Any Kenosha Area School District student grades nine through twelve may request enrollment in eSchool courses.
Most academic courses required for graduation are available as well as Advanced Placement courses and a wide variety of electives.
Home School students may take up to two district courses per semester and still maintain their Home School Status. Either or both of these could be on-line courses.
Kenosha Unified School District residents who have passed their 20th birthday may be considered for enrollment on a case-by-case basis.
Although many students are likely to begin a course at the beginning of a semester, students can request enrollment in online courses on a rolling enrollment basis from September through February. Placement will be based on the availability within the requested course.
A mentor/coach is an adult who has regular contact with the student, who can provide support, encouragement and assistance as needed and also acts as a liaison with the teacher.
Once a signed Course Request form has been received and processed,along with all signatures requested, a current schedule, a current transcript, and a graduation requirement report, the student will be invited to complete a mini-orientation session. After completing the orientation session the student and a parent/mentor will be invited to attend a First Day of Class session. At this session the student, their coach/mentor will meet with an eSchool staff member to learn about the specific online course, and develop their personal Pace Chart. Students typically have up to 3 weeks during the school year to determine if online learning is a good fit for them. Students can drop their online courses without consequences during this designated drop window.
Pace Charts identify the due dates for all assignments. Students are expected to stay on pace in their individual course in order to complete the course by the goal date set at the orientation. Student assignment grades may be reduced for submitting late work. Students generally have one chance to revise their pace chart during the regular school year.
What happens if a student doesn't keep on pace?
If a student is not making sufficient progress toward their benchmarks by the end of the third week of the course, the Kenosha eSchool staff will notify the student that they are being administratively dropped from the course. During those three weeks the teacher will be communicating with the student as well as the mentor/coach to help them to get on pace. At any time during the course a student fails to make sufficient progress, without a significant reason, over a 3 week period, a probation period may be used that may result in a student being dropped from the course.
How are parents/guardians notified of a student's progress?
The parent/guardian set up Guardian Accounts which provide them with progress information at any time. Teachers prepare new progress reports at least once per month. The mentor/coach is also able to view the student status at any time using the student access. Compare the information in the Gradebook to the student's pace chart parents/guardians. The best way to contact a teacher is by email.
How many courses can I take at one time through Kenosha eSchool?
A student will always start by taking one course. After successfully completing one course a student can request taking a two courses if they wish. Students who are attending a physical school would not take more than two courses at any given time. Students seeking full-time online status must follow the Kenosha Unified School District protocol for placement at a school other than their high school of residence.
What specifications do I need on my computer for online classes?
As long as you have Internet access, you can take online courses. While it is possible to take courses with dial-up connectivity, it will take a little longer for pages to load. You might want to print a few lessons and work offline. You can then save and upload work when you are finished.
Sun Java 1.4.2 JRE or higher
Sun Java 3D 1.3 or higher - Required in some courses
Flash 7.0 or higher
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher
Pentium II (233 MHz minimum, higher recommended)
Minimum of 3 gig free HDD space
128k internet connection. A broadband connection is recommended.
Windows 2000, 98, NT, XP, ME (Windows ME does not support software used in the following courses: Web Design 1 and 2)
Microsoft Office
256 MB Ram
12x CD-ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
Display setting 1024x768 resolution
Printer required
Internet Explorer (web browsing software) - version 6.0 or higher (Click here to download)
Flash 7 player (Click here to download)
Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD)
Audio: Sound card with speakers, microphone or headset (needed in some courses)
America Online is not recommended as a Brower to access online courses. It is OK as an Internet Provider.
Power Mac G3
OSX
Microsoft Office
Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD)
128 MB Ram
Minimum of 3 gig free HDD space
12x CD ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
128k internet connection. A broadband connection is recommended.
Display setting 1024x768 resolution
Printer required
Safari browser (Click here to download)
Flash 7 player (Click here to download)
Audio: Speakers and microphone or headset (needed in some courses)
America Online is not recommended as a Brower to access online courses. It is OK as an Internet Provider.
Who do I contact if I have guidance counselor related questions?
If you are attending an Kenosha Unified School District school, you should contact your assigned building guidance counselor. If you are only taking classes through the eSchool contact Mrs. Radtke and she will direct your questions as needed.
How much time will it take to complete a course?
A student can expect to spend just as many hours on an online course as they would spend if they were attending class on a traditional basis. For example if you are a reasonably good student, taking a semester course and plan to complete it in a traditional semester, you should expect to spend from 5-7 hours per week on the course. If you plan to complete a full credit course in one semester you would need to spend 10-14 hours per week on the course. If you do not have strong reading skills you may have to spend more time each week in order to maintain a sufficient pace.
A student is expected to initiate contact with their teacher at least 2-3 times per week. This might be in the form of an email, an assignment submission, participating in a discussion file or a whiteboard session. You should expect to be contacted by your teacher at least twice each week. This might include responses to submitted assignments, emails, phone calls, discussion threads, and whiteboard activities.
There is no cost involved for any Kenosha eSchool classes.
Absolutely. The colleges are looking for students with well-rounded educations.