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POLICY STATEMENT

Boards will report to the Ministry when students become active participants in distributed learning. The Ministry will only fund enrolled students that meet the active policy below.

RATIONALE

Active participation in distributed learning is equivalent to attendance in a school and is a requirement under the School Act, Section 1 (1).  Boards or authorities must have evidence of active participation to be funded by the Ministry for a distributed learning student’s course or program.

LEGISLATION/ REGULATIONS

• School Act, Section 1 (Definitions: “attend”, “distributed learning”, “distributed learning school”)
• School Act, Section 6
• School Act, Section 17 and School Regulation
• Graduation Program Order
• British Columbia Adult Graduation Requirements Order
• Required Areas of Study in an Educational Program Order

ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS

Attend, Course Plan, Distributed Learning, Distributed Learning School, Student Learning Plan

POLICY

Students that meet the following criteria will be considered active for funding purposes.

• Grades K - 9 student files must contain evidence that a student is active at the snapshot date, as listed in the 1701 Instructions to claim funding. The minimum evidence is a teacher-developed learning plan and a signed commitment from a parent. Active participation in the educational program must be reflective of the amount of time the student has been enrolled in the program and in evidence three weeks after the snapshot date.

i) Grades 10 - 12 student files must contain the following at the snapshot submission date as listed in the 1701 Instructions to be claimed for funding:

• A clear course plan for each subject listed on the signed student learning plan, which links to learning outcomes, performance standards, required resources and assessment strategies.
• Following completion of the student learning plan, at least one example of instruction-related communication between the teacher and student.
• At least one substantive assignment submitted to the teacher by the student. A substantive assignment addresses the learning outcomes of the course and noticeably impacts the final percentage value of the student’s school mark.
• A student learning plan (of eligible courses), reviewed annually and signed by the student and parent (where applicable), which meets graduation requirements.

ii) Grades 10 - 12 students who become active will be reported for funding, and therefore may complete their final assignment prior to the snapshot submission date.

PROCEDURES

To claim funding for students in distributed learning courses or programs, boards or authorities must ensure:

1. Teachers lead educational programs using course plans that show how curriculum outcomes will be addressed through educational activities, assessment strategies, and learning resources. Examples include:

• Evidence of course or student timetables, registration reports, and information gathered through interviews with teachers and other staff.
• Evidence of a student learning plan on record, signed by teacher and parent (and by the student, if old enough to understand the plan), that refers to:
  • Learning outcomes in the Integrated Resource Packages for the program and/or course(s);
  • Required areas of study for the program and/or course;
  • The teacher’s plan for providing learning activities;
  • Learning resources required to complete the program and/or course(s);
  • Standards of performance expected of the student;
• Teacher files that include course information, student learning plans, master assignments, records of contact and interaction (attendance equivalent), assessment, samples of student assignments, and other anecdotal commentary on the student’s learning progress.

2. Teachers communicate with students to support the learning outcomes in their program and/or course. Communication may occur via email messages, telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, computer-mediated conferences, or submitted assignments.

• Evidence includes a record of telephone calls, email messages, orientation sessions, meetings (online and in person) time, date and outcome of the interaction.
• Evidence must include at least one contact for the student to be considered active in the program and//or course they are enrolled in.

3. Substantive assignments are submitted to teachers and address curriculum outcomes in the student’s program and/or course. Assignments indicate communication and interaction between teacher and student, and contribute marks to the final grade or performance reports for the program and/or course.

• Evidence includes examples of student work, assessment data, and teacher gradebook reflecting student engagement in a significant portion of the program and/or course.
• Marked assignments are generally returned to students, but marks are recorded for evaluation and reporting purposes and filed in a gradebook, and samples of marked student work are kept on file.

4. Students in Grades 10-12 have a planned program of studies which leads to the completion of graduation requirements in accordance with the Provincial Graduation Requirements Order.

• Evidence includes a student learning plan that meets graduation requirements, or verification that the school of record is responsible for the graduation plan;
• For Graduated Adults, evidence that the course is a provincial or Board/Authority Authorized course listed on LearnNow BC.

5. The “Active Date” for a student in a course or program is the earliest date, supportable with evidence, which satisfies the above policy conditions. The Active Date is typically later than the date when the school assigns a student to a course through registration, enrolment, or class configuration mechanisms.