZVA teachers are instructed to allow their voice mail to answer all in-coming calls. This allows teachers to thoroughly research the answer to questions or problems posed by parents and to prioritize returning calls to make the most efficient and effective use of their time. This also allows long-distance calls to be charged to AZVA and not to the parent. AZVA does not reimburse parents for long-distance calls. If a teacher does not respond to a phone message in 24 hours, students/learning coaches should follow up with another phone call or a KMail. Frequency of Communication: Middle School Assembly time: On the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month, we will hold a Middle School meeting in Elluminate. This meeting will serve two purposes:

1. Middle School Team Meeting

a. All middle school students/teachers will meet in Elluminate. Teachers will

present school-wide information to all middle school students and answer

any general questions; teachers and students will also work on team

building activities.

2. Individual Homeroom Meeting

a. After meeting together to go over general announcements, each

homeroom teacher will break out and meet with their individual

homeroom students.

Additional Communication: As this program is meant to prepare students for high school, any additional communication will be initiated by the student or teacher when necessary. It is imperative for students to build a healthy working relationship with each of their content teachers. Students should contact teachers through K-mail on a regular basis with any questions they may have.

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Conferences: If a conference is needed, the homeroom teacher will schedule a time with all teachers, the student and the learning coach to meet in Elluminate to discuss the student‘s progress. Learning coaches/students should contact the homeroom teacher if they feel there is a need to schedule a conference. Elluminate: Each content teacher will hold weekly lessons and tutoring in Elluminate. While attendance is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Teachers will plan lessons according to the pace set for this program and will be able to answer any questions students may have. Students should log into Elluminate using the following format: First name_first initial of last name_homeroom teacher Example: Jane_D_Hurley If you would like more information on how to prepare and participate in Elluminate sessions, feel free to watch this 15 minute Elluminate video: http://tinyurl.com/NetiquetteMS-HS-09 thebigthinK12: thebigthinK12 is a community page that has been created by K12. The middle school teachers will use thebigthinK12 to post weekly schedules and recorded Elluminate links for their lessons. Students should log into thebigthinK12 daily to view announcements and access lessons they may have missed. You can access thebigthinK12 through your TotalView or My Info account. Once you arrive at thebigthinK12, click on thebigthink@azva-k8. Once at AZVA-k8m click on ―Middle School.‖ Once there, you will see AZVA POG under recent documents. You can click on the document and view it or download it to your desktop. Assessment – Revised January 2010 Progress Reports will be sent via email at the completion of each semester. Students will receive ―marks‖ that are consistent with Arizona‘s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). Both the OLS progress and amount of satisfactory work samples received are determining factors in progress reports. Teachers will award progress report marks based on the following revised MS Pilot Spring Semester Rubric:

http://tinyurl.com/NetiquetteMS-HS-09

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Back to Contents

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2010-2011 Parent Orientation Guide K-8 Signature Page

Dear Parents and Students: You have just reviewed the Arizona Virtual Academy Student/Parent Handbook. We have attempted to cover all the important rules, regulations, and procedures for which you are responsible during this school year. Your success at the Academy is equal to your effort and desire. Please sign and return the bottom section of this page and turn it in with your enrollment documentation. Attendance Requirements:

Grade Level Yearly Hours Required Weekly Hours

Suggested Daily Hours

Kindergarten

356

10

2

Grades 1-3 712 20 4 Grades 4-6 890 25 5 Grades 7-8 1,068 30 6

Progress marks are as follows: FFB (Falls Far Below standards), A (Approaches standards), M (Meets standards), E (Exceeds standards) *To receive satisfactory progress, student must meet the minimum progress requirements, complete Scantron testing and submit required work samples.

The policies set forth in this Handbook are subject to change by the school's board. Any changes in policy will be communicated to both parents and students so that you will be aware of them. We have read and reviewed the Arizona Virtual Academy‘s Parent-Student Handbook including the ―I understand‖ statements and FERPA guidelines. In signing, we indicate an awareness and understanding of the school practices and procedures set forth herein.

Student‘s Signature: ____________________ Date: ___________________ Student‘s Printed Name: ______________________________________________

Parent‘s Signature: _____________________ Date: ___________________ Parent‘s Printed Name: _______________________________________________ Sign and return to: Arizona Virtual Academy K12 Tucson Enrollment Center 4605 S. Palo Verde Rd. Suite 605 Tucson, AZ 85714 Fax: 866.989.0713 Phone: 866.467.6183

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This is to certify that the following family is enrolled in the Arizona Virtual Academy, an approved public charter school in the state of Arizona for the 10-11 school year. As a public school student, he/she is eligible for discounts and other promotions available to other Arizona public school students. Parent Name: ___________________________________________________________ Student Name(s): _________________________________________________________

2010-2011 AZVA Administration

Arizona Virtual Academy 99 E Virginia Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 476-1320 - phone (602) 595-6874 - fax

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Assessing Student Achievement

57

PORTFOLIO PLAN 2010-2011

Portfolio Policy

Virtual student portfolios are a collection of essential questions students must master in order to continue on the road of superior academic growth. The portfolios are designed to assist teachers in determining student‘s academic goals and workload. Portfolios enable the teacher and the learning coach to identify specific areas in which additional

academic focus must be given and are derived from the K12 curriculum, Arizona State

Standards, and Study Island coursework.

Teachers will administer portfolio questions to students throughout the year, and they are held in Elluminate. If an area of academic performance is identified as needing

improvement, the teacher will provide effective strategies in addition to K12‘s superior

curriculum, to help improve the area of academic weakness.

If a student fails to attend the required conference call in which portfolio questions are administered, the teacher then has the right to request work of mastered lessons within the Online School to ensure the student has indeed met the essential performance skills. If the teacher does not receive the requested work within two weeks of the initial request, the infraction will then be presented to administration. AZVA Administration will then determine if the student is truly completing mastered lessons within the OLS. If administration discerns the student is not truly working, attendance hours will be subtracted from the student‘s cumulative attendance, possibly resulting in a student attendance action plan or withdrawal from the program.

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WORK SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND COVER SHEET Work Sample Policy

AZVA has a mandatory work sample submission policy. Student work provides an essential means of ascertaining a student‘s skill level and provides a window into that student‘s performance. Parents/guardians are required to submit writing and math work samples from each of their enrolled children on a monthly basis. Work samples are due the 1st of every month. The samples submitted may be photocopies of original work samples. The parent may submit the samples electronically (scan & email), via fax or through the US Mail. Writing and math work samples, for grades K-8, are to be submitted on a monthly basis, according to a course-specific checklist. Your assigned teacher will coordinate the collection of these work samples with you on an individual basis. Students on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or on a Fast Track Plan will work with their teacher(s) to coordinate an appropriate plan. Student work samples are a key component in assessing student progress and abilities. Writing and math work samples will be used to determine your child‘s final grade. Students who do not submit the required work samples will not be able to earn an M (Meets the Standard) or E (Exceeds the standard) on their progress report. They will also not be eligible for honor roll or National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), and may not be eligible for course promotion at the end of the year. Online School (OLS) progress may be reset if samples are not submitted. Additional work samples, beyond what is required, may be requested by your child‘s teacher. Teachers will also meet with students during phone and/or Elluminate conferences to assess other content areas such as reading. Parents and students may opt to submit additional samples from what is required or submit samples more frequently to their AZVA teacher.

Work Sample Cover Page

Please be sure to complete a work sample cover sheet for each student and include it with the writing sample submission. Learning coaches must include the course, unit and topic with each submission. Your student‘s work samples will be evaluated in terms of satisfying the objectives for the specific unit.

Teacher Feedback

Teachers will grade 8th grade writing samples utilizing the feedback template (see page 44). Teachers will informally provide feedback on work samples to K-7th graders during scheduled conference calls and/or Elluminate sessions. Work Sample Schedule Students must submit unit writing assessments only. All samples must reflect their required OLS unit and lesson objectives. In order for teachers to provide proper feedback, all samples must be in their final form. Rough drafts will not be accepted as the final product but can be included with the final drafts along with the prewriting and may be requested by your child‘s teacher if he/she deems necessary. If the writing sample does not meet the OLS objectives, students may be asked to resubmit the assignment and OLS lessons may be reset.

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WRITING WORK SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS & DUE DATES A work sample submission schedule will be available at the beginning of the school year.

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MATH WORK SAMPLE SCHEDULE & DUE DATES

A work sample submission schedule will be available at the beginning of the school year.

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WORK SAMPLE FEEDBACK TEMPLATE: 8th GRADE

Arizona Virtual Academy 8th Grade Work Sample Review

Month: Teacher:

Student’s Name:

Mathematics

Did the student meet the learning objective?

Comments:

Writing Total Writing Score:

Did the student meet the learning

objective?

Comments:

Student Performance Level for Each Writing Trait: Conventions: Ideas & Content: Organization: Voice: Sentence Fluency: Word Choice:

How to interpret your child’s writing scores:

1. Find the appropriate writing rubric in the Parent Orientation Guide 2. Interpret the score for each individual trait (ideas, organization, voice, etc…) Evaluate the

current performance level in each Writing Trait Area. Focus on improving one or two areas at a time.

3. Interpret the overall writing score. Use the guide below to help you better understand how your student’s writing is improving.

Total Score Rubric

Score of 1-15 = Falls Below the Standard Score of 16-21 = Approaches the Standard

Score of 22-27 = Meets the Standard Score of 28-36 = Exceeds the Standard

Individual Trait Scores (ideas, organization, voice, etc…)

1 = Experimenting 2 = Pre-Emergent

3 = Emerging 4 = Developing

5 = Capable 6 = Experienced

*Scoring guides and writing rubrics have been taken or adapted from those used by the Arizona Department of Education.

They are used with permission of the Oregon Department of Education, Salem, Oregon 97310.

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GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC

AIMS Six Trait Analytic Writing Rubric – Official Conventions

6 The writing demonstrates exceptionally

strong control of standard writing

conventions (e.g., punctuation, spelling,

capitalization, paragraph breaks, grammar

and usage) and uses them effectively to

enhance communication. Errors are so few

and so minor that the reader can easily

skim right over them unless specifically

searching for them. The writing is

characterized by

• strong control of conventions;

manipulation of conventions may occur

for stylistic effect.

• strong, effective use of punctuation that

guides the reader through the text.

• correct spelling, even of more difficult

words.

• paragraph breaks that reinforce the

organizational structure.

• correct grammar and usage that

contribute to clarity and style.

• skill in using a wide range of

conventions in a sufficiently long and

complex piece.

• little or no need for editing.

5 The writing demonstrates strong control

of standard writing conventions (e.g.,

punctuation, spelling, capitalization,

paragraph breaks, grammar and usage)

and uses them effectively to enhance

communication. Errors are so few and so

minor that they do not impede readability.

The writing is characterized by

• strong control of conventions.

• effective use of punctuation that guides

the reader through the text.

• correct spelling, even of more difficult

words.

• paragraph breaks that reinforce the

organizational structure.

• correct capitalization; errors, if any, are

minor.

• correct grammar and usage that

contribute to clarity and style.

• skill in using a wide range of

conventions in a sufficiently long and

complex piece.

• little need for editing.

4 The writing demonstrates control of

standard writing conventions (e.g.,


paragraph breaks, grammar and

usage). Minor errors, while perhaps

noticeable, do not impede readability.


• control over conventions used,

although a wide range is not

demonstrated.

• correct end-of-sentence punctuation,

internal punctuation may sometimes

be incorrect.

• spelling that is usually correct,

especially on common words.

• basically sound paragraph breaks

that reinforce the organizational

structure.

• correct capitalization; errors, if any,

are minor.

• occasional lapses in correct

grammar and usage; problems are not

severe enough to distort meaning or

confuse the reader.

• moderate need for editing.

3 The writing demonstrates limited control

of standard writing conventions (e.g.,


paragraph breaks, grammar and usage).

Errors begin to impede readability. The

writing is characterized by

• some control over basic conventions; the

text may be too simple to reveal mastery.

• end-of-sentence punctuation that is

usually correct; however, internal

punctuation contains frequent errors.

• spelling errors that distract the reader;

misspelling of common words occurs.

• paragraphs that sometimes run together

or begin at ineffective places.

• capitalization errors.

• errors in grammar and usage that do not

block meaning but do distract the reader.

• significant need for editing.

2 The writing demonstrates little control of

standard writing conventions. Frequent,

significant errors impede readability. The


• little control over basic conventions.

• many end-of-sentence punctuation

errors; internal punctuation contains

frequent errors.

• spelling errors that frequently distract

the reader; misspelling of common words

often occurs.

• paragraphs that often run together or

begin in ineffective places.

• capitalization that is inconsistent or

often incorrect.

• errors in grammar and usage that

interfere with readability and meaning.

• substantial need for editing.

1 Numerous errors in usage, spelling,

capitalization, and punctuation

repeatedly distract the reader and

make the text difficult to read. In fact,

the severity and frequency of errors

are so overwhelming that the reader

finds it difficult to focus on the

message and must reread for meaning.


• very limited skill in using

conventions.

• basic punctuation (including end-of-

sentence punctuation) that tends to be

omitted, haphazard, or incorrect.

• frequent spelling errors that

significantly impair readability.

• paragraph breaks that may be highly

irregular or so frequent (every

sentence) that they bear no relation to

the organization of the text.

• capitalization that appears to be

random.

• a need for extensive editing.

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GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC (CONTINUED)

IDEAS and CONTENT

6 The writing is exceptionally clear, focused and

interesting. It holds the reader’s attention

throughout. Main ideas stand out and are developed

by strong support and rich details suitable to

audience and purpose. The writing is characterized

by

• clarity, focus, and control.

• main idea(s) that stand out.

