Virtual Instruction FAQ

There are many reasons why a student might want to take a virtual/online class.  Here are :

• to take a course that may not be currently offered in their specific school
• to solve an unresolvable scheduling conflict
• Health-related concern
• Approved reduced schedule for athlete or perform arts participation

• Any Arlington Public School student who is enrolled in grades 7 through 12.
• Students in 7th and 8th grade are primarily scheduled during the school day.

• Talk with your counselor. Your counselor will communicate with you and complete the online course request form, then wait for approval from the Office of Student Services.
•  If the course is already in the Program of Studies as a virtual/online course, you can request it during class selection in early Spring.

Arlington Public Schools will be responsible for payment when a course is:

• Required for graduation with a standard diploma (high school), or is the only option for a math or world language course for a student.
• It is listed in the Program of Studies and
• Is Inaccessible to a student due to verifiable scheduling difficulties involving one of their seven classes, or is part of an administrative or special education placement.

Parents/Guardian payment is required for students who have passed the course but wish to retake it virtually/online for a higher grade.

Speak with your school counselor.  Advanced permission is required.

These are asynchronous, 24/7 virtual classes that students can access at any time. Unlike traditional classes, there are no live meetings with a teacher during the school day. Instead, students are expected to dedicate 4–6 hours each week (or each day during the summer) to completing assignments independently, outside of their regular classes.

• If your course is taught by an APS teacher, your course will likely be on Canvas.  You use your APS student login and password.
• If your course is offered by a provider outside of APS (Virtual VA or Edgenuity), you will receive instructions from the provider that include the login page, username, and password. Always check your personal email inbox, spam/junk.

• For students whose virtual/online classes are scheduled during the school day, exams are proctored by your course facilitator.
• For students scheduled as 24/7 students, you will be assigned a mentor or facilitator.  Your exams may be proctored at your local high school, but you will need to coordinate the date and time with your assigned mentor or facilitator.

• 4-6 hours each week during the regular school year (4-6 hours per day for summer school) will be required to successfully complete the class.

• To be successful in the virtual/online class, you must complete all assignments by their due dates, seek help if you don’t understand, and communicate with your teacher or mentor regularly.

• A virtual/online student will contact the teacher via email through the provider portal and/or scheduled webinars.

• Contact the course teacher via email through the provider portal, virtual/online office hours, or attend scheduled tutoring time virtually/online.

• Teachers of virtual/online courses are certified teachers in the subject being taught.

• Enrollment in virtual classes may vary. Unlike in-person classes, they aren’t limited by classroom size but are based on a teacher’s average workload. A full-time virtual teacher may have 60–120 students, similar to in-person teachers, and each course section is equivalent to a face-to-face class.

• A student enrolled in a virtual/online course must meet assignment deadlines and the schedule of the course.  The schedule may vary based on the curriculum and the student.
• Student attendance is recorded and is based on completion of assignments and login activity, so students should log in a minimum of 5 days a week or 4-6 hours per week
• If the student doesn’t log in weekly and gets behind, the provider will automatically withdraw the student from the course.

• It is possible that students and teachers of a virtual/online course may be online at the same time, but that would not be the norm.
• Teachers will designate office hours and may require virtual/online sessions using webinar/chat software.  The timing of these sessions will be advertised in advance.

• Typically, courses from providers outside of APS only report a final course grade, not each quarter or semester.
• Virtual Virginia and Edgenuity provide students’ grades directly to APS.
• For providers outside APS and other than Virtual Virginia or Edgenuity, students and families should submit grade reports and final transcripts to their school counselor or Director of Counseling.

• The same grading and credit policies apply to virtual/online classes as to traditional classes.
• For courses provided by non-APS vendors, pre-approval for credit must be obtained.  For more information, see School Board Policy I-7.2.8 Instructional Delivery Options.

• Yes, all approved virtual/online courses count toward a student’s GPA and meet standard and advanced diploma requirements.

• The student’s school counselor must submit a request using the “Online course request form”. When submitted, the request will go to the Office of Student Services for review.

1. A senior needs an additional course is order to meet graduation requirements.
2. A senior has a conflict with other courses required for graduation.
3. A student needs a course that is not available at the student’s home school.

• The Office of Student Services will review requests that fall outside of these parameters. Counselor’s would need to complete the “Online course request form” and provide a rationale.

Arlington Public Schools will be responsible for payment when a course is:

• Required for graduation with a standard diploma (high school), or is the only option for a math or world language course for a student.
• It is listed in the Program of Studies and
• Is Inaccessible to a student due to verifiable scheduling difficulties involving one of their seven classes, or is part of an administrative or special education placement.

Parents/Guardian payment is required for students who have passed the course but wish to retake it virtually/online for a higher grade.

• Parents/guardians are responsible for submitting supporting documentation from the outside course provider as part of the pre-approval process to the Office of Student Services. Acceptable documents include a syllabus and either a pacing guide or a scope and sequence. These documents must clearly show that the course level matches the level for which credit is being requested. For example, if you are requesting credit for a “Level II” course, the course description must state that it is equivalent to a high school Level II course. Once submitted, the Office of Student Services and the Office of Academics will review the documentation. An email with the review decision will then be sent to both the school counselor and the family.

• The student’s school counselor will receive an email with a decision or if additional information is required, the Office of Student Services or the Office of Academics will reach out directly to the school counselor.

• If a student wants a virtual/online summer course to be included on their high school transcript, advanced permission is required.  School counselors should complete the “Online course request form” by the designated deadline.

• Information on registration for approved summer course requests is provided in the spring of each school year to counselors.

• Payment for courses taken during the summer is the responsibility of the parents, including any textbooks and/or materials required for the course.