1. Who will benefit from Clintondale Virtual High School?
The courses are designed for a variety of students, including:

Also, on-line courses are beneficial to small districts that might have financial difficulty providing a complete curriculum.

2. When did you begin and how many courses are being offered?
After nearly two years of extensive preparation, we opened in January 2001, offering 5 courses in a pilot program. These same courses were available for standard registration in February. Courses currently under development will be offered as they are completed.

3. What courses are available?
The following courses are available.

4. How accessible are these classes?
The classes are available to users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

5. Are there deadlines for enrollment?
Enrollment is continuous-students can begin at any time they want. They are not confined to the traditional semester. Courses can be completed in as 15 weeks or less.

6. Can the Clintondale program be previewed?
Yes. The courses can be found at: http://clintondale.blackboard.com. Click on "Guest Courses" and enter the words "special" and "viewer" in the login and password dialogue box that appears on the screen.

7. How much technical background is required?

Students need to have basic computer and keyboarding skills, they must know how to "create and save" a file, and they must have knowledge of the basic skills of Microsoft Word or similar word processing programs.

8. How do students enroll in this program?
A printable copy of the application can be found by going to the Admissions page. Otherwise, students can request a copy of it by calling (586) 493-7693. Students who are already enrolled in a school must have their counselor's approval prior to enrollment. Once the application has been completely filled out, the student can fax it (586)493-7691 or mail it to our office. Once the application form has been received, it takes five to seven days to process it and send curriculum materials and instructions to the students.

9. How will teachers personalize the course and ask questions requiring higher levels of thinking?
Teachers use the Virtual Classroom, discussion boards, and e-mail to communicate with the students. The Virtual Classroom includes a "white board", which allows the teacher to demonstrate concepts (e.g. working out math problems), present "PowerPoint" slide presentations, or pull up a specific Web site for the class to view. This is done in "real-time" and is viewed by all the students simultaneously. The Virtual Classroom also allows a teacher to have pre-assigned groups of students interact live for projects, panels or discussions. Discussion boards, which are similar to Internet forums, feature on-going dialogue threads that allow students to exchange information and opinions over time.

10. What other features do the Clintondale on-line courses offer?
They provide external Web links (sites that provide additional course content information), a calendar (a student tool showing when assignments are due), grade check (a student tool for checking the status of grades), a resource center (additional content sources maintained by blackboard), and a student manual (for course navigation assistance).

11. Do on-line classes allow students to move at their own pace?
Yes. Classes can be completed in 15 weeks or less. Students work primarily with the teacher to meet course requirements, so that one student does not impact the progress of another.

12. Is additional time to complete a course allowed?
Requests for extensions are handled on an individual basis.

13. Where does the content for these courses come from?
The content is a blend of information from course material modified by Clintondale High School teachers. These courses were developed by California teachers more than 20 years ago and were soon recognized nationally. Michigan educators have used them since 1987.

The course design separates the content into five modules per subject, as opposed to one 300-page textbook. This makes the courses highly adaptable and especially effective for use in a multitude of educational environments.

There is an emphasis on this content, including both instructional and work activities, which increases the likelihood that students will actually practice what they have learned and show improved retention. The modules include explanations and many examples.

The content is aligned with state guidelines (benchmarks and outcomes). On-line teachers may modify and enhance the basic course, but they may not delete or omit course content.

14. How is the content delivered?
Content to the students is delivered in a variety of ways:
- Students receive the five manuals containing instructional material and activities designed to reinforce the course concepts. (Certain subjects have supplemental texts and some science classes have required science kits.)
- The assigned activities are in the manuals, which the students use as workbooks. Many of them are also found in the on-line courses.
- The teacher uses the Virtual Classroom, slides, whiteboards, videos, discussion threads and Web links to enhance the lessons. Throughout the course, the teacher serves as a facilitator for instruction, guidance and interaction.

15. How are homework and activity assignments checked?
The goal is to make most of the assignments interactive, with users getting immediate feedback to their responses. Activities are a mix of multiple choice, multiple answer, true-false, fill-ins, ordering, matching and short-answer essay questions. Interactively scored assignments are immediately posted in the on-line grade book. Students can view their cumulative grades at any time.

Longer essays and other additional activities are included in most courses, but these cannot be checked interactively; teachers must grade them independently. While developing the learning activities, great care was taken to ensure that students would be challenged and that higher-level thinking skills were nurtured.

16. How often do students have to check-in with the teacher?
Students are asked to check-in, via the Internet, at least every five days. Failure to log-on for more than five days can result in a student being dropped from the course.

17. How do students who have disciplinary problems do on-line?
They often perform better, since their audience has been removed and fewer distractions exist.

18. Can Clintondale's on-line classes be used to supplement classroom instruction?
This potential is unlimited. Teachers could use the virtual classes for remedial practice, supplemental assignments, or advanced projects. Parents could use the on-line material as a source of review (or remedial instruction) with their child.

19. Could Clintondale's on-line classes be used by other districts?
The possibility of outside districts using Clintondale's program for credit recovery, remedial instruction, supplemental curriculum, detention strategies, homebound students etc., is a concept under development. Questions that must be reviewed by other districts using Clintondale's content include financial considerations and the staffing of the Virtual Classroom and discussion board.

20. How are grades and credits reported at the end of a course?
Both will be mailed in the form of a report to the school of record (or home school of residence), and also to the student.

21. Do I have to live in Michigan to enroll?
No, you may live anywhere to enroll in this program. Only students taking courses for credit recovery must have the approval of their school of record.