• supporting, relevant, carefully selected details;

when appropriate, use of resources provides strong,

accurate, credible support

• a thorough, balanced, in-depth explanation/

exploration of the topic; the writing makes

connections and shares insights.

• content and selected details that are well suited to

audience and purpose.

5 The writing is clear, focused

and interesting. It holds the

reader’s attention. Main ideas

stand out and are developed

by supporting details suitable

to audience and purpose. The


• clarity, focus, and control.

• main idea(s) that stand out.

• supporting, relevant,

carefully selected details;

when appropriate, use of

resources provides strong,

accurate, credible support.

• a thorough, balanced

explanation/exploration of the

topic; the writing makes

connections and shares

insights.

• content and selected details

that are well-suited to


4 The writing is clear and focused.

The reader can easily understand

the main ideas. Support is

present, although it may be

limited or rather general. The


• an easily identifiable purpose.

• clear main idea(s)

• supporting details that are

relevant, but may be overly

general or limited in places;

when appropriate, resources are

used to provide accurate support.

• a topic that is

explored/explained, although

developmental details may

occasionally be out of balance

with the main idea(s); some

connections and insights may be

present.

• content and selected details that

are relevant, but perhaps not

consistently well chosen for


3 The reader can understand the main ideas, although

they may be overly broad or simplistic, and the

results may not be effective. Supporting detail is

often limited, insubstantial, overly general, or

occasionally slightly off-topic. The writing is

characterized by

• an easily identifiable purpose and main idea(s).

• predictable or overly-obvious main ideas or plot;

conclusions or main points seem to echo

observations heard elsewhere.

• support that is attempted; but developmental details

that are often limited in scope, uneven, somewhat

off-topic, predictable, or overly general.

• details that may not be well-grounded in credible

resources; they may be based on clichés, stereotypes

or questionable sources of information.

• difficulties when moving from general

observations to specifics.

2 Main ideas and purpose are

somewhat unclear or

development is attempted but

minimal. The writing is

characterized by

• a purpose and main idea(s)

that may require extensive

inferences by the reader.

• minimal development;

insufficient details.

• irrelevant details that clutter

the text.

• extensive repetition of detail.

1 The writing lacks a central idea

or purpose. The writing is

characterized by

• ideas that are extremely limited

or simply unclear.

• attempts at development that

are minimal or non-existent; the

paper is too short to demonstrate

the development of an idea.

©

Oregon Department of Education. All rights reserved.

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GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC (CONTINUED) ORGANIZATION

6 The organization enhances the

central idea(s) and its development.

The order and structure are

compelling and move the reader

through the text easily. The writing

is characterized by

• effective, perhaps creative,

sequencing; the organizational

structure fits the topic, and the

writing is easy to follow.

• a strong, inviting beginning that

draws the reader in and a strong

satisfying sense of resolution or

closure.

• smooth, effective transitions

among all elements (sentences,

paragraphs, and ideas).

• details that fit where placed.

5 The organization enhances the central idea(s)

and its development. The order and structure

are strong and move the reader through the

text. The writing is characterized by.

• effective sequencing; the organizational

structure fits the topic, and the writing is easy

to follow.

• an inviting beginning that draws the reader

in and a satisfying sense of resolution or

closure.

• smooth, effective transitions among all

elements (sentences, paragraphs, and ideas).

• details that fit where placed.

4 Organization is clear and

coherent. Order and structure are

present, but may seem formulaic.


• clear sequencing.

• an organization that may be

predictable.

• a recognizable, developed

beginning that may not be

particularly inviting; a developed

conclusion that may lack subtlety.

• a body that is easy to follow

with details that fit where placed.

• transitions that may be stilted or

formulaic.

• organization which helps the

reader, despite some weaknesses.

3 An attempt has been made to

organize the writing; however, the

overall structure is inconsistent or

skeletal. The writing is characterized

by

• attempts at sequencing, but the

order or the relationship among

ideas may occasionally be unclear.

• a beginning and an ending which,

although present, are either

undeveloped or too obvious (e.g.

“My topic is..”, “These are all the

reasons that…”)

• transitions that sometimes work.

The same few transitional devices

(e.g., coordinating conjunctions,

numbering, etc.) may be overused.

• a structure that is skeletal or too

rigid.

• placement of details that may not

always be effective.

• organization which lapses in some

places, but helps the reader in

others.

2 The writing lacks a clear organizational

structure. An occasional organizational device

is discernible; however, the writing is either

difficult to follow and the reader has to reread

substantial portions, or the piece is simply too

short to demonstrate organizational skills. The


• some attempts at sequencing, but the order

or the relationship among ideas is frequently

unclear.

• a missing or extremely undeveloped

beginning, body, and/or ending.

• a lack of transitions, or when present,

ineffective or overused.

• a lack of an effective organizational

structure.

• details that seem to be randomly placed,

leaving the reader frequently confused.

1 The writing lacks coherence;

organization seems haphazard and

disjointed. Even after rereading,

the reader remains confused. The


• a lack of effective sequencing.

• a failure to provide an

identifiable beginning, body

and/or ending.

• a lack of transitions.

• pacing that is consistently

awkward; the reader feels either

mired down in trivia or rushed

along too rapidly.

• a lack of organization which

ultimately obscures or distorts the

main point.

©


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GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC (CONTINUED) SENTENCE FLUENCY

6 The writing has an effective flow and

rhythm. Sentences show a high degree of

craftsmanship, with consistently strong

and varied structure that makes

expressive oral reading easy and

enjoyable. The writing is characterized

by

• a natural, fluent sound; it glides along

with one sentence flowing effortlessly

into the next.

• extensive variation in sentence

structure, length, and beginnings that add

interest to the text.

• sentence structure that enhances

meaning by drawing attention to key

ideas or reinforcing relationships among

ideas.

• varied sentence patterns that create an

effective combination of power and

grace.

• strong control over sentence structure;

fragments, if used at all, work well.

• stylistic control; dialogue, if used,

sounds natural.

5 The writing has an easy flow and

rhythm. Sentences are carefully

crafted, with strong and varied

structure that makes expressive oral

reading easy and enjoyable. The


• a natural, fluent sound; it glides

along with one sentence flowing

into the next.

• variation in sentence structure,

length, and beginnings that add

interest to the text.

• sentence structure that enhances

meaning.

• control over sentence structure;

fragments, if used at all, work well.

• stylistic control; dialogue, if used

sounds natural.

4 The writing flows; however,

connections between phrases or

sentences may be less than fluid.

Sentence patterns are somewhat

varied, contributing to ease in oral

reading. The writing is characterized

by

• a natural sound; the reader can

move easily through the piece,

although it may lack a certain

rhythm and grace.

• some repeated patterns of sentence

structure, length, and beginnings that

may detract somewhat from overall

impact.

• strong control over simple sentence

structures, but variable control over

more complex sentences; fragments,

if present, are usually effective.

• occasional lapses in stylistic

control; dialogue, if used, sounds

natural for the most part, but may at

times sound stilted or unnatural.

3 The writing tends to be mechanical rather

than fluid. Occasional awkward

constructions may force the reader to

slow down or reread. The writing is

characterized by

• some passages that invite fluid oral

reading; however, others do not.

• some variety in sentences structure,

length, and beginnings, although the

writer falls into repetitive sentence

patterns.

• good control over simple sentence

structures, but little control over more

complex sentences; fragments, if present,

may not be effective.

• sentences which, although functional,

lack energy.

• lapses in stylistic control; dialogue, if

used, may sound stilted or unnatural.

2 The writing tends to be either

choppy or rambling. Awkward

constructions often force the reader

to slow down or reread. The writing

is characterized by

• significant portions of the text that

are difficult to follow or read aloud.

• sentence patterns that are

monotonous (e.g., subject-verb or

subject-verb-object).

• a significant number of awkward,

choppy, or rambling constructions.

1 The writing is difficult to follow or

to read aloud. Sentences tend to be

incomplete, rambling, or very

awkward. The writing is

characterized by

• text that does not invite—and may

not even permit—smooth oral

reading.

• confusing word order that is often

jarring and irregular.

• sentence structure that frequently

obscures meaning.

• sentences that are disjointed,

confusing, or rambling.

©


65

GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC (CONTINUED) VOICE

6 The writer has chosen a voice appropriate for

the topic, purpose and audience. The writer

seems deeply committed to the topic, and there

is an exceptional sense of “writing to be read.”

The writing is expressive, engaging, or sincere.


• an effective level of closeness to or distance

from the audience (e.g., a narrative should have

a strong personal voice, while an expository

piece may require extensive use of outside

resources and a more academic voice;

nevertheless, both should be engaging, lively,

or interesting. Technical writing may require

greater distance.).

• an exceptionally strong sense of audience; the

writer seems to be aware of the reader and of

how to communicate the message most

effectively. The reader may discern the writer

behind the words and feel a sense of interaction.

• a sense that the topic has come to life; when

appropriate, the writing may show originality,

liveliness, honesty, conviction, excitement,

humor, or suspense.

5 The writer has chosen a voice appropriate for

the topic, purpose, and audience. The writer

seems committed to the topic, and there is a

sense of “writing to be read.” The writing is

expressive, engaging or sincere. The writing is

characterized by

• an appropriate level of closeness to or

distance from the audience (e.g., a narrative

should have a strong personal voice while an

expository piece may require extensive use of

outside resources and a more academic voice;

nevertheless, both should be engaging, lively

or interesting. Technical writing may require

greater distance.).

• a strong sense of audience; the writer seems

to be aware of the reader and of how to

communicate the message most effectively.

The reader may discern the writer behind the

words and feel a sense of interaction.

• a sense that the topic has come to life; when

appropriate, the writing may show originality,

liveliness, honesty, conviction, excitement,

humor, or suspense.

4 A voice is present. The writer

demonstrates commitment to the

topic, and there may be a sense of

“writing to be read.” In places, the

writing is expressive, engaging, or

sincere. The writing is

characterized by

• a questionable or inconsistent

level of closeness to or distance

from the audience.

• a sense of audience; the writer

seems to be aware of the reader but

has not consistently employed an

appropriate voice. The reader may

glimpse the writer behind the words

and feel a sense of interaction in

places.

• liveliness, sincerity, or humor

when appropriate; however, at

times the writing may be either

inappropriately casual or personal,

or inappropriately formal and stiff.

3 The writer’s commitment to the topic seems

inconsistent. A sense of the writer may emerge

at times; however, the voice is either

inappropriately personal or inappropriately

impersonal. The writing is characterized by

• a limited sense of audience; the writer’s

awareness of the reader is unclear.

• an occasional sense of the writer behind the

words; however, the voice may shift or

disappear a line or two later and the writing

become somewhat mechanical.

• a limited ability to shift to a more objective

voice when necessary.

2 The writing provides little sense of

involvement or commitment. There is no

evidence that the writer has chosen a suitable

voice. The writing is characterized by

• little engagement of the writer; the writing

tends to be largely flat, lifeless, stiff, or

mechanical.

• a voice that is likely to be overly informal

and personal.

• a lack of audience awareness; there is little

sense of “writing to be read.”

• little or no hint of the writer behind the

words. There is rarely a sense of interaction

between reader and writer.

1 The writing seems to lack a sense

of involvement or commitment.


• no engagement of the writer; the

writing is flat and lifeless.

• a lack of audience awareness;

there is no sense of “writing to be

read.”

• no hint of the writer behind the

words. There is no sense of

interaction between writer and

reader; the writing does not involve

or engage the reader.

©


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GRADES 3-8 WRITING RUBRIC (CONTINUED) WORD CHOICE

6 Words convey the intended message in an

exceptionally interesting, precise, and

natural way appropriate to audience and

purpose. The writer employs a rich, broad

range of words, which have been

carefully chosen and thoughtfully placed

for impact. The writing is characterized

by

• accurate, strong, specific words;

powerful words energize the writing.

• fresh, original expression; slang, if used,

seems purposeful and is effective.

• vocabulary that is striking and varied,

but that is natural and not overdone.

• ordinary words used in an unusual way.

• words that evoke strong images;

figurative language may be used.

5 Words convey the intended message in

an interesting, precise, and natural way

appropriate to audience and purpose.

The writer employs a broad range of

words which have been carefully

chosen and thoughtfully placed for

impact. The writing is characterized by

• accurate, specific words; word

choices energize the writing.

• fresh, vivid expression; slang, if used,

seems purposeful and is effective.

• vocabulary that may be striking and

varied, but that is natural and not

overdone.

• ordinary words used in an unusual

way.

• words that evoke clear images;

figurative language may be used.

4 Words effectively convey the

intended message. The writer

employs a variety of words that are

functional and appropriate to audience

and purpose. The writing is

characterized by

• words that work but do not

particularly energize the writing.

• expression that is functional;

however, slang, if used, does not

seem purposeful and is not

particularly effective.

• attempts at colorful language that

may occasionally seem overdone.

• occasional overuse of technical

language or jargon.

• rare experiments with language;

however, the writing may have some

fine moments and generally avoids

clichés.

3 Language is quite ordinary, lacking

interest, precision and variety, or may be

inappropriate to audience and purpose in

places. The writer does not employ a

variety of words, producing a sort of

“generic” paper filled with familiar words

and phrases. The writing is characterized

by

• words that work, but that rarely capture

the reader’s interest.

• expression that seems mundane and

general; slang, if used, does not seem

purposeful and is not effective.

• attempts at colorful language that seem

overdone or forced.

• words that are accurate for the most

part, although misused words may

occasionally appear, technical language or

jargon may be overused or

inappropriately used.

• reliance on clichés and overused

expressions.

2 Language is monotonous and/or

misused, detracting from the meaning

and impact. The writing is

characterized by

• words that are colorless, flat or

imprecise.

• monotonous repetition or

overwhelming reliance on worn

expressions that repeatedly distract

from the message.

