Middle School FAQ
2013-2014
IDVAMiddle SchoolMission and Vision:
IDVA Middle School is a nurturing online learning community where students, parents and teachers partner in a culture of achievement and where students realize and capitalize on their abilities:
Responsibility- students will transition into ownership and positive, productive management of their own learning;
Accountability- students will be accountable to the learning community members. The learning community will work together to assist students in achieving mastery of the k12 curriculum and state standards. Teachers will regularly and uniformly communicate progress to parents.
Flexibility-within the structure of the school calendar and program requirements, families have choices to tailor their school experience to include individualized learning, social experiences, group projects and other learning opportunities.
Why have an IDVA middle school?
Datatells us that students in IDVA middle grades are the most at-risk studentsthat we have. Some of them have been enrolled in IDVA the shortest amount of time, don’t have a full-time learning coach at home, and are struggling academically. We also would like to bridge the gap between a very flexible elementary program and a more rigid High school program. Having a middle school also allows IDVA to better meet the needs of individual students.
How many teachers will we have?
Each student will have specific language usage / composition and math teachers. Each student will also have a homeroom teacher to help monitor progress attendance and assist with general education courses. In total, most students will have two teachers.
I have heard that students will be required to attend class on Blackboard Collaborate (IDVA’s online classroom). Is this true?
Each teacher will hold classes in key content areas of math and languageusage / composition. These classes are usually held Tuesday-Thursday and last 60 minutes. 70% or higher attendance is required for class connect sessions. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the administrator for students who need them for either academic or other reasons, and teachers record sessions to help if a student needs to miss due to illness or scheduled appointments.
What if my schedule doesn’t allow me to come to class one week?
We still want students in good standing to have flexibility in this model. If your family is gone on vacation or other needs arise, you should communicate with your teacher and make arrangements to miss class. Teachers will work with you on an individual basis in situations like this.
What level of classes will my student take?
Students in middle school are preparing for high school. We will allow general education students to be only one grade level below their age appropriate grade level in the K12 curriculum. This means, if your student is a 7th grader, he could take Grade 6 curriculum. Students who are in special education may be placed no more than two grade levels below, except in rare cases where a lower placement is (or has already been) approved by the IEP team.
Remember, the State Board of Education has recently passed requirements increasing the number and type of math and science credits to graduate from any high school in Idaho. We want to ensure that we get our middle school students off to a good start so they can successfully meet these requirements.
What about special education services?
IDVA students receiving special education services will still be served according to their IEP’s. Some face to face services may be replaced with live online services.
Special Education teachers in the middle school model will move to a more inclusion-based model attending courses with their students and working with the general education teachers to prepare modifications for the assignments.
My student wants to work ahead. Is that still possible?
Absolutely! Students who are in good standing are encouraged to work ahead. If a student completes course material mid-year, the next level course will be offered to the student.
So, what about work samples? Do you still collect those? How are they submitted?
At the middle school level, students will turn in assignments to their teachers on a regular basis through Study Island. Teachers will communicate the work sample requirements at the beginning of the school year.
Can a student attend IDVA and another school simultaneously?
Dual Enrollment is allowed on a case by case basis. If you are interested in this option for your 1st-12th grade student, please contact Julie Ingwersen at .
Grading assignments? Are students getting grades?
Yes! Middle school students will receive lettergrades in math and language usage / composition. All other courses get pass fail progress grades based on the OLS progress. Math and Language grades are based on quality of assignments, OLS progress, Study Island, and end of quarter and end of course assessments. Students will not be promoted without fulfilling the requirements of the classes.
How will I communicate with the Middle School Team?
Teachers are available to students Monday-Friday from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm MST. Teachers can be reached via telephone or kmail/email. Teachers are happy to schedule online conferences as needed.
I heard about a minimum requirement or middle school credits. Can you explain that?
Idaho’s legislature asked that each school district create a minimum standard that middle school students must meet to move on to the next grade. This standard must include an attendance requirement and a minimum level of achievement on standardized tests and written work. This policy will also include an alternate path for students who do not meet the requirements for moving to the next grade. This policy can be requested for review upon request. We hold live sessions for learning coaches and students to review the policy when school starts and also during the school year to help everyone understand the requirements and expectations of students to promote to the next grade level.
Minimum Standards Overview:
Students shall be required to attain a minimum of 80% of their credits in order to be promoted to the next grade level.
Students will not be allowed to lose a full year of credit in one area (i.e. a student would not be able to fail a full year of math) and automatically move on to the next grade level.
Students not meeting (or in jeopardy of not meeting) credit requirements will be given an opportunity to recover credits or complete an alternate path in order to be eligible for promotion to the next grade level.
Attendance must be up to date and meet the minimum state requirements for school attendance.