The South Coast Online Learning Program (OLP) is a comprehensive online K-12 learning program available through your local district coordinated by the South Coast Education Service District. Students will remain enrolled in their local district while having the opportunity to learn online.

Students can enroll full- or part-time in Online Learning Program (OLP) while they continue to take courses and/or participate in activities in their neighborhood school.

Students in kindergarten through 5th grade will take courses through the Online Learning Program (OLP). OLP offers an interactive, full-time online education for students ranging from Kindergarten through 5th grade. All K-5 students will be monitored by a certified teacher who will communicate with families as needed. Students are expected to complete asynchronous self-paced learning as independent work. Students will be taught all subjects including math, reading, writing, science, social studies, PE and an optional elective. This program allows for a flexible at-home learning experience.

The South Coast Online Learning Program requires an active learning coach (adult support) at home. An online learning coach is a parent or caregiver who is dedicated to supporting the academic and social-emotional learning success of an online learning student. This is an active and intentional role. The learning coach is responsible for providing each online learning student a quiet space to learn and attend online meetings if applicable. They are also responsible for helping each online learning student maintain learning tools and turning in assignments on time. The learning coach is an active team member with the online teacher to help make online learning a success.

Students in 6th through 12th grade will have the flexibility to choose between a purely asynchronous online learning experience and a hybrid option that includes asynchronous online learning and school-based courses in a classroom.

• Accelerate Ed is the asynchronous online curriculum that will be used in the South Coast Online Learning Program. Asynchronous student learning will be monitored by local certified teachers and the coursework will be completed off-campus.
• School-based courses are traditional courses that take place in the school building with other students in a classroom. The hybrid option allows for more flexibility for secondary students who still wish to learn in a traditional way for part of their school day. Students are required to maintain adequate progress and demonstrate attendance in each of their courses during each scheduled school day.

An online learning coach is a parent or caregiver that is dedicated to supporting the academic and social-emotional learning success of an online learning student. Students in 6th -12th grades taking online classes need an active and dedicated learning coach to help establish an at-home learning schedule, support in time management, and monitor assignment due dates. The learning coach will be an active team member with the online teachers to help make online learning a success.

• OLP Teachers assign lessons and due dates for assignments, monitor progress, grade assignments/assessments, regularly communicate and provide feedback to students, and communicate with families. Students will have opportunities to ask questions during regularly scheduled live Zoom Help Sessions and/or through email. Teachers have regular office hours each week during which parents/guardians may contact teachers with questions or concerns, as well. While academic work is done asynchronously (meaning that students engage in online learning without the direct or virtual presence of the teacher), teachers will provide weekly live, synchronous social-emotional learning (K-5) or advisee opportunities (6th – 8th grade and 9th -12th grade) through Zoom with groups of students. These non-academic sessions are optional. If you have a question about the course content or need help with the curriculum itself, please contact your student’s instructor as they will be the best person to help you.
• Questions about the South Coast ESD Online Learning Program will be answered by Maisie Roberson, OLP’s Online Coordinator. See below for contact information.
• Counseling services and IEP/504 plans. Students and families will have access to school counselors at their neighborhood school for help with any work or questions about credits, transcripts, and graduation. All special plans, including special education, talented and gifted, English Language Development, and 504 will be supported by the local district and followed by teachers within the online learning program.
• What technical support will we receive? Technical support for questions about the online Accelerate Education software (where learning takes place) will be provided through by Accelerate Education. Their help desk is open from 8 AM-10 PM EST Monday through Friday. Visit Accelerate Ed’s customer support page to get in contact with them. You can call, use their help topics web page, or submit a ticket on their web page. See below for contact information for Accelerate Education.
• How about equipment and technical support? All students will receive a Chromebook (headphones w/microphone & mouse if needed) from your local participating school district. Parents will be required to complete the Technology Use Agreement and financial liability forms to access technology from their resident school district. Replacement Chromebooks will not be provided until families resolve fees from lost, stolen, or damaged technology. For technical support for hardware items, please see the section that follows.
• Technical support for questions regarding hardware supplied by your local school district will be provided by your local school district. Your district tech support crew will be available via email and/or phone for any issues that arise with your Chromebook. See the table at the end of this document for Technical Support contact information.

Student engagement (progress or work completion) in online learning is required to count as attendance. Students in 6th – 12th grades must demonstrate five days of attendance in each course per week to be marked as present for the entire school week. Attendance can be demonstrated through a variety of engagement efforts including:

• • Submitting Accelerate Ed assignments and assessments online
  • Communicating with the teacher of the course through email or by attending synchronous learning meetings with the teacher
  • Engaging with online curriculum as demonstrated through Accelerate Education’s online learning platform

Students will be marked absent in individual courses if they do not demonstrate five days of attendance in each individual course per week. For example, if a student only demonstrates attendance in their Biology course two days during the week, they will be marked present for two days and marked absent for three days for the week.

Maintaining regular daily attendance in all courses is vital to being a successful student in an online learning environment. Students who do not maintain regular attendance are more likely to fall behind in coursework.

Teachers will establish due dates for all graded coursework and assessments in determining a student’s grade and proficiency on grade-level standards. At the middle school and high school level, failure to complete assigned coursework will result in failing the class, loss of credit, and not maintaining on-track status or athletic eligibility.

One of the benefits of online learning is that students can access their classes when they are ready to learn or families have scheduled time to support their learning. Online classes can be accessed 24/7 and provide a flexible solution to learning. Students and parents should be aware that online learning does take focused time (about 30 minutes per class per day on average), and they should have well-established routines to be successful. Online learning is hard and requires significant time, attention, and commitment. – it is not for everyone. All students are required to complete assigned coursework within each semester to avoid negative impacts to grades and credit, particularly at the middle school and high school levels.

• Attend: Maintain regular attendance as per described above.
• Daily Class Time: Plan on at least 30 minutes a day per subject or class. More time may need to be given to mathematics and English language arts. More time may also be needed for project-based assignments. Online learning is more flexible, but it is not easier. There are no required live zoom sessions. Establishing a consistent at-home learning schedule is important.
• Complete Coursework: Our goal is to help students move towards grade-level proficiency and graduation. All work has to be completed by the end of each semester to earn grades, credits, maintain eligibility, and maintain on-track status.

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Yes! Online students are fully eligible to participate in any of the athletic or extra-curricular activities with their local schools.

Contact your school district to be enrolled and register for courses.

For assignment, grading, and attendance questions, parents will contact the teacher of the class.

For information about changing or dropping classes, IEP/504 supports, sports, and extracurricular options, contact your district-assigned liaison. Please see the table below with contact info.

Parents can be enrolled as observers in their child’s course. Observers will receive a weekly email of the student’s progress. They can also log in to our learning management system to see the student’s grades, pacing, and teacher feedback.