• images that are fuzzy or absent

altogether.

1 The writing shows an extremely

limited vocabulary or is so filled with

misuses of words that the meaning is

obscured. Only the most general kind

of message is communicated because

of vague or imprecise language. The


• general, vague words that fail to

communicate.

• an extremely limited range of words.

• words that simply do not fit the text;

they seem imprecise, inadequate, or

just plain wrong.

©


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STUDENT GOALS THROUGH INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PLANS

In order to better satisfy each student‘s individual learning needs, AZVA teachers collaborate with parents and students to establish individual student curriculum goals. These goals are designed to both clarify and guide the student‘s learning experience while motivating the student and increasing the likelihood of high academic achievement. Progress goals will be based on a student‘s enrollment date, and these goals will be written to ensure a student meets or exceeds standards. Teachers, students, and learning coaches may modify these goals as the school year progresses. Dedicated AZVA teachers work closely with students and learning coaches to formulate realistic expectations as well as provide feedback toward the goals set forth in the plans during scheduled parent/teacher conferences. Adequate progress toward individual student goals will be factored into eligibility for elementary and middle school honor roll. Students may have additional goals written into their Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) based on the teacher‘s discretion. Such goals may include attendance, testing, participation in Study Island, participation/attendance at test preparatory sessions, participation/attendance at tutoring sessions, etc. Fourth Grade:

Approximately 60 lessons that are a combination of K12 Science 4 lessons and AZVA Supplemental

Lessons

August School Start

Date

September 15th Start Date

October 15th Start Date

November 15th Start Date

December 15th and beyond

Start Date

3 Science Lessons per week




Consult with your assigned teacher for an individual pacing plan

Eighth Grade: The Grade 8 Science Alignment Sequence and supplemental lessons are comprised of approximately 55 lessons. The table below is designed to help students and learning coaches understand how many lessons per week from the Science Alignment Sequence must be completed in order for the students to be more prepared in April for the science portion of the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards.

August School Start

Date

September 15th Start Date

October 15th Start Date

November 15th Start Date

December 15th and beyond Start Date





Consult with your assigned teacher for an individual pacing plan

Back to Contents

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PROGRESS REPORT GUIDELINES Progressing in a course is different from promoting from a course; final course promotions and marks are determined by the teacher. Work samples must be turned in and Scantron tests must be completed in order to receive a Meets or Exceeds mark. Current guidelines will be available by the first day of the 2010/2011 school year. Back to Contents

69

Academic Support

70

WEEKLY ONLINE ELLUMINATE CURRICULUM SPECIALIST SESSIONS-TEACHER LED All Sessions Start in September

AZVA highly-qualified teachers teach live class sessions throughout the school year. Sessions include State Testing Intervention (STI) lessons in math and reading, as well as writing sessions. The 2010/2011 schedule will be updated at a later date. When logging into Elluminate, students need to use their first name, last initial, teacher name (James L-West or James Li.-West for James Lincoln with teacher Jeannie West) Back to Contents

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ELLUMINATE TIPS AND TRICKS

Setting up Your Computer for Elluminate In order to log into an Elluminate classroom, you need to download the free Elluminate software. It can take up to 30 minutes so be sure to complete the downloading before the scheduled tutorial. Go to the following link: http://www.elluminate.com/jwsdetect/demos_events/jwsdetect.html

Download the necessary software to run this program at least 30 minutes before trying to participate in one of the sessions. Please note that if you are on dial up, Elluminate is not going to work properly. This can be done any time prior to the meeting. When logging onto Elluminate© please use only your first initial and last name.

After you have successfully installed the software onto your computer, you may want to watch a brief new user orientation. To see this demo click on this link https://www.elluminate.com/support/ and choose ―Online Orientation‖ and/or ―Recorded Introduction‖ in the new users‘ section.

Problems With Wireless Connection and Elluminate When using Elluminate and you continue to lose connections, you should attempt the following suggested fixes (attempt them in this order):

1) Be sure you are not too far from your router 2) Be sure there is no problem with your Internet. Check another computer to see if the Internet is

still active. 3) While in Elluminate, go to TOOLS>PREFERENCES>then choose the lowest connection speed

(ie. 28.8). If this works, you can continue to raise the speed until you begin to get kicked off again.

4) Close all applications that are not being used during Elluminate. Outlook continues to check for email and uses bandwidth. The fewer applications you have open, the better the program works.

5) Empty your Java cache. This will also help with most Elluminate problems such as the microphone or whiteboard not working properly.

6) Delete old versions and updates to Java and get the new version. Go to START>CONTROL PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS>then delete all Java applications and updates. They can be identified by the little coffee cup. Then go to www.java.com and get the latest version.

7) Hard wire your computer to the Internet. This allows for much more information to be sent to your computer and keeps the signal strength constant. When hardwired to the Internet, you should disable your wireless card.

It is important to note that when using a wireless connection, your signal and bandwidth will fluctuate, even though your wireless connection may say ―excellent‖. When a wireless connection says excellent it is ONLY notifying you of the connection to the Wireless Access point (router: i.e. Linksys, Netgear, etc). You can have an excellent connection to your router and still NO Internet connection. This does not constitute a wireless issue. Back to Contents

Clearing the Java Cache Clearing the JAVA cache should help clear up many problems that occur in Elluminate, such as Audio problems (choppy audio, echo) and components not fully installed.

Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel (Settings -> Control Panel)

http://www.elluminate.com/jwsdetect/demos_events/jwsdetect.html

https://www.elluminate.com/support/

http://www.java.com/

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Open ―Java‖

Click the ―Settings‖ button.

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Click the ―Delete Files‖ Button.

This will open a ―Delete Temporary Files‖ dialog box. Select ―OK‖ for deleting ―Applications and Applets‖ and ―Trace and Log Files.‖

Close the Java Control Panel

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AZVA WRITING PROGRAM The AZVA writing program is comprehensive, using the writing process to teach students a step by step

method to writing. Elluminate classes for grades K-8 are taught weekly, and they cover the K12

curriculum, the Six Traits, as well as interactive writing activities. Students are able to participate in a classroom setting with other students and learn a variety of writing topics. This year we will have a class especially for peer editing. Attending writing classes will not only help your student get through the writing curriculum, but it will help him/her understand the components of writing in a fun, interactive format. The writing specialist also emails weekly writing newsletters with fun and practical tips and tricks for learning coaches and students.

2010-2011 Writing Class Schedule The writing class schedule for the following school year will be announced at a later time.

Discovering the 6 Traits

1. What are the 6 traits and why do we need to use them? By learning these one at a time, students learn the skills needed to write effectively. The state of Arizona also uses these traits to assess our students in writing on the AIMS test each Spring. The 6 traits are: Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, Voice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.

The writing process is basically 5 stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. By using the six traits with the writing process, students learn how to practice in all these stages. Ideas, organization, voice, word choice and fluency are all part of the revision process and conventions is the editing phase. It is very important that these traits be incorporated into the writing program.

What are some characteristics of each trait? Ideas

o Clear message o Focused topic o Specific details

Organization o Lead: grab attention o Transitions: logical and linking o Conclusion: tie it together

Voice o Enthusiasm o Involvement o Feelings

Word Choice o Words as pictures o Precise nouns o Lively verbs

Sentence Fluency o Flow and Rhythm o Different sentence beginnings o Different sentence lengths

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Conventions o Edit for CAPS ( capitalization, agreement and usage, punctuation, spelling) o Check the presentation

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GRADES K-2 WRITING RUBRIC

IDEAS AND CONTENT VOICE

The writer‘s ideas are clear, and details are used to support ideas.

The writer uses the correct voice for the piece that is written. Writing is easy to read.

Experienced

Ideas are extremely clear

Very strong details

Writing is focused Topic is well understood

Experienced

Writer‘s purpose is clear

Emotion is present

Message is delivered effectively Easy to follow sequencing

Capable

Writing makes a point

Ideas are clear

Many details are present

Topic is understood

Capable

Writing is individual and expressive

Care of topic is evident

Writing has a sense of audience

Purpose of writing is evident

Emerging

Main idea is evident

Few details are present

Writer needs more understanding of topic

Writer uses some recognizable words

Emerging

A little bit of the writer‘s voice is evident

Purpose of writing is not clear

Illustration is used to express ideas

Audience is not considered

Experimenting

Scribbling and/or pictures are used

Letters are written randomly

Text is not easily understood

Experimenting

No audience present

Lack of details in picture

Writer does not communicate with reader

ORGANIZATION WORD CHOICE

Writing is planned from beginning to end. Writer uses words that are clear and interesting. Experienced The beginning, middle, and end are

well organized Writing is easy to follow Transitions are used to connect main

ideas

Experienced Clear and interesting words are used The right words are used in the right places Descriptive words are not often repeated Uses some metaphors and similes

Capable Some transitions are used to connect

ideas Good beginning. Ending is attempted. Writing is in a logical order

Capable Some repetition of descriptive words Words are chosen carefully and specifically Words are used to create images

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Emerging A beginning is present, but very little

middle and ending Writer uses short sentences Reader can follow most of what is written

Emerging General, not specific words Words are sometimes repeated Uses phonetic letter strings Limited amount of text

Experimenting Ideas are present but not organized Scribbles, shapes, and pictures Attempt at placement of letters is evident

Experimenting Most words are repeated Very simple language is used Words are copied from surrounding literature

SENTENCE FLUENCY CONVENTIONS

Sentences fit well together and make sense. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization are

used correctly. Experienced o Writer uses a variety of strong

sentences o Reader can easily read sentences

aloud o Writing flows o Good control over standard grammar

Experienced o Writer uses correct spelling o Writer uses correct beginning capitalization o Writer uses correct ending punctuation

Capable o Writing flows o Simple and compound sentences are

present o Sentences have a variety of beginnings

Capable o Most spelling, capitalization and

punctuation is correct o Paragraphs are used to show new ideas o Writer uses spaces between words

Emerging o Sentences are easy to understand, but

do not flow o Simple sentences are used o Reader may need some text interpreted o Many sentences begin the same

Emerging o Spelling needs to be checked o Some mistakes make reading difficult o Lack of paragraphs to separate ideas o Uses mixed lowercase and capital letters o Can write own name

Experimenting o Words or letters may stand alone o Reader needs the text interpreted o Strings of letters instead of words

Experimenting o Only pictures are used o Writing and drawing is done in scribbles o Cannot write name conventionally

*Writing rubrics have been taken or adapted from those used by the Arizona Department of Education. They are used with permission of the Oregon Department of Education, Salem, Oregon 97310.

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Student Honor Roll & NJHS

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ELEMENTARY HONOR ROLL (K-5)

The Elementary Honor Roll is a great tool to recognize students for their hard work, as well as incentive to continue working diligently. Please share the following information with your student. Honor roll status will be determined at the end of each semester and students will receive recognition after honor roll eligibility is determined. **Please note that music and world languages are optional courses, and progress in these courses will not be used in calculating honor roll. Requirements for making the Elementary Honor Roll:

A grade of ―E‖ given for each subject (except Music/World Language).

All required work samples must be submitted to the assigned teacher by the due date.

Attendance requirements are met and logged daily (exceptions must be approved by teacher in advance).

Student must participate in phone conferences when asked to do so.

Student must meet or exceed all student goals Rewards for Honor Roll:

AZVA Bumper Sticker

Certificate of Achievement

Name listed in the Weekly Updates

MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL (6-8)

Middle School Rubric The AZVA Middle School Rubric is a tool that is monitored by teachers to track continuous student success within the program. Through a series of goals, ranging from work samples to outing attendance, students are given the opportunity to earn acknowledgement for their school achievements. AZVA staff believes that providing a well-rounded education involves various principles ranging from social outings, high quality work samples, testing, lesson assessments, submitting samples and paperwork promptly, and continuous conference call participation. The following rubric allows teachers to assess student success in the areas discussed and identify students for exemplary achievement within AZVA. Achievement levels range from Unsatisfactory to Exemplary/Honors standing in which students are eligible to apply to National Junior Honor Society. **Please note that music and world languages are optional courses and the progress in these courses will not be used in calculating honor roll.

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National Junior Honor Society Membership (Grades 6-8) Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a middle school student. AZVA is the first virtual school in the nation to have an NJHS chapter of its own. The NJHS has worked hard to bring the accomplishments of outstanding students to the attention of parents, teachers, peers, and the community. Chapters in more than 5,000 middle level schools across the nation strive to give practical meaning to the Society‘s goals of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character. These five ideals are considered as the basis for student selection. No student is inducted solely on high academic standards. The National Junior Honor Society strives to recognize various attributes of a successful student: one who excels in all these areas:

The standards used for student selection are:

Scholarship—AZVA rubric score or 32 or higher out of a possible 36 points

Leadership, Service, Citizenship, and Character—as noted by teacher observations

Having attended AZVA for at least one semester Responsibilities of Membership Membership is more than an honor. It requires a responsibility and an obligation to demonstrate those outstanding qualities that resulted in selection for membership. In order to ensure that our chapter of the National Junior Honor Society is effective and meaningful, each member will have the opportunity to participate in the goals and objectives of our chapter, such as participating in chapter meetings and planning and participation of NJHS projects. Specifically, all members will be encouraged to:

Participate in a fall food drive and a spring book drive as our school community service projects for each semester.

Participate in monthly meetings with NJHS members and teachers, some on the phone and some in person, in order to facilitate ways to make our school better and to help other students by mentoring and getting them connected.

