Enrollment

K-12 Online Learning

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Educators may locate guidelines about enrollment which include full and part-time (supplemental) enrollment, deadlines and attendance requirements, and information about transfer of credits and academic records.

Enrollment guidelines

Public school students may enroll in online learning on a part time basis, by substituting online learning classes for required or elective courses at their local school or on a full time basis, attending school through a comprehensive online learning program or school.

Students can take up to 6 semester credits or their equivalent delivered by an online learning program while remaining enrolled in their local district or transfer schools to an online learning comprehensive program and take all their instruction online. There is no cost for enrolling in online learning for public school students.

A key initial decision is whether a student will be participating in a supplemental (part-time) or comprehensive online learning program. If they choose to enroll in online learning part time, they will reduce classes at the local school in proportion to online learning enrollment (up to six semester credits per year). If they choose to go to school by fully enrolling in online learning, all services and academic instruction will be provided by the online school. The student will complete grade requirements and work toward graduation at the online public school.

Supplemental (part-time) enrollment

In order to enroll in online learning in addition to local school classes, a student would first find a certified course that best suits their needs and contact the school, charter school or intermediate district to see if they are accepting applications for new students and have seats available in the classes they are interested in.

The student would take the following steps to complete enrollment

Meet with their current school counselor to make sure they are fulfilling all local academic requirements. The enrolling school sends the student’s records to the OLL program.
The student and the student's parents must submit an application to the online learning provider and identify the reason for enrolling in online learning.
The student completes an Online Learning Supplemental Notice of Student Registration form in conjunction with the online learning program. This must be submitted to the enrolling school's district by the midpoint of the term to confirm credit toward graduation, and before taking online courses.

Visit the Minnesota Department of Education Online Learning Supplemental Notice of Student Registration for further assistance with this process.
The student may enroll in supplemental online learning courses during a single school year to a maximum of 50% of your full schedule of courses per term. Changes to a student’s schedule by adding online classes must be made prior to the mid-point of the enrolling district’s term. The 50% enrollment cap of online courses for students remaining enrolled locally and the mid-term enrollment deadline may be waived by the local school.

Comprehensive (Full-time) enrollment in a non-resident district

Enrolling in a comprehensive online learning program would require a change of school district or enrollment in a charter school. Changing schools districts requires an open enrollment application following the appropriate deadlines (unless waived by the two school districts).

To open enroll in a nonresident district online learning program, a student would complete the Statewide Enrollment Options Form and submit it to the nonresident district or program. Locate the form and Open Enrollment details on the MDE web site. Upon graduation the student will receive a diploma from the nonresident district offering the online learning program.

Comprehensive (full time) enrollment in an online charter school

For enrollment in a comprehensive online learning charter school, the student and family should contact the specific charter school and complete the enrollment procedures and forms. The charter school will assist the student in their transition from the local school to the online charter school program. Upon graduation the student will receive a diploma from the online charter school.

Deadlines for enrollment

Programs will publish their enrollment deadlines and semester schedules on their web sites. Some programs have a rolling enrollment schedule which means that there are multiple or rolling times when student can begin their online learning classes while others follow a fixed term schedule. If a student is enrolling part time, they must give notice to their local school by the mid point in the term (prior to starting their online class) or request that this notification period be waived by their school.

Attendance

Requirements for attendance are set by each online learning program. In most programs, attendance is measured by regularly interacting in the web-based class, completion of assignments and making progress toward completing the course curriculum. This type of class attendance may vary by program and by individual classes. It is important to understand the expectation of student engagement in classes prior to enrolling in an online program.

Transfer of credits and academic records

The law requires that students completing online learning classes from certified public school programs must receive academic credit. See excerpts below from Minnesota Statutes section 124D.03, subdivision 9 and 124D.095 Subd.4

An online learning student must receive academic credit for completing the requirements of an online learning course or program. Secondary credits granted to an online learning student must be counted toward the graduation and credit requirements of the enrolling district. The enrolling district must apply the same graduation requirements to all students, including online learning students, and must continue to provide nonacademic services to online learning students. If a student completes an online learning course or program that meets or exceeds a graduation standard or grade progression requirement at the enrolling district, that standard or requirement is met.

The enrolling district must use the same criteria for accepting online courses for transfer students.

Academic records will be maintained by the student’s district of enrollment. If a student remains enrolled in their local school and accesses online learning classes on a part time basis, then a transcript of the student’s course completion will be sent to their local school when the OLL class is completed. It will count toward state academic standards, grade level and graduation requirements at the student’s local school.

If the student has changed enrolling districts and chooses to attend online learning on a full time basis, then the online school will maintain all academic records and yearly assessments. The student will complete grade level and graduation requirements at the online learning school.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education

Page last updated in August 2008.