FAQ: Purchasing On-Line Courses

What types of online courses are available to charter school students?

· Generally speaking courses range from grade 3 to grade 12, with more options at the middle school and high school levels.

· Courses are available in all four core subjects and a variety of electives.

· For the most up to date list of online vendors, please go to Potential Online NCLB Vendor http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/curriculum/gencurres/potenNCLBvendors/PotenOnlineNCLBVendorsExp.pdf .

Can students be enrolled in online courses or an online school and enroll in the charter school?

· No! No Charter School student may concurrently be enrolled in a private school if the school charges the pupil's family a tuition, if that school takes a record of attendance, and if the student takes a course of study that meets the State's compulsory education laws.

· Public CA schools, whether they are online or traditional will be treated the same. This includes junior college, high school, or universities.

· All public CA schools collect ADA based on student attendance and schools cannot 'double dip', or collect ADA twice for the same student.

· A Charter school student may enroll in a CA public community college, but not more than that allowed by agreement between the community college and the charter school. The Charter school cannot pay tuition fees but may pay for course materials.

· In addition, if parents or students wants a charter school student to receive credits from the charter school for any online courses the student is taking, we not only need to be aware of it but we must also need to give approval ahead of time. School cannot be responsible when student has done this without prior approval

What is the difference between a student being enrolled in online core courses and then enrolling in a charter school, with a student who is enrolled in a charter school taking online core courses?

· A student /family could pay out of their own pocket for online core courses and spend 5-6 hours a day online. This situation would be considered the same as if the student were enrolled in a private school. In this case, the student would not be allowed to enroll in the Charter School.

· If a student is enrolled in the Charter School, the school can contract with an outside educational entity to purchase courses. The student does not enroll into the purchased course themselves, but communicates with their ES, the ES creates a PO for that course, and the ES documents learning for the course in which the student is taking.

· Some online vendors will allow a student to purchase a course without enrolling, in that case the family can pay out of pocket. The learning is documented on the student’s LR.

Where can I find the pertinent information I need to assist my students to take an online course?

· Each vendor has their own way of doing things, and at this time we do not know all the particulars for every online vendor that we have approved. What we do have is information for the more frequently used vendors. The best place to go for available information is through Vendor Information and Online Order forms http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/curriculum/vendor/iemindex.htm .

· It is extremely important for the ES to look in the Educational Notes about this vendor box to see if there are other forms that the vendor is requiring in addition to the PO. If the directions are not followed explicitly, that may delay the course beginning in a timely manner.

· If the ES needs ordering information that is not readily available, he/she should contact Shelley Ross sross@ieminc.org .

How do I find the cost with a specific vendor for a course my student wants to take?

· Because some vendors have made special pricing arrangements, or a yearly contract with the Charter school and others have not, that is not a simple answer.

· If Vendors have made special pricing arrangements with the charter school it will be noted in the Educational Notes about this vendor box. In other words, unless noted in Educational Notes about this vendor box, pricing will need to be obtained from the vendor’s website.

Are there any specific things the ES needs to be aware of when creating a PO for an online course?

· The charter school does not pay registration, tuition or enrollment fees; be sure that wording is not included in the description

· Some vendors may require additional forms to be completed by the family.

How can I tell which type of PO to create—service or product?

· Some vendors provide services and products, in that case you need to determine what your student needs when taking a specific online course.

· If the online vendor provides books and materials as part of the course, you would submit as a Service PO

· If the online vendor is only providing online courses, you would submit as a Service PO

· If the online vendor is providing materials, which must be purchased separately from the course, you must submit a Product PO

· We recommend if still in doubt, that you go to the approved vendor list in ES WEBfiles and view the information, or read the information in the Educational Notes about this Vendor box when creating a PO. For example, you may not be able to create a product PO for that online vendor.