Attend semester outings for NJHS students to get acquainted with others in their area. In order to stay in good standing with our NJHS Chapter, each member will be required to do the follow during the semester:

Complete 6 hours of community service/month on his/her own, keep track of his/her hours, have an adult sign a tracking sheet and submit the form to his/her assigned NJHS teacher

Keep the progress in the Online School consistently above expectation

Maintain required attendance hours Rewards of Membership Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is a great honor for a middle school student. Each member is eligible to participate in an induction ceremony and will receive a certificate as well as a membership card. Participation in meetings and in the planning of various activities enables middle school students to practice leadership skills that are very important for them in their high school years where they will be eligible for various scholarships.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL AND NJHS RUBRIC

Student Goals Scoring Rubric

Student Name: Grade Level: Semester:

Student goals are determined in conjunction with parent, student and teacher.

Task: 6 - Above Expectation 3 - At Expectation 0 - Below Expectation

Student GoalsAchieves all of the student

goals.

Achieves 80% of the

student goals.

Achieves 50% or less of

the student goals.

Achieves 79% or less of the student goals.

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Conference Call Scoring Rubric


The conference calls are based on whether or not the parent and middle school student attends the scheduled calls as well as the

quality of conversation.

Task: 9 - Above Expectation 6 - At Expectation 3 - Below Expectation 0 - Absent

Does not attend any of the

scheduled conference calls

with teacher. Does not

respond to teacher e-mails.

Conference Calls: Attends the scheduled

conf. calls with teacher.

Initiates quality

conversation. Also

responds to and initiates e-

mail conversation.

Attends the scheduled

conf. calls with their

teacher. Engages in a

quality conversation.

Responds to teacher e-

mails.

Attends less than half of

the scheduled conf. calls

with teacher. Selectively

responds to teacher e-

mails

______

Middle School Honor Roll and NJHS Scoring Rubric


Work Sample Score:

Student Goals Score:

Progress Score:

Conference Call Score:

Total:

Attendance Score:

A score of 28-31 constitutes a student who has achieved Honor Roll Standing

____________________ _________________________________________________________________

A score of 32-36 constitutes a student who has achieved the NJHS Standing.

Attendance Scoring Rubric


Attendance score is based on OLS attendance hours logged by the end of each semester compared to what is required for the student's grade level.

Task: 6 - Above Expectation 3 - At Expectation 0 - Below Expectation

Attendance: attendance hours logged

on the OLS are over the required

attendance hours for the semester

attendance hours logged on the OLS are exactly

the required attendance hours for the

semester

attendance hours logged on the OLS are

less than the required attendance hours for the

semester

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NJHS VOLUNTEER WORK TRACKING SHEET

Month: ___________________ Student Name: _______________________ Assigned AZVA Teacher‘s Name: _____________________________

Project Name Amount of time

Adult Signature Student Signature

Please fax to the Phoenix office each month or attach in an email to [email protected]. Back to Contents


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The Learning Coach: Programs, Tips & Tricks

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SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT TRAININGS The special education department will be offering trainings on a variety of topics each month to all parents. Please join us in the online Resource Room during the open times to review the training, and have your questions answered by a special education teacher.

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K-8 MONDAY ASSEMBLIES Please join AZVA administration and staff for informative Monday Assemblies. These assemblies will include school information and student recognition. More information will be available at the beginning of the school year.

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AZVA PARENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Parent certification is classified by three levels: Basic, Advanced, and Honors. When a parent completes any of these levels, he/she will receive a certificate, recognition at the school assembly as well as a listing of his/her name in the Weekly Updates. In order for a parent to qualify for AZVA Parent Certification Level, he/she needs to complete the following each school year: BASIC: (minimum time for completion—1 month)

Acquire and connect Internet service promptly (within a week of contact with teacher)

Update Antivirus software

Perform Windows Update

Know how to clear the cache

Check e-mail daily for at least one month

Actively participate with teacher to establish student goals

Attend two parent trainings that are offered via Elluminate

Attend all scheduled conference calls on the phone or in Elluminate In OLS:

Log attendance daily for one month

Complete OLS online tutorial located in the HELP section

Establish a daily plan and mark vacation days

Visit ―Lesson Lists‖ in addition to ―Plan‖ and mark lessons complete

Know how to print lessons and screens

ADVANCED: (minimum time for completion—1 semester)

Accomplish all of the above for one semester, plus

Attend local Parent Orientation or Parent Orientation by phone

Research the Internet to find supplemental activities for students

Submit work samples each month by due date

Read all OLS ―Course Introductions‖ for student‘s subjects

Read ―Kids rules for Online Safety‖ at http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm with student(s) and ―Parents‘ Guide to Keeping Children Safe Online‖ at http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm and apply safety rules

http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm

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HONORS: (minimum time for completion – 1 semester ) Achieve all of the above, plus:

Assist an AZVA teacher in a school-sponsored outing

Host a student interest group get-together

Attend two or more parent training sessions, chats, or conference calls

Pair with another parent in some way for support (buddy system, mentoring, etc)

Share information about AZVA with at least two friends

Ensure that the student has satisfied yearly attendance hours and progress

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MOTIVATING STUDENTS Many students begin the school year excited about their new classes. However, at some point students may procrastinate, dawdle, and do everything possible to avoid completing their assignments. Many students (and parents) experience difficulty becoming and remaining motivated. This is common and to be expected. While the learning coach is going through several changes of his/her own, it is easy to forget the student is going through adjustments and may not be the ―picture perfect‖ student that sometimes the parent/learning coach expects. It is OK! Allow the student some growing room and adjustment time as well, and realize the first two months are usually the hardest. Most students really enjoy the new learning environment once the adjustments are made. Remember, there is no perfect way to do the AZVA program. How students and learning coaches make it work is as varied as the families enrolled. Feel free to be flexible within the program and make it work for your student. Below, learning coaches can find suggestions, incentives, and online resources for maintaining enthusiasm and excitement about learning.

Do:

Be consistent. o Stick to a schedule. o Attend monthly outings. o Send in required monthly work samples.

Involve your student in creating and completing a daily schedule. o Discuss courses and create a plan to work toward goals set for the year. o Discuss accomplishments each day. o Plan time for play every day.

Create an inviting work environment. o Provide a space for your student to work. o Keep a space for ongoing projects. o Eliminate distractions. o Keep materials where they are easily accessible.

Focus on the positive. o Become your student‘s learning partner. o Offer incentives for your student to complete his/her work. o Enjoy a fun, free-time activity once a goal is achieved.

Don’t:

o Compare your student to other students. o Blame your child if schooling does not run smoothly. Step back, take a break, and evaluate

what is working. o Leave school up to your student alone; he/she needs your help!

Incentives: Incentives allow students to control whether or not they earn rewards. Once incentives are

earned, they are not to be taken away. Below are some examples of incentives. Learning coaches can be creative and determine what works for their families.

o Buy a set amount of game tokens. Designate a cup or bowl for earning game tokens. Tell your student that every assignment he/she completes without complaining earns him/her 1-2 tokens (or whatever amount you decide). Indicate on a calendar the day that your student may use the earned tokens.

o Prepare a ―treasure chest‖ and stock it with various little treasures that your student has helped you select. Students can place stickers for completed lessons on small incentive charts that can

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be purchased at a local teacher supply store. Once the chart is full, learning coaches may encourage their students to select a prize in the treasure chest.

o When schooling multiple children, a ―happy bean jar‖ may work wonders. Obtain a glass jar and a bag of beans. When students work together cooperatively, place a bean in the jar. Once the bean jar is full, reward students with an item or activity of their choice.

o Create a chart that lists activities that a student can complete to earn tickets. For instance, getting himself/herself up and ready for school = 2 tickets, or completing an extra assignment = 5 tickets, etc. Students can redeem tickets for time on the computer, craft time, video game time, TV time, etc. Students can even redeem tickets for a bigger ―ticket‖ item such as lunch or dinner out or even an overnight trip (especially motivating for the older students).

Along with the do-and-don‘t checklist and the aforementioned incentives, learning coaches may find information about motivating students with most search engines on the Internet. Some well-established philosophies and strategies to motivate students are listed below:

o Logical and Natural Consequences: Dinkmeyer and McKay o PAT-―Preferred Activity Time:‖ Fred Jones, author of Positive Classroom Behavior o Discipline with Love and Logic: Foster Cline and Jim Fay o Choice Theory and Control Theory: William Glasser

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LEARNING COACH TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SCHEDULING AND MANAGING IT ALL

Some of the most valuable tips and tricks are provided by experienced AZVA families. A good way to get in touch with these families is through the Family Directory or school outings. Always feel free to ask

your teachers for advice and tips to teach the K12 curriculum.

Starting School:

Start slowly, do what you can, and remember that getting in the ―groove‖ of things takes a little time.

Maintain open contact with teachers and make schooling your priority.

Persevere as a family. Do not allow yourself or your family to become overwhelmed. Work cooperatively and patiently to troubleshoot challenges (i.e., computer or software problems, lifestyle change, etc.).

Understand that some families need up to a year to become completely comfortable with the new school. The curriculum and instructional techniques become more familiar over time as exercises are repeated.

Keep in mind that parents who have no schooling at home or homeschool experience may find the task of schooling at home to be time consuming. Nevertheless, the reward of knowing that the nature of AZVA‘s program leads to high-quality education far outweighs the challenges.

Thoroughly read the information sent to you by the school. Organization:

When school materials arrive, open and inventory them right away. Allow your child(ren) to see all of the exciting materials, but take into consideration whether or not the abundance of materials will be overwhelming. If so, consider only introducing the student to the materials he/she needs to begin initial lessons. The supplied materials are abundant and may give the student the impression of impending piles of work. Reassure the student that he/she will work on only one course and lesson at a time and the other coursework materials are for the rest of the year‘s lessons.

Organize your workspace as early as possible. Keep simple hanging files for the student‘s finished work organized by subject, and separate a hanging file for monthly work sample submissions.

Establish a reward system based on daily attitude and activity. (Verbal praise is more effective than a trip to the mall.)

Learn how to best set up your own schedule. Work with your teacher to come up with something that works for you and your family.

Obtain a notebook and write down questions for discussion with the teacher. Leave space to record responses.

Preparation: Prepare all of the materials and print out the daily plan the night before.

For older students, create usernames and passwords for them to use within the OLS when they are working on their own. You can do this by accessing the My Account area within the OLS.

Experiment with printing out the weekly/daily plan. Some students prefer to work through courses in the order of their choice and feel good about themselves as they cross off the completed coursework.

Plan ahead by preparing worksheets and documents for the student. Tear out and staple workbook pages into small sections. Mark pages to read with sticky notes.

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Visit the Advance Preparation option in the OLS every day to optimize preparation and planning. Science lessons often require some advance preparation.

Coaching: Lesson chunking can reduce your transition time between subjects tremendously. Double up on

lessons such as science or history, and complete them every other week. Designate specific days for science or art. Strive to complete an entire unit. This process can be fun and maintain student attention, and it reduces preparation time.

Keep in mind that learning coaches may modify lessons. Students may jump to the lesson or unit assessment if they already demonstrate mastery of the objectives.

Strive to begin school each day at a specified time. Allow yourself the luxury of sleeping in once in a while.

Skip challenging material and complete it on a different day.

Stay on top of your schedule. Catching up can be challenging.

Post a motto up in the classroom area of your house. One parent suggested the following motto, ―Find a way to do it. There is not a reason why you cannot.‖

Please feel free to ask your teacher for assistance in modifying the curriculum to fit your child’s needs or coaching techniques that may be helpful to you.

Lessons and Courses: Understand the percentages of assignments that students need to complete so they may

complete their courses. Refer to Progress and Attendance Guidelines chart in the Student Goals section of the POG for more details.

Keep in mind those students who start school mid-year must still reach mastery in their courses to promote to the next course in the following school year.

Remember that optional lessons are not figured into the percentage of core lessons used to calculate course promotion eligibility.

Understand the difference between viewing all lessons and core lessons on the progress screen.

Keep in mind that each student has a unique readiness level and cannot be compared to other

students. The K12 curriculum is rigorous.

Adjust the schedule set-up to ensure the student is on track to finish the course by the school end date. This can be accessed through the ―Plan‖ tabs within the OLS.

Access Grolier’s Online Encyclopedia for extra information on any subject. o Log into the Online School. o Click on ―Help‖ in the top right hand corner. o Scroll down to the bottom and click ―Grolier’s Encyclopedia‖ on the left side under

―Other Links‖. o *If you have difficulty accessing Grolier‘s Encyclopedia, you may need to adjust your

computer‘s settings via the Content Advisor. For more information, see the section on the Content Advisor in the technology section of the POG.

Ask your teacher about free access to UnitedStreaming videos online. There are videos from how a mountain is formed to Algebra and everything in between.

General: Attend an Elluminate training, conference call, or in-person parent training or chat session. They

are very informative.

Attend as many outings as possible. Meeting other families and students helps families create a sense of community and belonging, and provides the opportunity to share experience.

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SCHEDULING

Now that you have made this decision to join AZVA, we need to look at how you can find more time in your day, be more efficient, and be able to enjoy time together as a family. The first thing you need to do is get control of your time! Start by making a master plan schedule of your entire week. Put things on the list that occur every week and block out that time commitment. Put every waking hour on this master plan. Here is one mom‘s schedule:

*Co-op is time spent doing shared-learning with another family. This is going to help you identify where your time is spent, as well as determine those nasty ―time drains.‖ Some examples of time drains are the TV, telephone, video games, appointments, and time spent in the car traveling. After you create a weekly schedule, break it down into a daily schedule. One suggestion is to set a timer every fifteen minutes for a day or two. Simply jot down what you were doing when the alarm went off. Within a couple of days, you will have a good idea of how time is spent throughout each day. Use personal time management tools like calendars, schedules, to-do lists, family notebooks, and the tools on the OLS (weekly lesson plan, advance preparation, etc).

