Harmony Public Schools offers online learning by permission of the Texas Education Agency, in accordance with TEA guidelines. Student may be required to maintain a passing grade in all subjects to continue attending online learning, per TEA requirements.

The Texas Education Agency provides guidance on identifying students who should discontinue remote instruction.

In addition to using the Profile of a Successful Online Learner as a guide, students must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to apply to the Harmony Public Schools Virtual Learning:

• Student must pass the most recent STAAR exams, or be NWEA grade-level proficient (if STAAR not taken);
• Student must maintain “C” grade of higher in “foundation curriculum” (ex. Math, Reading) courses taken in-person or remotely in the previous school year.
• Student must have no more than 10% unexcused absences during the previous school year.

In addition to these requirements, only applicants who meet the application deadline will be considered.

By enrolling at the Virtual Learning, students are committing to remain enrolled through the school year. Eligible students who were not admitted during the current school year will be required to submit a new application for the next school year if they wish to be considered for admission.

Currently enrolled students will not have to re-apply for the following year, as long as they continue to meet eligibility criteria.

Students may be required to return to in-person instruction at their zoned campus if they:

• Have a failing class average for two or more classes for any grading period.
• Have less than 90% or higher daily attendance rate from the current school year.

Students and parents will be notified in advance that they will be required to return to in-person instruction at their home campus prior to the end of the semester.

Upon notification that a student will be removed from the Virtual Learning, parents have 10 calendar days to submit an appeal in writing to the principal.

The principal, or designee, will schedule an appeal hearing within 10 calendar days of receiving a written appeal.

If the committee allows the student to remain at the Virtual Learning, a plan will be developed by the committee to provide the student with success criteria for continued enrollment. If the student fails to follow the success plan, the student’s enrollment at the Virtual Learning will be revoked, and the student will be required to return to his/her zoned campus.

When considering whether virtual learning is right for your family, it's important to know what skills are required for virtual learning, as well as what traits are most common among successful vertual learners.

To participate in virtual learning, student must be able to perform the following:

• Log on to the course regularly
• Ask questions if you don’t understand
• Stay on pace (be aware of due dates)
• Communicate regularly with your online teacher
• Take notes and prepare for tests
• Participate in discussion boards and other course activities
• Attend required instructional sessions

Additionally, students who most often are successful at online learning demonstrate the following traits:

• Good readers and writers. In online courses, reading may be the main source of information. Additionally, nearly all communication is written, so it is critical to feel comfortable in expressing ideas in writing.
• Have parents who are committed to supporting the student every day. At all grade levels, students need active involvement from a parent/guardian every day. The younger the student, the more time that a parent must devote each day to active support.
• Proficient in use of computers and Internet navigation. Because all interaction happens via computer, computer skills are necessary to participate.
• Self-motivated and learn well independently. With the freedom and flexibility of the online learning environment comes responsibility. The online process takes commitment, discipline, and an ability to work independently. Careful to allow ample time for the course. Online learning is not easier than the traditional educational process. In fact, many students will say it requires more time and commitment.
• Effective time-managers. Structuring time to effectively participate is up to the learner. Manage time well enough to complete assignments, study and communicate with your teacher while juggling any additional activities, work, or social obligations.
• Problem solvers who ask for help when needed. In the Virtual classroom, knowing how to solve problems and when to seek assistance are important skills. Assistance will be available, but it must be requested and an immediate response may not be available. As students get older, they must become self-advocates in their own learning.

Students are required to be engaged daily with instructional content which is digitally available in Schoology. Students who do not demonstrate engagement on a given day by 11:59 PM are marked absent. Engagement expectations are clearly defined, measurable, available to students and parents in Schoology LMS. Students are also encouraged to actively participate in Zoom live sessions on a daily basis and use teacher office hours for any additional support and answers to questions they may have.

Students are expected to engage daily in Schoology by completing instructional tasks, answering questions, replying to discussion boards, submitting daily assignments, returning daily exit tickets, completing projects, or submitting pictures of assignments and tasks. Students may also use school emails for submissions in certain cases. Sending the images of their completed work via SMS is acceptable in case of internet issues. HPS provides hotspots for families.

If the student is engaged through remote asynchronous learning by 11:59 PM of the same day, the student may be marked as present if the student meets the approved remote asynchronous engagement methods.

