Program Guidelines
Homeschool Students: The Partnership is a voluntary supplement to your home school. You, as the parent, provide the instruction and direct your student’s learning. You must provide at least 51% of your student’s instruction. You must provide the instruction in English, history, math, and science. How you do this and what curriculum you use is at your discretion.
Private School Students: If you are using a private school, not using State Funding, you must be taking at least as many courses in the private school as you select in the Partnership. You must provide the instruction in English, history, math, and science.
The Partnership exists as a resource to provide the instruction in the subjects that are non-core. These courses are virtual in content delivery and offer an optional, face-to-face interaction with community experts. You are permitted to select up to 5 courses. You will be assigned a required Homeroom. These courses must meet the following criteria and have the following components:
Snapshot of what to expect from our Courses
Parent Responsibilities
Student Responsibilities
All courses in the partnership are available to any student in the Niles Community School district, home school student enrolled in the partnership whose residence is in Michigan, or private school student enrolled in the partnership whose residence is in Michigan.
Private School Students: If you are using a private school, not using State Funding, you must be taking at least as many courses in the private school as you select in the Partnership. You must provide the instruction in English, history, math, and science.
The Partnership exists as a resource to provide the instruction in the subjects that are non-core. These courses are virtual in content delivery and offer an optional, face-to-face interaction with community experts. You are permitted to select up to 5 courses. You will be assigned a required Homeroom. These courses must meet the following criteria and have the following components:
Snapshot of what to expect from our Courses
- Non-core (ie, art, home economics, physical education, music, etc.)
- Semester or school year based.
- Include a Syllabus.
- Will have standards identified.
- Are either virtual courses, or are courses taught in a district school building.
- Will have a Niles Community Schools Highly Qualified Teacher of Record and Mentor Teacher instructing each course.
- Students will receive a Complete/Incomplete at the end of each semester base on the completion of at least 15 modules.
- We use a Learning Management System called Canvas. All your weekly assignments will be posted there in 18 modules along with forms, announcements and other pertinent information.
- Each student will be required to complete a Count Day Assignment in each one of their class, even their Homeroom, in Canvas. If a student is not able to accomplish this task in one or more of their classes, they will need to conduct a two-way communication with their Homeroom teacher once a week for 4 weeks.
- Two-way communication is available to all students, each week, with any member of our staff. It is our desire to provide all the support we can to aid your student to success. In addition to our Teacher of Records and Mentors, we have an IT Guru, our Registrar, our Payable’s Clerk, Web Designer and Field Trip coordinator and our Director. You will find all of our contact information on the Contact Us portion of our website. We are cross trained on most things. If we cannot help you, we will find you someone who can.
Parent Responsibilities
- If you desire an optional community resource partner for your course, help the community resource partner complete their necessary requirements, if they are not already established with the Partnership.
- Ensure your students complete the weekly modules.
- Vet the course and instructor to verify they meet your standards.
- Provide opportunities for public display of your student’s accomplishments in the course.
- Complete a form giving permission for your student to take more than 2 virtual courses. Since the Homeroom counts as a class, if you take more than one Partnership course, you must fill out this form.
- Submit all necessary information such as demographic student information, birth certificates, proof of residency, etc.
Student Responsibilities
- Learn all they can.
- Create a Driving Question. (Why are you taking this class? What do you hope to learn from this course?)
- Reflect on the Driving Question at the end of the course. (Did you accomplish what you set out to learn? What new question does this class foster?)
- Complete the Count Day assignment. This consists of completing one assignment in each of your courses labeled "Count Day Assignment". This must be accomplished on Count Day (1st Wednesday in October and the 2nd Wednesday in February). If this is not accomplished then you will conduct a 2-way communication with your Homeroom Teacher a minimum of 4 consecutive times, once a week beginning on Count Day of each semester.
All courses in the partnership are available to any student in the Niles Community School district, home school student enrolled in the partnership whose residence is in Michigan, or private school student enrolled in the partnership whose residence is in Michigan.