Time

TV Football TV Football 7 pm

Dinner Girls‘ Club Football Football Brownies 6 pm

Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner 5 pm

Scouts 4 pm

Football Kelsie Piano Co-op 3 pm

Football School School School Co-op School School 2 pm

Football School School Co-op School School 1 pm

Lunch Lunch Lunch Co-op Lunch Lunch 12 pm

Brunch School School Co-op School School 11am

School School School Co-op School School 10 am

Family Time Breakfast School School Co-op School School 9 am

Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast 8 am

Sleep Family Time Family Time Family Time

Family Time 7 am

Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep 6 am

Sunday Saturday Friday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Monday

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Time Task

7:30 Breakfast

7:45 Clean Kitchen

8:00 Nathan Math

8:15 Jenna Math

8:30 Jenna Math

8:45 Check e-mail

9:00 Check e-mail

9:15 Nathan Science

9:30 Jenna Literature

9:45 Jenna Literature

10:00 Phone Calls

10:15 Phone Calls

10:30 Laundry

10:45 Nathan History

11:00 Jenna History

11:15 Laundry

11:30 Check e-mail

11:45 Nathan Language

Arts

12:00 Lunch

Here are a few things to consider when creating your schedule.

Take your child‘s biological learning time into consideration. If your child is not a morning person, don‘t push it. Let him/her help create the schedule. He/she will be more willing to stick to it.

Save time by using block scheduling (or chunking) with your secondary subjects. This will save time and may also keep your child more involved in the subject. Instead

of doing History on M-W-F and Science on T-W-TH, try this:

Monday- 3 History Lessons Tuesday- 3 Science Lessons Wednesday- 3 Art Lessons Thursday- 2 Music Lessons

Tips for Managing Your Home

Have a list of 5, 10, and 15-minute tasks that your child can do if you are not quite ready to move onto the next lesson when he/she is! This way you won‘t lose him/her to Legos in the bedroom!

Consolidate your movement. Try to run all of your errands at the same time instead of leaving your home multiple times each day. This will eliminate a huge time drain!

Create a meal-of-the-day schedule. Make large meals and freeze them for instant meals!

Delegate tasks. You don‘t have to do all of it by yourself!

Keep realistic expectations.

Create a ―mobile office‖ to take with you when you are on the go. You can pay bills, make a grocery list, etc all while waiting for Johnny to finish football practice!

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Virtual School Community: Family Directory, Events,

Clubs, & Outings

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FAMILY DIRECTORY

The new parent directory is accessed through the bigthinK12. Parents are able to find other parents by

location of their homes and student grade levels. Parents may search by name and other information in a parent profile. The new directory is automatically updated as a parent's status changes, such as moving across town or changing an e-mail address. There is an online opt-in/out capability on the OLS so parents can easily include or exclude themselves from the directory.

thebigthinK12 CODE OF CONDUCT & STANDARDS OF PARTICIPATION

Welcome to thebigthinK12, K12‘s online community. K12 is delighted to provide this collaboration and social networking platform to encourage learning, sharing and support among K12 students, parents, teachers, school personnel and K12 staff. Only authorized users of K12 systems can access thebigthinK12, so it‘s a good place to learn about and use the latest and greatest of Web 2.0. The version you‘re accessing today is just the beginning. Check out our ―Behind The Scenes‖ blog to learn about the new features and functions we‘ll be adding over time. Now on to some business: while K12 provides the platform as a service, it is not responsible for the content posted through use of the platform. Each individual user is responsible for the content she or he posts. Content posted by K12 employees in no way reflects the views of K12 Inc. or its affiliates. In launching this platform, K12 has commissioned an independent firm to monitor its use. We reserve the right to delete any content that conflicts with our Standards of Participation (below) at any time without notice or explanation. thebigthinK12 is all about creative self-expression and spontaneous interaction—we want you to have a blast! At the same time, users of the community are expected to conduct themselves in a mature and respectful manner. Even with monitoring, we also ask that all users to be active participants in maintaining the Standards of Participation as set forth below:

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thebigthinK12

STANDARDS OF PARTICIPATION

As we said above, each user of the community is solely responsible for the content posted through his/her log-in credentials. Sharing your username and password with others is strictly prohibited, as is logging in with someone else‘s username and password. The following tones, language, materials and behaviors are strictly prohibited:

Posting personally identifiable information (whether directly or indirectly through a link to a personal profile) such as phone number, IM, email address or street address in any format other than a private message

Antagonism or prejudice of any kind with respect to race, religion, gender, intelligence, age, orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status

Posting material including photographs and videos inappropriate for minors (anyone under the age of 18)

Any criminal or other illegal activity including encouraging the unlawful use, possession, manufacture or distribution of tobacco, drugs or alcohol

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Illegally posting, distributing, uploading or downloading copyrighted work (whether music, video, words, images, drawings, pictures, software or otherwise), or providing any information to circumvent copyright protection devices or software

sharing quiz, test, assessment, essay or term paper questions or answers or undertaking any other action that would violate any code of conduct, expectations or rules of your school or teachers regarding academic honesty or that would defeat the intent of any quiz, test, assessment, essay, term paper or other academic assignment

Threats to anyone‘s physical or mental well-being

Threats to school or personal property

Stalking behaviors

Harassment of any kind

Explicit language or sexuality

Explicit or graphic violence

Spam or any other unauthorized/unsolicited or commercial promotion

Disruptions of the server or host software

Impersonations of others‘ identities, including employees/representatives of K12

Use of codes, software, or passwords that may grant unauthorized access to K12 software or third-party software of any kind

Soliciting passwords or personal identifying information from other users

Content that poses any type of threat to homeland security

FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE STANDARDS MAY RESULT IN TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT REMOVAL OF USER ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY, AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF K12 AND MAY ALSO LEAD TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION BY YOUR SCHOOL OR EXPULSION. If you feel any member of the community has violated the letter or the spirit of these standards, please email [email protected].

For more details, please refer to the K12 Terms of Use. As our community grows, we eagerly look forward to your valued contributions! Student Internet Safety • Do not reveal on the Internet personal information about yourself or other persons. For example, you should not reveal your name, home address, telephone number, or display photographs of yourself or others to persons outside of the ARIZONA VIRTUAL ACADEMY. • Do not agree to meet in person anyone you have met only on the Internet and who is not affiliated with the ARIZONA VIRTUAL ACADEMY. Network Etiquette As an ARIZONA VIRTUAL ACADEMY student, you are expected to follow the rules of network etiquette or netiquette. The word "netiquette" refers to common-sense guidelines for conversing with others online. Please abide by these standards: • Avoid sarcasm, jargon, and slang. Swear words are unacceptable. • Never use derogatory comments, including those regarding race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, political persuasion, body type, physical or mental health, or access issues. being discussed, not on the individuals involved. • Focus your responses on the questions or issues • Be constructive with your criticism, not hurtful.


http://www.k12.com/terms_of_use/

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• Review your messages before sending them. Remove easily misinterpreted language and proofread for typos. • Respect other people‘s privacy. Don't broadcast online discussions, and never reveal other people's email addresses. Getting Around thebigthinK12 Outings : the big thinK > thebigthinK @ AZVA > AZVA Parents > AZVA Parent-Led Activities and Events Boosters: the big thinK > thebigthinK @ AZVA > AZVA Parents > AZVA Parent Booster Club Weekly updates: the big thinK > thebigthinK @ AZVA > thebigthink @ AZVA K8 > AZVA K8 Weekly Updates Clubs: the big thinK > thebigthinK @ AZVA > thebigthink @ AZVA K8 > AZVA K8 Clubs

K12 /AZVA YAHOO GROUPS

K12-AZVA Yahoo Group: Are you looking for other families schooling with AZVA? Our parents have begun a separate Yahoo board as a place to discuss, share tips, problems, ideas, fun stuff, or whatever pertains to their virtual schooling experience. It's a great way to share information, frustrations and make friends with other parents who are committed to giving their students the best education they can. Visit www.yahoogroups.com/group/K12-AZVA for more information.

K12-AZVA-ALP Yahoo Group: Do you have an ―advanced learner‖ in AZVA? The Advanced Learner Program (ALP) is offered by AZVA to help provide additional opportunities for students who have high intellectual, academic or creative thinking skills. To help families of ALP students connect, our parents have begun a separate Yahoo board as a place to chat, share ideas, get questions answered, and talk about all the issues pertaining to our unique schooling experience. Visit www.yahoogroups.com/group/K12-AZVA-ALP for more information.

AZVA SPECIAL INTEREST STUDENT CLUBS

It is a goal of AZVA staff to foster community for our families through clubs. In an effort to help families build more meaningful relationships with one another, AZVA offers in-person and online clubs based on students‘ and families‘ interests. Possible clubs offered to K-8 students if 20 or more participants attend are suggested (not limited to) below: East Valley Lego History club Battle of the Books Travel club Outdoor club Odyssey of the Mind, Yuma Oceanography Club -5th grade only Back to Contents




https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/parents/parentled?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/parents/parentled?view=overview







https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/azvak8?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/azvak8/k-8_weekly_updates?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/azvak8/k-8_weekly_updates?view=overview



https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/azvak8?view=overview

https://nrg.k12.com/clearspace/community/tbt_azva/azvak8/azva_clubs?view=overview

http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/K12-AZVA

http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/K12-AZVA-ALP

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AZVA Club Information 2010-2011 *The club information is subject to change

AZVA Clubs Hosts

East Valley Lego AZVA East Valley Lego/Robotic Club. We have several different groups within our club. We have the FLL Robotics group for AZVA students from ages 9-14, the regular Lego© group for all ages, and the Jr. FLL group for 6-9 year olds. The Robotic team is designing, building and programming a Lego© robot to solve tasks in the yearly challenge. There is a competition held in December which we participate in. The Jr. FLL group works with the same theme as the FLL group, but they learn about and build with gears to make machines. Both groups prepare for a presentation as well. The regular Lego group gets together to build with Legos. All groups gather together to have fun building and socializing. The parents stay, have fun, and socialize as well.

TBD

History club Please join us as we take a walk through history. Students will actively learn about historical events and people through Elluminate activities and outings. TBD

Battle of the Books America‘s Battle of the Books is a voluntary reading incentive program for students in grades 3-12. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while competing with peers. Students participate by reading from the book list provided for that year's America's Battle of the Books. Students may count "books" they have read before. However, they cannot count books that they have only seen on a video or a movie. They must read the book. The school battles will be held usually in March or April. Therefore, students will have plenty of time to read the books during the school year. A typical "Battle" is a game, in which students' teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list.

TBD

Travel club Travel club ―travels‖ the globe to interesting and sometimes exotic locations. Students enjoy discovering different cultures during the travel club meetings that are held in Elluminate. Travel Club Meetings to be announced at a later date. TBD

Safford Outdoor club The Safford Outdoor Club is a club geared toward encouraging students to get out and socialize while participating in fun events. Our goal is to have students join together in activities such as: Park days, bowling and trips to museums, fire and/or police departments, Pizza Hut, Apple Annie‘s and other ideas for activities students are interested in. Contact Lori Talavera to be included in upcoming events and activities.

TBD

Yuma Board Game Club (Grades 4-8) More information to come at a later date.

TBD

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Odyssey of the Mind, Yuma Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive club that focuses on building creative thinking and team work skills. Students that participate in this club must be honor roll students and maintain that status throughout the year. The club requires weekly meetings, homework, and heavy parental involvement. Information regarding Odyssey of the Mind can be found at www.odysseyofthemind.com. Currently, there are two spots open on a 7-11 grade team. Teams are formed based on interest and require seven members near the same age group. Additional teams need to be formed by October.

TBD

PEN PALS K-12 grade AZVA will be pairing up students from other virtual academies nationwide.

TBD

AZVA Parent Boosters The AZVA Parent Boosters organization is a robust group of parents who are committed to enhancing the school for the students. Their mission statement reflects that commitment: To empower and encourage AZVA families to make meaningful connections, participate in quality programs, and ensure that AZVA students get all they can out of the virtual school experience. Go to thebigthinK parent booster page to find what activities are on tap for a certain time period. Please consider joining this group.

TBD

Middle School Social Hour This online club is for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who would like to socialize with their AZVA peers. Join in on the fun in Elluminate as students chat about their favorite topics, play games, share about their AZVA experiences, and make friends. This is a very safe and easy way to socialize.

TBD

Ski Club Students and their chaperones are given a great deal at Sunrise Ski Park near Greer, AZ. The exact dates are yet to be announced, but the club is usually given 6-8 dates from January-March to ski and snowboard at a very low cost. If you‘ve always wanted to learn how to ski or snowboard, here is your chance! Look for an announcement in December for a club meeting in which the dates will be given and general questions will be answered.

TBD

Great Auk and Living History Museum Great Auk: This is a club open to 7th and 8th grade students. If you love trivia and learning new things, this is the club for you. We will answer trivia questions together. Topics included everything from dinosaurs to Star Wars. In April, we will complete with students from all over the country in a trivia competition. Living History Museum:

As a group, we will choose a year and an area of the country around which you

TBD

http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/

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would like to center our studies. All members of the class, including you, will learn as much as possible about that time and place in order to assume the role of a real person. The research should include finding out about times before and after the year you've chosen. It is important to learn where your characters came from, where they were headed, where their relatives were. It will also be important to know how events in other areas of the country and in other countries affected your characters, even if the characters, as individuals, were unaware of these events. However, the year and place will be the focal point. You will then choose a character from that year and place and create a presentation acting as your character. You will talk about what your life is like, what the world is like. We will share all of these in an Elluminate room at a time to be determined later. We will have monthly meeting to discuss the character research process. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Kari Hurley via Kmail.

