Parenting an Online Student Resources and Tips to help your student be successful!

What is different for a parent of an online student? The student might be home alone while you are at work, not at school (a controlled environment) Student needs to be a self-manager because a teacher is not “making” the student work. More flexibility in the day of the student-sleeping in, staying up later, no bell schedule. Most parents did not go to school in this environment and a new system can feel a little daunting.

How can you help your student be successful? Three main items to help your student: 1. Have your student create a schedule. This should be detailed. Hang the schedule in a central location so you both have access to it. Follow up with them frequently about their schedule and make tweaks if necessary. 2. Students need to follow their activities calendar. This calendar will give them a list of what they need to complete daily. If they do this, they will be on track. If they miss a day or items, have your student make them up as quickly as possible. 3. Spend enough time on their coursework. They should be spending at least 5-6 hours a day on their school work.

How can you check your student’s progress? Register on the Parent Portal of Edgenuity. These are some of the items you can check to start discussions with your student about their coursework: 1. Attendance Log 2. Progress Report 3. Course Avoidance

Checking your student’s time in a course Go to the parent portal. Select your student (if you have more than 1) Choose Attendance Log You can see the time spent in each course. Idle Time= re-watching a video or reviewing for a quiz. This should not be the majority of the time or there is an issue. Activities completed= check against their activities calendar. They should always have activities completed during school days.

Checking your student’s progress Go to the Family Portal Choose Progress Report

What does the progress report mean?

Other Important Tips Make sure your student is not avoiding classes. We remind students that if they practice a subject that is challenging everyday they will get better at it. This includes writing, reading, and math skills. If you notice your student avoiding a course, see if you can help them. Try not to use phrases such as “I am not a math person” or “I have never been good at math” as it solidifies within the student that these skills cannot be improved on. “I will bring you to the Learning Center tomorrow so you can get your quiz reset and your math teacher can go over it with you.” “Did you try re-watching the video and taking notes?” Write down any items that are confusing. “Did you email your teacher and let them know that you are stuck?” “Let’s set up a virtual learning session with your teacher, so they can help you”

Intervening Early and Often If you feel that your student is starting to struggle, do not hesitate to contact your student’s teacher or advisor to get help with strategies. We are happy to meet with you and your student to discuss ideas and strategies that will make them more successful. Try not to let your student’s days and nights get turned around. It is ok to sleep in, but sleeping all day and staying up all night is not healthy. Reward your student for being successful and engaged in their school work- this could mean spending time on their favorite video game, hanging out with friends, etc. Rewards should be a motivator to the student and should not cause hardship on the parent.

We are a team! We are here as your resource! Our goal is to work together with families to help their student be successful in their educational goals. We realize that not all students are the same and we pride ourselves on treating our students as individuals. We want your input. We will be sending out a survey in September to make sure we are meeting the needs of all of our families. If we do not know the answer- we will find out.

Questions or Concerns