IDEAL-NM FAQs for PK-12 Environment

Background

IDEAL-NM officially opened its virtual doors on August 12, 2008. The PK-12 component focuses on eLearning courses for high school students, with more than 50 courses available. In the IDEAL-NM model, the school registers the student and then assigns the student to a specific period and location during the day to access a course taught from a distance by a highly-qualified New Mexico eTeacher. A site coordinator works in conjunction with IDEAL-NM staff to monitor progress and ensure success.

School site coordinators and students are requested to not only view the information found on the ideal-nm.org web site, but also to carefully read the school and student handbooks found at that site. Answers to many questions will be found in those handbooks. The below FAQ section is intended to supplement the web site and handbook information.



Course Fee



What is the Fee for IDEAL-NM online courses?

IDEAL-NM charges enrolling schools/districts a $200 per enrollment fee (per .5 credit course) for regular courses and $250 (per .5 credit course) for Advanced Placement courses. This fee covers the cost of the eTeacher/instruction for the course. Should districts/schools opt to provide the highly qualified teacher to provide the instruction, the content is free to all public schools and districts. Most IDEAL-NM courses are textbook independent (with the exception of some AP courses), so the school/district will not incur any costs related to textbooks. IDEAL-NM courses are taught by highly qualified New Mexico teachers and are highly interactive. Students receive individualized attention and high quality instruction.



Can a school/district pass the cost of the online course on to the student?

During the summer and regular school year, schools may pass the cost of the online course to the student/parent in the following cases:

During the summer and regular school year, schools may not pass the cost of the online course to the student/parent in the following cases:



Credit Recovery



Does IDEAL-NM have credit recovery courses?



Any core IDEAL-NM course may be taken for credit recovery. School site coordinators should let the Student Services Coordinator know if a student is trying to recover credit so that the eTeacher knows to provide more direct instruction. It is noted that some national providers have abbreviated courses with less teacher involvement as credit recovery options. Those options may be easier for the student, but they don't necessarily provide effective learning experiences. Credit recovery students need more teaching, not less.



Dual Credit Courses



Does IDEAL-NM offer online dual credit courses?



IDEAL-NM offers a Health & Personal Wellness course in partnership with Dona Ana Community College and will be offering a Business course in the near future.. We also have a clearinghouse system in place which facilitates statewide access to online dual credit courses.



eLearning Definition



What is eLearning?



Wikipedia provides a simple definition of eLearning: "E-learning most often means an approach to facilitate and enhance learning through the use of devices based on computer and communications technology." We like the definition created by Mountain Quest Institute because of its emphasis on the human factor: "eLearning is enabled learning, learning in a virtual world where technology merges with human creativity to accelerate and leverage the rapid development and application of deep knowledge."



Home School Access To IDEAL-NM Courses

How can homeschool students access IDEAL-NM courses?

Homeschool students have two options for enrolling in IDEAL-NM courses:

1) Enroll directly through IDEAL-NM and pay the course enrollment fees directly to IDEAL-NM. IDEAL-NM is not a school and as such, cannot award credit for courses completed. If credit for courses is desired, a home school student must enroll through a school/district.

2) Enroll through a school/district and pay the course enrollment fees to the district. If a home school student is enrolled at least half-time (per enrolling district policy), the school may cover the enrollment fees. If enrolled full time per enrolling district policy, the home school student becomes a public school student and as such must take the required New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA). Other local school and district policies may apply.


Home school course fees:

$250 per semester course seat (.5 cedit course) for general education courses

$300 per semester course seat (.5 credit course) for Advanced Placement courses


Parents and students are advised that IDEAL-NM courses are taught by highly-qualified New Mexico teachers. Students will receive high levels of teacher instruction and assistance. IDEAL-NM eLearning courses are rigorous, and meet or exceed state content standards with benchmarks and performance standards.


Home school students are also advised not to postpone course assignments and get behind in their classes. Courses must be completed on time; extensions are rarely granted.



Learning Management System



What does the statewide Learning Management System (LMS) do for districts and schools?



IDEAL-NM has contracted with Blackboard, Inc. for a statewide LMS, and provides the administration and training necessary for implementation. The LMS provides the interactive technology platform by which all online courses, including those provided by IDEAL-NM, can be facilitated for schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies. An additional benefit for districts and schools is that they can access the LMS for their own communication, professional development, and eTeaching purposes. Districts desiring to participate are requested to go to www.ideal-nm.org and fill out the participation request. Information will then be sent regarding participation and training opportunities.. Contact the IDEAL-NM eLearning Technical Support for more information:bbsupport@idealnm.info.



NCAA Eligible Courses



Have IDEAL-NM online courses been approved for NCAA eligibility?



IDEAL-NM courses have not yet been approved. The NCAA organization won't review a provider's online courses until requested by a high school. New Mexico schools desiring to make that request are requested to coordinate those efforts with IDEAL-NM leadership.



Nonpublic School Access



How can nonpublic schools gain access to IDEAL-NM courses?



As per the requirements of statute, students enrolled in nonpublic schools may participate in the distance learning courses offered by IDEAL-NM if the school in which the student is enrolled enters into a contract with the school district in which the nonpublic school is located.

Statute does not stipulate the form or contents of the contract. To facilitate timely access to needed coursework, nonpublic schools may register students directly with IDEAL-NM by indicating that a contract is in process, and to whom the course fee invoice should be sent.



Progress Reporting



How is student progress reported to schools?



There is a progress tracking mechanism in the Blackboard system for site coordinators. IDEAL-NM teachers provide weekly progress reports for students to school site coordinators with copies to the IDEAL-NM Student Services Coordinator. The IDEAL-NM Student Services Coordinator also tracks the progress of students on a daily basis. If a student is not logging on or gets behind schedule, and the teacher has unsuccessfully tried to communicate with the student and help the student get back on track, the teacher submits an advisory form to the Student Services Coordinator, who then coordinates interventions necessary to get the student back on track.



Highly-Qualified Teachers



Are IDEAL-NM courses taught by highly-qualified teachers?



Yes. Additionally, all courses are taught by teachers licensed in New Mexico. The only exceptions are the Advanced Placement courses provided by Aventa Learning. While their teachers are highly-qualified, they reside in different parts of the nation, so aren't necessarily licensed in New Mexico.



STARS Reporting



How should IDEAL-NM distance learning classes be reported in STARS since they are taught by teachers who are not employees of the district?



Report the Staff ID in the Course Instructor template for distance learning teachers as 888888888 (Distance learning including Internet based classes). Do not submit these records in the Staff and Staff Snapshot templates.



Must I have a course file for students participating in internet based classes?



Yes, use appropriate course code and teacher staff ID of 888888888.



Will the distance education teacher code 88888888 flag our school as not complying with the HQT portion of NCLB?



No, teacher code 88888888 is not included in the HQT reporting formula.



The above information is adapted from the STARS manual published on PED's website. Search for STARS in the A-Z Directory then look for the manual. Or search for STARS MANUAL.



Students with Disabilities or Limitations



Can students with disabilities or limitations take IDEAL-NM courses?



Definitely. School site coordinators are requested to mark the IEP block on the registration form, or contact the Student Services Coordinator if a disability or limitation exists without an IEP. This triggers the discussions required to make sure IDEAL-NM eTeachers make the necessary accommodations in accordance with the student's IEP and in collaboration with the onsite school staff.



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