Oceanography Club This new and exciting club is open to all AZVA 5th graders! We will learn and explore Earth‘s oceans. Is there a difference we can make to keep our Earth clean and environmentally protected? Oceanography Club will meet once per month in Elluminate for a club lesson. At the end of the year we are holding the first AZVA Virtual Aquarium. In addition to lessons and activities, we have a trip planned to California in April! Project Exploration, Inc. will take us on a two-night, three day exclusive coach bus tour, which will include many fun things - including Sea World and boat cruise! The trip costs $450 per person. Each student is required to have an adult chaperone. You are not required to go on the trip to be part of the club. However, if you want to go on the trip, you must participate in the Oceanography Club‘s Elluminate lessons. We also have Elluminate meetings for parents about the trip and fundraising opportunities. If you are interested in joining, and haven‘t already filled out the interest survey, you can still sign up by filling out this form: Click here to fill out the form (More information will be emailed to you after you complete the form.) If you have any problems accessing the form using the link above, please send an email to: [email protected]

TBD

http://www.rsvme.com/wsb.dll/16016/[email protected]


K-8 OUTINGS

K – 12th grade Students, Learning Coaches, their family and friends are all invited to get together often to enjoy school sponsored outings. All participants under the age of 18 will need to be included on the school liability release form. Specific dates and times will be posted on the onthebigthinK12. Parents are also welcome to host or lead social and educational opportunities in their own communities. Please work with your assigned teacher to calendar your event. Even something as simple as meeting at the park can be a great way to support each other and make connections.

8th GRADE TRANSITION In an effort to help our 8th graders with the transition into high school, the AZVA high school community welcomes 8th graders to attend certain outings throughout the year to learn more about the high school program. Please check thebigthinK12 for outings that 8th graders are invited to attend. Back to Contents

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LIABILITY RELEASE AGREEMENT

(Print Minor's Legal Name) __________________________ (Please indicate if there is more than one child per family participating and if so provide their legal name(s)): ______________________, _____________________, ______________________, _______________________ (collectively referred to as ―Minor‖) wishes to participate in ___________________________________ ―Activity‖ sponsored by K

12 Arizona L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company and Portable Practical Educational

Preparations, Inc. an Arizona non-profit corporation, d/b/a PPEP and Affiliates (collectively "Sponsors"). The Sponsors and the undersigned parent or legal guardian of Minor agree that the Activity may pose risks, including possible illness, injury, as well as similar and dissimilar risks (―Risks‖). The undersigned is fully aware of the Risks and other hazards inherent in the Activity and is participating in the Activity voluntarily and assumes the Risks and all other risks of loss, damage, or injury that may be sustained while participating in the activity.

K12

makes no representations or claims as to the condition or safety of the land, structures, transportation or

surroundings that may be involved in the Activity, whether or not owned, leased, operated or maintained by the Sponsors. It is understood that the Sponsors do NOT provide any insurance coverage for the Minor's person or property, and Minor's parent (s) or guardian (s) acknowledge that they are responsible for the Minor's safety and the Minor's own health care needs, and for the protection of the Minor's property. In exchange for allowing the Minor to participate in these Activities offered by the Sponsors, the Minor, by and through the undersigned, the undersigned, and their respective heirs, personal representatives and estates agree(s) to release from liability and hold harmless the Sponsors and any agent, officer or employee of the Sponsors acting within the scope of their duties for any injury to the Minor's person or damage to the Minor's property. I authorize the Sponsors to take any action, including seeking medical care, necessary in its judgment if I am not present or reachable in the event of an emergency. The undersigned acknowledges that as a part of this Release he or she shall be 100% liable to pay for all medical expenses resulting or to result from any injury incurred during, or as a result of, participation in the Activity. If any term of this agreement or the application to any person or circumstance shall, to any extent, be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder shall not be affected thereby, and each and every remaining term of this agreement shall be valid and enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. In the event of any need to enforce this agreement, the Sponsors shall be entitled to its attorney fees and costs. This agreement will be governed by Arizona law. I, the undersigned, state that I am the parent or legal guardian of the Minor. I have fully read and understand the above terms and conditions and that they apply to said Minor and to myself, and that no oral representations, statements or inducements apart from the foregoing written agreement have been made to the undersigned. This document is binding on myself, the said Minor, and any person suing on behalf of said Minor. DATE: ________________________ Minor‘s Address: _______________________

Address: _______________________________ _______________________________ (PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME) _______________________________ (SIGNED)

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K12

PC Setup Guide

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SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER, KEYBOARD, AND MOUSE

This document serves as an overall guide to setting up your computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse; connecting your modem to a phone line; connecting your speakers; connecting your printer to the computer; configuring and logging in to Windows; and logging on and changing your password. Important: Be sure to keep all of the boxes that your computer equipment arrived in. The computer

and accessories are the property of your K12 Virtual Academy and will need to be returned in the original boxes. Before you begin, you should consider the following:

Proximity of the computer system to electrical outlets: The computer system will require several electrical outlets for the computer, printer, and monitor. If the location where you plan to set up your computer is not near several outlets, we recommend that you use a power strip (available at your local hardware store).

Proximity of the computer system to a telephone jack: Since you will be connecting to the Internet using a telephone modem, make sure that the computer is close enough to a wall telephone jack to reach with the supplied cable. If necessary, you can purchase a longer telephone cable at your local hardware store.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Computer, Monitor, Keyboard, and Mouse Your boxes will contain your computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, a monitor stand and cable, two speakers, speaker cables (unless your system has internal speakers), two power cords (one for the monitor and one for the computer), and a telephone/modem cable.

Your computer cables and connector panel have color-coded connectors; match the color of the cable with the color of the connector.

Start by connecting the mouse cable (green) with the green connector on the back of the computer.

Connect the keyboard cable (purple) with the purple connector on the back of the computer.

Connect the monitor cable (blue) with the blue connector on the back of the computer and tighten the screws.

Connect the power cords to the properly grounded electrical wall outlets or preferably a power strip.

Step 2: Connecting a Phone Line to the Computer’s Modem To be able to access the Internet through a modem, you need to connect the phone line jack to

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the computer‘s modem using the telephone cable that came with your computer. Make sure that you connect the cable into the computer via the plug with the icon of a wall jack (not the icon of a phone) next to it.

Most K12 computers have two jacks into which the phone cord can go. One is used to connect the computer to your home‘s wall jack; the other can be used to connect a phone to the computer (so you can make phone calls when the computer is not online). TIP: If the jack you‘ve plugged the phone cord into doesn‘t work, try plugging it into the other jack. If you have broadband Internet access (cable or DSL), then you need to plug the Ethernet cable into the ethernet port on the back of the computer. Step 3: Turning on the Power Turn on the monitor first, and then turn on the computer. When the computer's power-on self-test is finished, the manufacturer's logo window closes. Your computer contains preinstalled software, which will complete its own installation program. * Printer set-up will occur later. Back to Contents

HOW TO LOG ON AND CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD

Getting Started After you have set up your computer, push the power button to start the machine, if you have not already done so. The computer will automatically set up some files. When the log-on screen appears, the user name should appear as Parent. Just leave it that way. The initial password will be the word password. Type password in the lower box, and then click OK. If a box appears asking you to restart your computer, click No. You may wish to establish your own password. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys at the same time. Click Change Password. Enter the old password (password) in the top box. Type in a new password (at least six characters), and then confirm the password by retyping it in the third box. Click OK. Click Cancel on the next window. Be sure to write down your new password and put it somewhere safe in case you forget it later. The computer will continue to perform its start-up tasks. Some windows may open and close during the process. A McAfee Virus scan image will appear and quickly disappear. A bubble may pop up in the bottom right-hand corner titled ―Take a tour of Windows XP.‖ You may close this window by clicking the ―X‖ in the top right corner, or click on the text if you would like to take the tour.

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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to K12 ! Before you get started on the lessons, you‘ll need to install some software on your computer.

Definitions Click: Move the pointer to the appropriate location and ―left-click,‖ or press down the left mouse button, once. Double-click: Move the pointer to the appropriate location and click the left mouse button twice, in rapid succession. Right-click: Move the pointer to the appropriate location and ―right-click,‖ or press down the right mouse button, once.

Desktop: Initial screen where you will find the K12 folder and other icons. You can reach the Desktop

by clicking the Show Desktop icon at the bottom of the screen.

Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader

1. Double-click the K12 folder on your computer screen. 2. Double-click the AdbeRdr60_enu_full icon. 3. A new window will appear and a progress bar will begin running—it will let you know how

quickly you are installing the software. The installation will probably take a minute or two. 4. Several screens will flash up and go away. Eventually the computer will stop on an Adobe

Reader 6.0 window. 5. Click the Next button at the lower right in the next three windows. 6. On the fourth window, click Install. The progress bar will reappear. The installation will take only

a few minutes. 7. Finally, click Finish in the next window. The program will automatically close.

You have successfully installed Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Printer Set-up

Please refer to the user manual that is in the box with your printer OR on your computer in the K12

folder. To find the manual on your computer:

1. Double-click the K12 folder icon on your Desktop. 2. Double-click the folder named Printer Drivers and Manuals. 3. Find out what model of printer you have. You can find the name and number on the outside of

the printer. 4. Double-click the file for your Printer Manual. 5. Follow the directions in the manual to set up your printer.

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That‘s it! You have finished setting up your computer system. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the

Desktop and type www.K12.com in the address box to access the K12 Online School. Have fun!

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http://www.k12.com/

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A GUIDE TO COMMON COMPUTER TERMS

Bandwidth: The amount of information that can be carried in a given time period over a wired or wireless communications link. Boot up: To turn on the power to your computer so it can load its operating system. Also called ―start up‖. Broadband: A connection to the Internet that uses a wide range of frequencies to transmit information. Broadband connections download more information and download it faster than narrowband connections. Examples of broadband connections are Cable and DSL. Cache: A place on your computer to temporarily store information. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): A technology for bringing high-bandwidth information to homes and small businesses using ordinary copper telephone lines. Desktop: A computer display area that represents the kinds of objects one might find on a real desktop: documents, writing tools, and project folders. This is the main screen shown after boot up. Dial-up: A connection to the Internet using the telephone line and a modem. Ethernet: A system that connects computers together in a network. Firewall: A program which protects the resources of a private network from the users of other networks by blocking common ports used by hackers. Hardware: Computers, monitors, printers, and other physical devices. Home page: The first page displayed after starting a Web browser. Imaging (also called ghost imaging): The copying of the contents of a computer's hard disk into a single compressed file (or set of files) so the contents of the hard disk can be copied to other computers. ISP (Internet Service Provider): A company that provides access to the World Wide Web. Memory: The place where your computer stores data (and from where it retrieves data). RAM (rapid-access memory) is the fastest type of memory. So-called ―secondary storage‖ memory devices are slower, but data is not lost when the computer is powered down (as it is when stored in RAM). Secondary storage includes hard drives, floppy drives and CD drives. Operating system: The program that manages all the other programs for your computer. Program: A specific set of ordered operations for a computer to perform (Microsoft Word, for example). Also known as an ―application‖. RAM (Random Access Memory): The place your computer temporarily stores data so it can be reached quickly by the computer's processor.

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Reboot: To restart your computer. Reload: To start a program over again because it has stopped working, or isn't working properly. Server: The hardware and software that administer data for the computers of a network. Software: Programs used to operate computers. Taskbar: The part of the computer desktop that shows you which programs are running. It is usually found along the bottom of the screen. Web browser: The program that lets you see and use the World Wide Web. (Microsoft‘s Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, for example.) Web site: A connected set of Web pages.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can K12 Customer Support help me solve a computer problem?

If you need help solving a computer problem, please call K12 Customer Support at 1- 866-512-2273. To help us solve your problem as quickly as possible, please take these actions before you call:

Record the exact wording of any error messages that appeared on your computer.

Write down details of the problem, such as how often it happens and what you were doing immediately before the problem occurred. Be prepared to describe the problem in detail. Your description will help the Customer Support representative analyze the problem and suggest a solution.

Place your phone near your computer so you can easily answer questions about your computer system and the problem you are experiencing.

Be ready to help the Customer Support representative walk you through a resolution. He or she may ask you to perform some tasks on the computer to get a better picture of what‘s happening. If you‘ve already performed those steps, tell the Customer Support representative what happened when you performed the steps. You may need to repeat them.

If you don't understand something, let the Customer Support representative know you don‘t understand. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

How do I choose an Internet service provider (ISP)? You will access the K12 Online School via the Internet, so you will need to choose an Internet service provider (ISP). You may choose any ISP you want.

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Setting Up Your Account: Once you have decided on an ISP, you will need to call the company to set up your service. Most companies have a toll-free number and can help you set up your account over the phone.

E-mail: Whatever ISP you choose, be sure the service provides e-mail. Most ISPs provide e-mail and will be happy to help you set up your account. Reimbursement: Some of the K12 Partner Schools have set up an ISP fee reimbursement plan. Please refer to the section on Internet Reimbursement in the Parent-Student Handbook portion of the Parent Orientation Guide. How do I change my password? 1. Log on to your computer.

2. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys on the keyboard at the same time and then release them. 3. Select ―Change Password‖ from the menu that appears on the screen. 4. Make sure the user name is correct. 5. Make sure the account in the second box is correct (whether it's a domain account or local computer account). 6. Type your old (current) password in the third box. 7. Type your new password in the fourth box. 8. Type your new password again in the fifth box. 9. Click ―OK.‖ 10. Click ―OK‖ to acknowledge the message that your password has been changed. 11. Press the Esc button, or click ―Cancel‖ to return to the Windows desktop. How do I clear my cache? The cache is the area where your computer stores Web addresses of sites that you have visited recently. Your computer can retrieve an address much faster from the cache than it can from the Internet. When many addresses are stored in the cache, however, your computer is much less efficient than it is when the cache is empty. We recommend that you clear your cache about every two weeks. Clearing the cache deletes temporary files only. It will not affect any other files on your computer. If your browser is Internet Explorer (IE): 1. Go to ―Tools‖ at the top of the IE screen and select ―Internet Options‖ from the pull-down menu.