While the overall virtual learning is designed for asynchronous learning, students will engage in both synchronous and asynchronous instruction where mainly math and reading will be offered via live sessions (And science and social studies in some grade levels). Students are encouraged to attend live classes via Zoom sessions on a daily basis. Students will interact with their teachers and peers to engage in the lessons. Teachers will facilitate the lessons in Schoology in live sessions. Students who are not attending the live sessions, will have the opportunity to complete lessons through Schoology LMS asynchronously. Self-paced lesson cycles will be available in the LMS. The lesson cycle may include; the checklists of the tasks, instructional videos (by both teachers and the curriculum providers), paper-based guided and independent practice (student consumable workbooks), discussion questions for engagement with peers, lesson recap videos, formative assessments, exit tickets, projects, and more. Students are expected to return daily assignments and exit tickets by 11:59 PM on the same day.

Additional support times and office hours are embedded into the schedule for the students who need additional help. Small group interventions and other services will be provided during those hours.

Students are expected to work on blended learning software independently. They are expected to meet instructional software usage goals each week. Teachers/Interventionists will be providing small group support thru break-out sessions via Zoom

Student progress will be tracked daily in the Schoology through daily assignments, activities, interaction with a teacher, exit tickets for each lesson, and other success indicators. The following assessments will be used to measure the progress of students;

• Daily exit tickets
• Weekly formative assessments
• 2-3 Content-Based Assessments (CBAs) in every quarter- Summative Assessment
• Quarterly district benchmarks- Summative Assessments
• NWEA MAP (Fall-Winter for all, Additional Spring MAP test for Tier-3 students)

Progress reports will be provided in 3-week intervals. Report cards will be sent to parents in every quarter. Parents have full access to student work, interactions with teachers, assignment submissions, and feedback through the parent portal of Schoology. Parents will be able to check student grades in the Schoology and Skyward grade book.

Students will receive support via multiple mechanisms:

• Teacher Interaction: Students who join live sessions will receive real-time feedback through various ways such as Zoom Chat, discussion boards, non-verbal feedback features, etc. Students may also receive feedback from teachers on their returned assignments, and their posts to discussions. The feedback might be provided via e-mail or Schoology posting
• LMS: Schoology provides real-time feedback to the students. Teachers will also utilize Schoology to provide feedback on student submissions. Schoology gradebook will be utilized by our teachers so that students can check their progress on a daily basis.
• Instructional Software: The software provides real-time or nearly real-time instructional feedback on learning and assignments and supports the personalization of instruction to each individual student’s needs.
• Additional Support Times: teachers and interventionists will also schedule check-in times for the students to monitor progress and provide small group instruction.

For students with disabilities who are admitted to the Harmony Virtual Learning, the District will continue to implement a student’s IEP/504 plan to the extent possible through remote delivery methods. Upon admission to the Harmony Virtual Learning, a student’s ARD/504 committee will meet to discuss which services will be provided remotely to meet the student’s needs.

An ESL/pull-out program model is an English acquisition program that serves students identified as English learners through English instruction provided by an appropriately certified ESL teacher under the TEC, §29.061(c), through English language arts and reading. The goal of ESL pull-out is for English learners to attain full proficiency in English in order to participate equitably in school. This model targets English language development through academic content instruction that is linguistically and culturally responsive in English language arts and reading. Instruction is provided by the ESL teacher in a pull-out or inclusionary delivery model.

Students are expected to provide their own technology including a computer, webcam, Internet access, and as required, a headset with microphone. In some courses, students may also need to have the ability to scan "hand" completed worksheets, convert into a PDF file, and upload into Schoology. If you do not have a scanner that converts files into PDF format, it is then highly advisable that you download onto your mobile device (phone or tablet) an app such as "Genius Scan." Students may also be required to record assignments such as a speech in Professional Communications that may require a webcam or a mobile device that records video and audio.

Harmony Virtual School has a limited number of Chromebooks, iPads, and hotspots that can be checked out to students. Should students have difficulty meeting the technology requirements, please contact your student’s school.

Harmony Virtual School’s courses follow the same school year schedule for the fall and spring semester. Students begin and end their courses just like their regular face to face courses and the semester final is during the week of finals as defined by the District. Each course provides pacing that supports the student moving through the content and assessments during the summer semester. Students are expected to work weekly on their course. Harmony Virtual School courses are not self-paced. Students may work ahead in the module, but must take care not to fall behind.

Please visit your school’s website to view the calendar for information on course start and end dates.