Ohio Administrative Code
Title 3301 - Department of Education - Administration and Director
Chapter 3301-35 - Standards for Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Section 3301-35-16 - Online learning
Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 3301-35-16
Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) A local, city, exempted village or joint vocational school district may operate a school using an online learning model by notifying the department of education no later than the first day of July of the school year that the district intends to open an online learning school. In addition to providing notification to the department:
(1)
The district OEDS administrator will enter a request in the
OEDS application tool to create a new organization designated as a district
online school, which will be assigned a new information retrieval number (IRN);
and
(2)
Section 3302.42 of the Revised Code states that
districts shall assign all students engaged in online learning to the district
online school. This assignment would not include students participating in
blended learning.
(B) Section 3302.42 of the Revised Code states that a district that is to cease operating using an online learning model shall notify the department not later than July first of the school year for which the change is effective. A district may complete this by taking the following steps:
(1)
Once the final school year of operation is completed,
withdrawing all students from the online school and transferring them to the
other buildings operated by the district based on the local rules used by the
district to determine each student's building of attendance;
and
(2)
The district OEDS administrator submitting a request in
the OEDS application tool to close the district online school.
(C) The district is expected to comply with the requirements of section 3302.42 of the Revised Code and provide, at no cost to students or families, access to the internet for instructional purposes, including:
(1)
An internet
connection device;
(2)
Internet access;
(3)
A filtering
device or software to protect against internet access to obscene or harmful
material;
The district may provide a
filtering device or software through the designated information technology
center.
(4)
If a student indicates that the student has internet
access at the student's residence, a district may provide the student the
opportunity to waive the use of district-provided internet access and/or device
for instructional use. This waiver may be rescinded at any time by the student.
If a student is under the age of eighteen, parental or guardian consent should
be obtained regarding the waiver or rescission of the waiver.
(D) Districts that operate an online learning school are expected to comply with section 3303.42 of the Revised Code. This includes:
(1)
Providing a comprehensive orientation to each student and
the student's parents or guardians prior to enrollment that includes, at
minimum, information regarding the following:
(a)
An overview of
the master schedule;
(b)
Course opportunities;
(c)
Curriculum;
(d)
How to obtain
access to the internet and use an internet access device;
(e)
Communication
methods, specifically the communication to students and parents and/or
guardians regarding achievement and progress, feedback on assignments, and
courses and/or curriculum;
(f)
Attendance
expectations;
(g)
Grading and reporting;
(h)
Parent/teacher
conferences;
(i)
The learning management system used for online
learning;
(j)
Student discipline; and
(k)
Acceleration,
course mastery and enrichment.
(2)
Tracking the time
students participate in online and off-line learning activities, which equal at
least nine hundred ten hours each school year;
(a)
Section 3302.42
of the Revised Code states that online learning schools shall implement a
learning management system that tracks the time students participate in online
learning activities, and that all student learning activities completed while
off-line be documented with participation records checked and approved by the
teacher of record;
(b)
Learning activities may be synchronous and/or
asynchronous.
(E) Each district board of education that operates an online learning school is expected to comply with section 3302.42 of the Revised Code by adopting policies and procedures that address the following:
(1)
Means of
personalization of student-centered learning models to meet the needs of each
student;
(2)
The evaluation and review of the quality of online
curriculum delivered to students;
(3)
Assessment of
each participating student's progress through the curriculum;
(a)
Students' grade
level or course advancement will be obtained through competency-based learning
models;
(b)
Students will be permitted to advance through each
level of the curriculum based on demonstrated competency/mastery of the
material rather than based on a specified number of instructional
hours;
(c)
Students will be provided with accelerated learning
opportunities in the event that they complete a course or class curriculum
requirements prior to the end of the course or semester;
If a student completes a course or curriculum prior to
the end of the school year and/or completes nine hundred ten hours prior to the
end of the school year, the student will be provided the opportunity to advance
to the next course or be provided enrichment through the remainder of the
school year.
(4)
The assignment of
a teacher of record to all courses who is responsible for planning curriculum,
evaluating mastery of content, and tracking and approving all online and
off-line student activities, except a teacher of record for a computer as
instructor course is only responsible for checking and approving participation
in online and off-line student activities.
(a)
A teacher of
record is to comply with requirements for credentialed staff under rule
3301-35-05
of the Administrative Code and licensure requirements under Chapter 3319. of
the Revised Code. For a computer as instructor course, a teacher is not
required to meet subject area-specific requirements for licensure under Chapter
3319. of the Revised Code.
(b)
A classroom may
not have more than one teacher of record for every one hundred twenty-five
students;
(c)
Teacher licensing provisions for online learning are
expected to meet the same minimum requirements as for in-person
learning;
(d)
Teachers are expected to have appropriate training in
the pedagogy of the effective delivery of online instruction;
(5)
The
method by which each participating student will have access to the digital
learning tools necessary to access the online content;
(6)
Adequate
provisions for all areas required by division (B)(4) of section 3302.42 of the
Revised Code, including but not limited to:
(a)
The licensing of
teachers, administrators, and other professional personnel and their assignment
according to training and qualifications;
Credentialed and classified staff are subject to rule
3301-35-05
of the Administrative Code;
(b)
Requirements for
graduation;
The graduation requirements
outlined in section
3313.603
of the Revised Code are applicable.
(c)
Efficient and
effective use of instructional materials including, but not limited to:
(i)
The method by
which students will have access to the digital learning tools necessary to
access online content as discussed in paragraph (E)(5) of this
rule;
(ii)
Methods to align with technology in education standards
approved by the state board of education pursuant to section
3301.079
of the Revised Code;
(iii)
Standards for educational programs and support as set
forth in rule
3301-35-06
of the Administrative Code, and data-driven improvement, as set forth in rule
3301-35-07
of the Administrative Code.
(d)
The proper
organization, administration, and supervision of each school, including
regulations for preparing all necessary records and reports and the preparation
of a statement of policies and objectives for each school;
The district is expected to establish policies
addressing administration, supervision, record-keeping, and reports for online
learning schools consistent with section
3301.0714
of the Revised Code and rules
3301-35-02
and
3301-35-07
of the Administrative Code, and consistent with any other applicable local,
state and federal law and regulations.
(e)
Buildings,
grounds, and health and sanitary facilities and services;
The district is expected to include online learning
schools in policies addressing buildings, grounds, health and sanitary
facilities and services, including but not limited to those required by section
3301.56
of the Revised Code and consistent with applicable local, state and federal law
and regulations.
(f)
Admission of
pupils, and such requirements for their promotion from grade to grade as will
ensure that they are capable and prepared for the level of study to which they
are certified;
Policies are expected to
comply with section
3313.64
of the Revised Code and applicable local, state and federal law and
regulations.
(F) Section 3302.42 of the Revised Code states that for funding purposes, the department will reduce the full-time time equivalence (FTE) proportionally for any student who participates in less than nine hundred ten hours per year. The department will implement a funding review process that includes:
(1)
A review of all
IRNs representing online learning schools;
(2)
A review of all
students enrolled in online learning schools; and
(3)
Calculation of
funding adjustments to reflect participation based on nine hundred ten hours
and one FTE for the school year.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Ohio may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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