2. In the Temporary Internet Files section, select ―Delete Files.‖ 3. When a new window appears, check "Delete all offline content," and then click ―OK.‖ 4. Click ―OK‖ again. If your browser is Netscape: 1. Go to ―Edit‖ at the top of the Netscape screen and select ―Preferences‖ from the pull-down menu. 2. Click once on the plus sign next to the word "Advanced." 3. In the list that appears, click ―Cache.‖

4. For Netscape Version 7.1, click ―Clear Cache.‖ For Version 7.0 or lower, click ―Clear Memory

Cache,‖ and then click ―OK.‖ Click ―Clear Disk Cache,‖ and then click ―OK.‖ 5. Verify that the "Every time" option is selected.

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6. Click ―OK‖ at the bottom of the window. What should I do if my computer doesn’t respond when I type or move the mouse? One or more applications may be conflicting with the program you are using. Follow these steps to check for other applications that may be running in the background. 1. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys on the keyboard at the same time and then release them. 2. Select ―Task Manager‖ from the menu that appears on the screen. 3. Highlight any applications described as "Not Responding." 4. Click the End Task button in the bottom right corner of the window. 5. If another dialog box appears with the message "This program is not responding," click the End Task button in the second box. 6. As a last resort, shut down and restart the computer. I can't hear any sound or play music on my computer. What should I do?

1. Check your speakers. Are they on? Is the volume turned up? 2. Check the electrical connections. Are they securely connected to the speakers and the

computer? 3. Click the volume icon (the one that looks like a speaker) in the group of icons at the bottom of

your screen and make sure the volume button is up and the mute box is unchecked. Adjust the volume as necessary, or uncheck the mute box. Then, double-click the volume icon and make sure the rest of the volume controls are up and that the mute boxes are not checked.

4. If you still can‘t hear any sound or play music on your computer, check the multimedia settings: a. Click ―Start‖ at the bottom left of your screen; select ―Settings‖; then click ―Control Panel.‖ b. Double-click ―Sounds and Multimedia‖ on the control panel. c. On the Sounds tab, make sure the sound volume control is up and that there is no red line

through the speaker icon in the lower-right corner. If there is a red line, click the icon to remove it.

d. Click the Audio tab. Look at the ―Preferred device‖ boxes in the Sound Playback, Sound Recording, and MIDI Music Playback Synthesizer sections. The settings should match the name of your computer's sound hardware.

e. If you made any changes, click ―Apply,‖ and then click ―OK.‖ 5. If you still have no sound, call or e-mail your teacher in order to document the issue and arrange for further technical support.

What can I do if my mouse does not work properly? If the pointer on the screen does not move smoothly when you move your mouse, the mouse may need cleaning.

1. Shut down your computer. 2. Turn the mouse over and twist the retainer ring to the unlocked position. 3. Turn the mouse over so that the retainer ring and ball fall out into your hand. 4. Wash the ball in warm, soapy water and dry it with a clean cloth. Blow carefully into the ball cage to dislodge dust and lint. 5. Look for a buildup of dirt on the rollers inside the ball cage. This buildup usually appears as a stripe running across the

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middle of the roller. If the rollers are dirty, clean them by using a cotton swab dampened with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Turn the rollers with your finger and continue swabbing them until all the dirt is removed. 6. Remove any fibers from the swab that remain on the rollers. 7. Replace the ball and the retainer ring. 8. Restart your computer. Does my computer need any routine maintenance? The following preventive maintenance information will help you keep your computer running smoothly. You can also find tips in the user guide that came with your equipment.

Keep the computer on a sturdy, flat surface in a clean, dry environment.

Do not place items on top of the monitor, or cover any of the computer or monitor vents. The vents let air flow over the equipment and keep it from overheating.

Keep food and drinks away from the computer. Spills and food particles can ruin the mouse, keyboard, and other equipment. Moisture on the power switches or other controls may damage the parts and create an electrical hazard.

Always disconnect power cords by grasping the plug, not the cord. Periodic cleaning It is a good practice to periodically clean the equipment to ensure trouble-free operation. Always turn off your computer, monitor, and any electrical equipment connected to your computer before cleaning.

Computer and keyboard: Use only a mild cleaning solution and a slightly damp cloth.

Monitor screen: Do not use any abrasive cleansers on the monitor screen, as the surface is easily scratched. Gently wipe the screen with a soft, dry cloth or blow on the screen to remove grit and loose particles. Next, use a soft cloth moistened with a nonabrasive liquid glass cleaner. You can also use an antistatic cleaner to slow the buildup of dust. How do I keep my floppy drive running smoothly? 1. Use only high-quality diskettes, keep the computer in a clean environment, and keep all foreign

objects out of the floppy-disk drive. 2. Before you insert a diskette, check it for damage and make sure the diskette shutter (the metal tab that covers the interior surface) moves freely. 3. Use the floppy drive on a regular basis. Frequent use will keep dust and dirt from accumulating on the recording surfaces. If you have not used the drive for a long time, test the drive first with a diskette that doesn't contain any important data. 4. If you insert a diskette and it does not work properly, try it in another computer. If the diskette works properly in the other computer, you may need to clean the drive. (When using a cleaning kit made for a floppy drive, follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. When using kits with isopropyl alcohol, use it sparingly as excessive amounts may damage the drive.)

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What else do I need to do to keep my computer running smoothly? You should run an antivirus scan at least once a month, using the included McAfee Total Protection for Small Business software. You should run a spyware scan at least twice a month, using one of the spyware-scanning programs mentioned earlier. You should defragment your hard drive at least once a month. To do so, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button, and select All Programs 2. Select Accessories 3. Select System Tools 4. Select Disk Defragmenter 5. Highlight your hard drive (C:) and click the Analyze button 6. If you get a message saying you do not need to defragment the hard drive, close the

application. If the message says to defragment the hard drive, click the Defragment button. Note: Your computer will run very slowly during the defragmentation process. It‘s best to schedule a time to defragment when you‘re not planning on using the computer. Do not turn off your computer or let it go into Standby mode while the disk is defragmenting. Where can I go to get more help? K12 Customer Care is the first point of contact for parents and students who need computer help. Call

1-866-512-2273 to speak with K12 Technical Support. Back to Contents

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Technology Best Practices & Self Help Guide

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TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES & SELF-HELP GUIDE

Computers are very complex electronics comprised of hardware and software that interact to provide the user with output. Output can be in many various forms including documents, spreadsheets, and web pages. Due to the complexity of the interaction between hardware and software it is not uncommon to occasionally experience technical issues. This document is intended to be used as a best practice overview and a first step self help guide. By following the best practices and steps outlined in this guide the user may be able to

avoid technical issues caused by 3rd party programs and viruses resolve any technical issue he/she experiences on his/her own, or assist the technician to resolve the issue in a timelier manner.

Before performing any of the steps outlined in this document or installing any software on the computer it is very important for the user to close any open programs, documents, or browser windows that are open. Failure to ensure that all programs are closed during operating system updates or software installation can result in corruption of Windows or a failed software installation.

If the following steps fail to solve the problem, please call your child’s teacher or K12 Customer Care at 1-866-512-2273.

WINDOWS UPDATES

Users must maintain the Windows operating system up to date with the latest patches provided by Microsoft. Windows updates are designed to patch possible vulnerabilities that can be exploited by computer hackers and viruses. In addition to added security, Windows Updates can also provide enhanced features and functionality for end-users. To set Automatic Updates in Windows XP:

1) Click Start, right click My Computer, click Properties 2) Click the Automatic Updates tab located at the top of the window 3) Click to chose ―Automatic (Recommended)‖, then Every Day, and schedule the update at a

time when the computer is on, but not being used intensively. 4) Click Apply, then click Ok

Choosing this option for Automatic Updates will download available updates and notify the user to install them by showing an Update Message Balloon in the System Tray (lower right hand corner of the desktop). Most Windows Updates require the computer to be rebooted after installation. Allowing the updates to download and install automatically may force a reboot at an inconvenient time. The user can also perform Windows Updates manually.

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To perform Windows Updates manually:

1) Connect to the Internet as you normally do 2) Open Internet Explorer 3) Browse to update.microsoft.com 4) Click the Express button. 5) Click Install Updates 6) Follow the onscreen instructions listed for downloading and installing updates

Note that the ―Microsoft Genuine Advantage Tool‖ may need to be installed before any updates can be downloaded and installed. This requires and ActiveX component, which must be allowed to run. A gold-colored bar may appear towards the top of Internet Explorer. If so, click on it and allow the ActiveX content to run. For more information, see the following website: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=905474

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

K12 provided school computers are shipped with McAfee Managed VirusScan installed. The McAfee installation, when used properly, guards the system from viruses in the wild. In order for the anti-virus software to be effective it must be updated with the latest virus definitions on a regular basis.

To update the McAfee installation:

1. Right click the McAfee Shield (icon is red shield with white M on front) located in the system tray 2. Click Update Now

An Updating Agent window will appear and automatically download any new virus definitions that are available. After the download is complete the window will close automatically. After any available virus definitions have been downloaded, a full system scan should be run to ensure that there are no active viruses on the computer. To scan the system for viruses:

1. Right click the McAfee Shield icon located in the system tray 2. Click Scan Tasks 3. Click Scan My Computer

This process enables the user to scan the contents of the hard drive for all known viruses and generate an alert if any viruses are found. If you have trouble configuring McAfee, or need to install McAfee on your computer, call K12 Customer Care at (866) 626-6413.

Back to Contents

http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/default.aspx?ln=en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=905474

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SPYWARE/ADWARE REMOVAL TOOLS

Spyware Spyware is any technology that aides in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, spyware is a program secretly installed on someone‘s computer to gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program or visiting websites with the spyware installer embedded within. Data collecting programs that are installed with the user‘s knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. However, spyware is often installed without the user‘s consent, as a drive-by download, or as a result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window. Adware, software designed to serve advertising, can usually be thought of as spyware as well because it almost invariably includes components for tracking and reporting user information. In fact, some programs claiming to be spyware-removing software are often spyware installers themselves. Spyware is part of an overall public concern about privacy on the Internet. In addition to public concern, spyware can interfere with the computer‘s ability to connect to the Internet. The easiest way to ensure that the system does not become ―infected‖ with spyware/adware type components is to not browse questionable web sites nor download anything. As this is sometimes not avoidable, there are a several shareware programs that can be downloaded and run to check the system for these types of components. Spyware Removal For further information regarding spyware/adware removal tools please visit the following websites: Spybot Search & Destroy http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html Microsoft Windows Defender Tool http://www.microsoft.com (search for ―defender‖ using the search engine in the upper right corner of the webpage) In order to download one of these freeware programs, the user should follow the instructions for download and installation provided on the web site. Use of these removal tools does not guarantee that the system is free from unwanted spyware/adware components but will aid in removing known components. These programs require regular updates, just as antivirus programs do. In order to download one of these freeware programs, the user should follow the instructions for download and installation provided on the web site. Once the spyware-detecting software is installed and updated, the user must run the software on a weekly basis to check the system for spyware. Updates need to be downloaded and installed before every spywarescan.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

http://www.microsoft.com/

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If the default web browser‘s homepage has been changed inexplicably, numerous pop-up ads become more frequent while online, browsing the Internet becomes increasingly slow or problematic, or the system is unable to connect to the Internet, a scan of the system should be run immediately to remove any spyware components that may have been installed.

CONTENT ADVISOR

Without some form of content filtering, students have unlimited and unregulated access to all the content on the Internet, including pornographic material and other undesirable subject matter. To counter this problem, K12-supplied computers come pre-configured with Microsoft‘s Content Advisor which is built into the Internet Explorer browser. By default, Content Advisor is configured to block all websites which are not school-related. The parent must further configure the Content Advisor to allow access to other websites. Instructions for configuring Content Advisor can be found at the following URL: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/security/contentadv/config.mspx

TROUBLESHOOTING INTERNET BROWSING ISSUES

A common technical issue experienced by families is the inability to browse the Internet. When the computer is connected to the Internet and a web browser is opened, there are several actions that take place in the background that are invisible to the user. First, any 3rd party browser enhancements or spyware/adware installed on the system are loaded into the Windows operating system. Secondly, the browser checks the Temporary Internet Files (cache) for a cached version of the browser‘s homepage. If a cached version of the homepage is found this is loaded into the browser window. If a cached version of the homepage is not found, the browser will request the page from the web server where it resides, pull the page into the cache, and display it on the monitor. At this point in the browsing process, the error message ―The page cannot be displayed. The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The web site may be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings‖ may be displayed. There are several possible reasons for this error, including:

An older or different version of the web page has been stored in the browser cache Corrupted Temporary Internet Files located in cache Too many Temporary Internet Files stored on the hard drive Corrupted cookies Damaged or improperly installed Downloaded Program Files (objects) 3rd party browser enhancements loading in the background Spyware/adware or viruses loading in the background Incorrect system date or time (especially when trying to browse a secure website such as

the K12™ Online School) Corrupted Internet Explorer or Windows operating system files.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/security/contentadv/config.mspx

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The following instructions are recommended as a self-help troubleshooting procedure. If the system experiences difficulties browsing the Internet, follow these troubleshooting steps before calling K12 Customer Care for technical support. K12 Customer Care requires these steps to have been followed before troubleshooting a connectivity or web-browsing problem. Ensure that the computer is properly connected to the Internet. In the system tray located in the lower right hand corner of the screen there should be an icon that resembles two computers together, one behind the other. Right click this connection icon and click Status. A new window will appear on the desktop. The upper portion of the window is titled Connection. In this portion, ensure that Status is Connected. In the bottom portion of the window titled Activity ensure that the packets sent and received are counting up. If the computer is not currently connected to the Internet, connect it in the manner that it normally connects with. If there are any error messages while trying to connect, or the computer is unable to connect, contact the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to troubleshoot the connection issue. Once the computer is successfully connected to the Internet, use the following steps to troubleshoot the Internet browsing issue. To clear cache, cookies, history and damaged objects:

