As of July 1, 2006 the Ministry of Education will pay for distance education (DE) courses for any grade 10,11 or 12 student.  Students do not require their school’s permission , as they did previously.   DE has always been an option in our school, mostly at the grade 12 level.  As the opportunity arises for younger students to choose DE, we want clarity around our expectations and level of support our school is able to offer.

 

Why is this important?          

It is a change from past Ministry practice and will require our school to
revise our DE policies, particularly with our grade 10 and 11 students.
It also represents an excellent opportunity for accelerated graduation for
some students, and a danger of delayed graduation for others.

 

What are the benefits of DE?

• Choice  - of courses and delivery method
• Students can get ahead or catch up
• Independence and flexibility
• Experience at learning by DE – many post-secondary programs are offered online

What are some concerns with DE?

• Low completion rates
• Students not completing required courses, getting behind and not graduating with their class
• Often take longer than one semester to complete
• Some students have difficulty with the independence required for success

 

Attributes of students who are successful at DE

Support provided at PSS for grade 10, 11 and 12 students

 

Students can choose to take DE courses without any involvement by our school.  Students and their families will need to  register with the DE course provider and take care of the paperwork.

Students who want to take less than a full schedule at PSS so that they can work on their DE course can request a work block.  They will need to provide proof of registration, and may be scheduled into a class with a teacher.  Scheduling into the library will be reserved primarily for our grade 12 students. Our library is used for many other purposes, thus we have to limit the number of regularly scheduled students who are there.

Grade 10 students can apply for 1 DE block and grade 11 and 12 students for up to 2 DE blocks at a time.  Since we have limited resources for DE blocks, students who exhibit the attributes for success will be given primary consideration.  Students use of work blocks will influence the availability of future work blocks. 

The DE schools will be responsible for reporting to parents.  Upon completion of a course, students will need to provide proof of their final mark so that it can be added to their permanent record.

Expectations at PSS for students choosing DE

 

• Attend all of their scheduled classes including blocks devoted to DE
• Use DE school resources as the primary source of help
• Understand that DE blocks are not spares
• Follow PSS policy for changing courses – 1 week into a semester
• Complete courses according to the DE school’s guidelines
• Parents and students are primarily responsible for monitoring progress

 

 

DE options for grades 8 and 9

 

Students in grades 8 and 9 may request to take courses through distance education for personal choice reasons. These courses will be in addition to a full timetable at school and the full cost of the course will be to the student.

Full credit is awarded to any students completing courses through Distance Education.

 

 

 

To Register for DE Courses This Summer or Next School Year

 

PSS students have traditionally taken courses from South Central Interior Distance Education School (SCIDES) in Merritt.  It is part of our school district.  If you wish to register with them you may do so online at www.scides.ca.  Alternatively, there are current course catalogues and registration forms at the office.

You may choose to register with any of the 32 BC distance education schools.  

 

Go to   http://www.learnnowbc.ca/course_finder/course_finder.aspx

and search by course or program.  Explore the courses that are of interest to you.  There are online and paper-based courses.  Some have the course outline that you can read through. 

To register complete the schools registration.  It may also be called an application form. Information you may require includes:

 

• Our school’s address:
• Box 500
• Princeton BC V0X 1W0;
• Your Personal Information Number (PEN)

- found in the top left hand corner of your report card;

• An educational plan which is a statement of how you intend to complete your required courses.

If you have difficulty, look for the “CONTACT US” icon, which will give you a phone number or an email.  The DE schools are staffed in the summer.