Policies and Procedures for Facilitators. Requirements ACCESS Teachers must be Alabama Certified, Highly Qualified in their subject area, and have a Background.

Policies and Procedures

for Facilitators

Requirements

ACCESS Teachers must be Alabama Certified, Highly Qualified in their subject area, and

have a Background Check from the Alabama State Department of Education.

ACCESS Facilitators must be an adult that has a Background check also from the Alabama State Department of Education. This person

does not have to be a certified teacher.

Facilitator Responsibilities

• Supervise the students in the on-line classroom making sure the students stay on task and on pace.

• Assist the students, especially the first day, with logging in and doing the Student Orientation and helping the students with minor technology issues.

• Monitor academic progress by checking and/or printing grades often, ensuring students are not cheating. (Do not allow it to start.)

• Communicate on a day-to-day basis with the e-teacher. Be an advisor and helper to the teacher.

More Facilitator Responsibilities

• Take attendance and send absentee reports to teachers and school staff daily. This is important because the teacher is not in the classroom daily with the students, so they don’t know if they need extended time on assignments unless you tell them.

• For Web-based courses, log on to the learning management system each school day to view announcements and track assignments.

• Report technical issues to support center staff, the school, and/or system technology coordinator.

• Report course management issues to the teacher and support center staff. (IE. Broken links, video & audio issues, etc…)

• Insist on appropriate student behavior in the physical classroom as well as in the virtual classroom.

More Facilitator Responsibilities

Facilitators should be knowledgeable & prepared to train the students on all of the following.

• Use of D2L email

• Use of D2L Locker

• Submission of assignments to the dropbox

• Course navigation

• Basic computer related competancies

1st Day Checklist1. Sign In Sheet: Name ACCESS Class

2. Student Orientation: Work this together as a class

www.accessdl.state.al.us

3. Write important information such as the student login instructions on the board:

USERNAME: firstname.lastname PASSWORD: changeme1

Facilitators: Write the students’ PASSWORDS down, and keep in a secure place.

1st Day Checklist4. Complete the ACCESS Participation Information sheet and email it back to all of your ACCESS teachers.

5. Send to each ACCESS teacher:

o School Calendar

o Exam Policy

o Grading Scale

o Honor Points

o Phone number in the ACCESS Lab or your cell number.

o Pep rally times

EXAM EXEMPTION FORMS

• ACCESS teachers will follow the Exam Exemption policy of the students LEA (your school).

• Facilitators will need to send a copy of the Exam Exemption form at least 4 days prior to the Exam. [email protected]

Exemption Form and State Website

Print the form, complete the information for your students, have the counselor sign it, and send it to the teacher and the Support Center. Scan & e-mail are OK.

GRADE REPORTING• Facilitators are unable to view students’ grades in

Desire2Learn(D2L). However, it is very important that you regularly view and keep a record of your students’ progress.

• Teachers are required to grade in a timely manner & answer e-mails within 24 hours.

• Grades should NEVER be sent via fax, email, or text.

• Facilitators should:• Check student grades regularly

• Print grades from a printer within the room. ***Progress Reports

• Inform parents that they can view their student’s grades and progress while at home.

• Notify your Counselor and Administrator about failing grades.

To print grades, have the student log in and click on GRADES on the tan line. The grades screen can be

printed and used as a Progress Report or Report Card. It will show everything they have or have not done.

To print just the Average

Copy & Paste

Local School Responsibility

• Labs are required for all science courses. Some of these may be virtual labs; others will be hands-on. Safety precautions must be implemented and adequate facilities must be provided for implementations of programs directed by ALSDE

• Head phones for Foreign Language students

• Books for AP classes only

Work in Progress (WIP)

• Students may be assigned a Work In Progress grade if requested by the counselor to the Support Center Staff. The counselor will set the date for the WIP to end.

• The removal of a WIP will follow LEA (local school) policies.

• WIP requests should be sent to one of the following

[email protected] [email protected]

You can print the NEWS page with specific directions when posted by the teacher

You can print any lesson or study sheet found in the Content area of the course.

It is OK for students to take the printed lessons home to study.

Be careful what “Next” you press

Communication

• Teachers are expected to initiate and maintain regular contact with facilitators and students regarding student progress. Facilitators are expected to reply to teacher e-mails in a timely manner.

• WBI teachers are expected to log on to the learning management system at least once every 24 hours throughout any term in which they are assigned a course. At a minimum, they should respond to facilitator/student e-mails daily, provide feedback on activities, grade assignments, monitor student participation, and create and post weekly announcements.

Special Needs Students

• Counselors should send a copy of a students IEP, as well as 504 Plan, to the online teacher and regional support center at the beginning of each term. By law, teachers can make no accommodations for a student until they have the IEP in their hand.

• The IEP’s as well as 504 Plans should be kept confidential at all times.

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

• Students are required to sign an ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY before they are allowed to take an ACCESS class. The signed copy should be kept on file at the school. The first day of class should be used to go over the policy so that the students know exactly what is acceptable and what is not.

The Acceptable Use Form is found on the state website. Click on the Students tab, look in the 2nd column for Policies, and click. Find the policy for

students, and click to open. Scroll to the end.

Code of Conduct for Students

• Students will:• Be responsible for their own behavior. • Properly handle and use all classroom

equipment, and will show respect for others in the classroom.

• Be attentive.• Actively participate in the learning experience.• Complete all assigned homework, projects, and

assessments on time.• Exhibit academic honesty. (No cheating)• Follow all rules established by ACCESS, the

school, and the teacher.

Right to Privacy

• In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), ACCESS will allow access to student records only to those authorized. Authorized personnel include SDE staff (principal or designee, teacher, facilitator, counselor), support center administrative staff, and others with a legitimate educational or legal interest in students’ records.

• Please do not ask a teacher to email, text, or verbally give you a student's grade, and you should never email, text, or verbally give anyone else a student's grade. Counselors can provide parents and legal guardians with the necessary information, and/or the parents or legal guardians can log into the student's account to view his/her grades.

The NEWS section is where the teacher may post their assignments and daily work. On the

navigation bar, click CONTENT to find the Student Orientation unit. Click to open.

Table of Contents

Click the Classlist link.Find the name of the student whose progress you wish to view.

Click the Drop-down arrow to the right of the student’s name, click “View Progress”.

Using this tool, you can tell how much time the student has spent in various areas of the course.

Assist Students

Place your desk where you can see the students computers

Walk, walk, walk…watch

for cheating & playing during

class

Take attendance

daily

COMMUNICATE,

COMMUNICATE,

COMMUNICATE

Cycle of Success

A good facilitator is the difference between a successful ACCESS class and one that is not successful. You are the teacher’s eyes and ears. You will be depended upon heavily to

keep the teacher informed about what is happening with the students at your school. Your job is equally as important, if not more

important , than the teacher’s job. Good communication between you and the teacher is

the key to your students doing well in their ACCESS classes.

Thank you