1) Open Internet Explorer 2) In the menu located at the top of the window, click Tools, Internet Options 3) Under the Temporary Internet Files section of the window (middle box), click Delete Cookies, a

small Delete Cookies window will appear, click Ok 4) Click Delete Files, a small Delete Files window will appear, click to select Delete all offline

content, click Ok 5) Click Settings, under Check for newer versions of stored pages ensure that Automatically

is selected 6) Under Temporary Internet Files Folder, set the Amount of disk space to use to 80mb (This

is the optimal size for your Temporary Internet Files folder as recommended by Microsoft) 7) Click View Objects, this will open a Downloaded Program Files window 8) Delete all objects in the list (select all objects by pressing Ctrl+A, then press the Delete key),

click the X in the upper right hand corner to close this window 9) Click Ok to close the Settings window 10) On the Internet Options window under History, click Clear History, click Ok to close the

window 11) Close Internet Explorer and reopen it

At this point, if the problem persists, or the error message ―Your current session has timed out due to inactivity. Please login again.‖ appears, check the system date and time to ensure that they are correct. To check/reset the system clock:

1) Double click on the Time display in the system tray located in the lower right hand corner of the screen

2) Click the Time Zone tab, select (GMT -7:00) Arizona in the drop down box 3) Click the Date & Time tab, under Date select the current Month and Year in the drop down

boxes, click on the current Day to select

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4) Under Time set the clock to the current time by highlighting the time and typing the correct time or by using the up/down arrows located to the right of the field

5) Click Apply, click Ok 6) Open Internet Explorer and try to browse again

If, after performing these steps, the connectivity issue remains, open the Spyware Removal software which was installed on the computer. Check for updates and run the tool to ensure that the computer does not currently have any spyware/adware components on the system that may be interfering with its ability to browse. If the tool finds spyware or adware installed on the system, remove them and reboot. Attempt to connect to the Internet again. Most, but not all, browsing issues will be solved with the troubleshooting steps that have been outlined above. If the computer still cannot access the Internet after performing these steps open the McAfee Total Protection for Small Business antivirus program by right-clicking the shield icon in the system tray. Scan for any available updates and run a full system scan for known viruses. Regardless of what the

virus scan finds, if the computer is still unable to access the Internet, call K12 Customer Care. Back to Contents

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TROUBLESHOOTING ELLUMINATE ISSUES

Setting up Your Computer for Elluminate In order to log into an Elluminate classroom, you need to download the free Elluminate software. It can take up to 30 minutes so be sure to complete the downloading before the scheduled tutorial. Go to the following link: http://www.elluminate.com/jwsdetect/demos_events/jwsdetect.html

Download the necessary software to run this program at least 30 minutes before trying to participate in one of the sessions. Please note that if you are on dial up, Elluminate is not going to work properly. This can be done any time prior to the meeting. When logging onto Elluminate© please use only your first initial and last name.

After you have successfully installed the software onto your computer, you may want to watch a brief new user orientation. To see this demo click on this link https://www.elluminate.com/support/ and choose ―Online Orientation‖ and/or ―Recorded Introduction‖ in the new users‘ section.

Problems With Wireless Connection and Elluminate When using Elluminate and you continue to lose connections, you should attempt the following suggested fixes (attempt them in this order):

8) Be sure you are not too far from your router 9) Be sure there is no problem with your Internet. Check another computer to see if the Internet is

still active. 10) While in Elluminate, go to TOOLS>PREFERENCES>then choose the lowest connection speed

(ie. 28.8). If this works, you can continue to raise the speed until you begin to get kicked off again.

11) Close all applications that are not being used during Elluminate. Outlook continues to check for email and uses bandwidth. The fewer applications you have open, the better the program works.

12) Empty your Java cache. This will also help with most Elluminate problems such as the microphone or whiteboard not working properly.

13) Delete old versions and updates to Java and get the new version. Go to START>CONTROL PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS>then delete all Java applications and updates. They can be identified by the little coffee cup. Then go to www.java.com and get the latest version.

14) Hard wire your computer to the Internet. This allows for much more information to be sent to your computer and keeps the signal strength constant. When hardwired to the Internet, you should disable your wireless card.

It is important to note that when using a wireless connection, your signal and bandwidth will fluctuate, even though your wireless connection may say ―excellent‖. When a wireless connection says excellent it is ONLY notifying you of the connection to the Wireless Access point (router: i.e. Linksys, Netgear, etc). You can have an excellent connection to your router and still NO Internet connection. This does not constitute a wireless issue.

http://www.elluminate.com/jwsdetect/demos_events/jwsdetect.html

https://www.elluminate.com/support/

http://www.java.com/

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Clearing the Java Cache Clearing the JAVA cache should help clear up many problems that occur in Elluminate, such as Audio problems (choppy audio, echo) and components not fully installed.

Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel (Settings -> Control Panel)

Open ―Java‖

Click the ―Settings‖ button.

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Click the ―Delete Files‖ Button.

This will open a ―Delete Temporary Files‖ dialog box. Select ―OK‖ for deleting ―Applications and Applets‖ and ―Trace and Log Files.‖

Close the Java Control Panel Back to Contents

125

CYBER BULLYING

What is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying is sending any type of threatening or hateful message to someone over the Internet or a cell phone. Many people believe that they can get away with this type of behavior. They mistakenly think they can hide their identity and won‘t have to take responsibility for their actions.

How can cyber bullying be prevented? Talk about it before it ever happens. Many young people are not aware that saying hurtful things about another person, calling him/her names in an email, or telling lies about someone, even as a joke, is a form of cyber bullying.

What do you do if you are a victim of cyber bullying? 1. Ignore the person and the comments. Most bullies want the attention they gain and will give up if they are ignored. If you respond to their messages, they will know that you are affected, which will encourage them to continue. 2. Leave the site or get off the Internet immediately. Most email services and instant message sites also allow you to block access to another person. 3. Change your screen name or email address. Be sure to only give the new one to your friends. 4. Tell your parents.

5. Make a copy of any threatening or outrageous email messages in case you need proof later.

7. Report the bullying behavior to the proper authorities – the site moderator, the school, or even the police.

INTERNET SAFETY TIPS

1. Keep your computer in an open room with the front of the monitor visible. That way, you can easily see what sites your children are viewing. 2. Establish rules for going online, including what time of day, the amount of time, and what sites they can access. 3. Bookmark child friendly sites for your student to visit. 4. Teach your students never to open email or attachments from anyone they don‘t know. 5. Remind students that people they meet online may not be who they say they are.

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6. Never allow your student to meet face to face with another person they meet online unless they have your permission and you accompany them to the meeting. 7. Teach your student to immediately turn off the computer and tell you if they have any experience that makes them feel uncomfortable. 8. Remind your children not to share any personal information, including passwords, on the Internet.

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INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES The following websites may prove helpful when computer questions or technical difficulties arise. http://www.google.com – Widely used search engine http://www.whatis.com – provides definitions of most technical terms, concepts and ideas http://www.howstuffworks.com – provides information on how computer hardware and software work in addition to about everything else one could ever want information about http://housecall.antivirus.com – free online virus scanner that can be used as a ―second opinion‖ to the installed antivirus software http://www.homenethelp.com – provides information for setting up and troubleshooting a home network environment http://www.computerhope.com – free computer help for everyone. Drivers, questions & answers, and forums. http://support.microsoft.com – Microsoft‘s self-help support web site including data base of common issues and resolutions http://www.webopedia.com – online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet terms http://www.modemhelp.net – more advanced site that provides information on error messages and screenshots for troubleshooting technical issues http://www.dslreports.com – information on DSL, Cable, and other high speed Internet connections http://help.k12.com – K12™ website that provides troubleshooting information for common issues experienced by families and download points for technical tools

OPENING E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS

No matter which program is used to check e-mail, or who is providing the e-mail account, the user should be familiar with the provider and process used. Throughout the year, AZVA teachers distribute e-mails with documents or other files attached that need to be read, saved, and/or printed out. These instructions address opening attachments in the most common e-mail situations.

Users must not download attachments or other files from an unknown or mistrusted source. They should also take precaution to ensure that the McAfee antivirus program runs at all times. Following these suggestions should reduce the likelihood of contracting a computer virus.

http://www.google.com/

http://www.whatis.com/

http://www.howstuffworks.com/

http://housecall.antivirus.com/

http://www.homenethelp.com/

http://www.computerhope.com/

http://support.microsoft.com/

http://www.webopedia.com/

http://www.modemhelp.net/

http://www.dslreports.com/

http://help.k12.com/

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TO OPEN ATTACHMENTS IN MICROSOFT OUTLOOK AND OUTLOOK EXPRESS:

Open a file attachment from within an e-mail

1) Open the e-mail that contains the file attachment, and double-click the icon for the attachment. An Opening Mail Attachment window will appear, giving the user the option of Opening or Saving the attachment.

Notes

An attachment in a message that uses HTML or plain text as the message format appears in a line below the Subject line, whereas an attachment in a Rich Text message or in other types of items is included in the body of the item.

By default, Microsoft Outlook blocks attachment files (such as .bat, .exe, .vbs, and .js) that can contain viruses. In this case, the attachment itself cannot be seen by the user. The Inbox will display the paperclip icon in the Attachment column to let the user know that the message has an attachment, and a list of the blocked attachment files in the InfoBar at the top of the message will appear. 1

Open a file attachment without opening the e-mail

1) Right-click the item that contains the attachment 2) On the shortcut menu, point to View Attachments, then click the name of the attachment Note

If the attachment in the message is one of the types of files which Outlook blocks (see above), View Attachments will not appear on the shortcut menu. 2

OPENING ATTACHMENTS IN OTHER E-MAIL PROGRAMS

See the documentation or ―Help‖ pages for the program being used to check e-mail.

Back to Contents

1 Source: Microsoft Outlook Help 2 Source: Microsoft Outlook Help

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School Supply List

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Dear Parents, You‘ve seen the signs and advertisements…it‘s officially back-to-school season! No doubt you‘re starting to think about what you‘ll need to get your learning area ready and organized. Your child(ren) will soon be receiving their K12™ course materials. Additionally, there are some common supplies that you‘ll want to have available at home. We have organized this list to help you know what household supplies you‘ll want to keep handy. Please realize this is not an all-inclusive list, nor is it a required shopping list—rather, it‘s a collection of the most commonly used items that may be needed to complete or enhance your child‘s lessons. Note that when you have specific questions about what materials are needed for each course and unit, you‘ll be able to find that information in the Online School. Be sure to check in the ―Advanced Preparation‖ section regularly in the OLS for each class. As always, you can talk to your teacher.

Dear Parents, You‘ve seen the signs and advertisements…it‘s officially back-to-school season! No doubt you‘re starting to think about what you‘ll need to get your teaching area ready and organized. Your child(ren) will soon be receiving their K12 course materials. Additionally, there are some common supplies that you‘ll want to have available at home. We have organized this list to help you know what household supplies you‘ll want to keep handy. Please realize this is not an all-inclusive list, nor is it a required shopping list—rather, it‘s a collection of the most commonly used items that may be needed to complete or enhance your child‘s lessons. Note that when you have specific questions about what materials are needed for each course and unit, you‘ll be able to find that information in the online school. And as always, you can talk to your teacher. General Supplies:

#2 pencils

ballpoint pens

crayons (16 or more)

colored pencils (16 or more)

markers: colored (8 or more)

marker: black permanent, non-toxic

highlighter

scissors: round-end safety

scissors: adult

glue: children‘s white, non-toxic

glue stick

masking tape

clear tape

staples

stapler

eraser

paper clips

rubber bands

ruler (both metric and standard)

yardstick

index cards (4x6)

index card box

envelopes

manila folders

three ring binder

calendar

Types of Paper to Have Available:

lined notebook paper (looseleaf)

computer printer paper (8.5 x 11)

colored construction paper drawing paper (12x18, 9x12)

heavy paper

newsprint paper (8x11 or larger)

poster board (18x24 or larger) Art and Craft Supplies that may be used across subject areas:

chalk: white and colored

colored clay

craft sticks

fabric scraps

string

yarn

ribbon

glitter

pipe cleaners

paints: finger

paints: water color (8 or more)

paintbrushes

tissue paper

plaster of paris

white, self-hardening clay

glue gun

gluesticks for glue gun

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Back to Contents

Specific Subject areas : If you have a child enrolled in the following courses, you may want to have the following materials available : Phonics K - 1

dry erase marker

wipe cloth LA Gr 2 - 8

Dictionary

Thesaurus Math Gr 3 - 5

Calculator (optional)

Clock: analog and digital

Money kit

Pre - Algebra and Algebra

Graph paper

Drawing compass

Protractor

Straight edge

Scientific calculator (optiona l — an online version will be available)

Art: all grades

#2b pencil (soft art)

sketchpad

brayer

Household items that may be called for , good to keep around :

Aluminum foil

Sandwich bags

Paper plates

Toothpicks

Drinking straws

Measuring cups and spoons

Baby food jars

Oatmeal containers

Juice cartons

Milk jugs

Egg cartons

Shoeboxes

Film canister

Brown paper lunch bags

Brown paper grocery bags

Balloons

Cardboard boxes

Paper towels

Paper towel tubes

Toilet paper tubes

Margarine tubs

sponge

Cotton balls

Flashlight

Magazines

Newspapers

Checkers

Blocks

Play - doh

Marbles

Dice

Documents

Parent Orientation Guide 2010-2011 - K12 | Online Public School