Dear New EPIC Parent,
In continuing the orientation email series we began earlier this summer, we want to discuss attendance and pacing at EPIC with you. Your child’s academic schedule at EPIC is flexible and his/her education is customized. However, attendance and pacing are two terms with unique definitions when it comes to online/blended learning. It's important you understand both as you begin your family's EPIC journey!
ATTENDANCE
The state of Oklahoma has a mandatory standard for determining whether a public education student in a virtual or blended learning school is in attendance. Attendance is important because if students are not viewed by the state as being in attendance, EPIC must withdraw them from the school and they will be considered by the state to be truants.
To be classified as being 100 percent in attendance, a student must complete a
minimum
of 40 assignments every nine weeks. Students who have an attendance rate of 75 percent or below (less than 31 assignments) will be withdrawn from the school, per state law. Being in full attendance is not to be confused with a student's grade. It just means the student is viewed in the eyes of the law as being in public school attendance and not truant. For example, a student in a brick and mortar school might attend school and have 100 percent attendance but still fail to submit work or submit inferior work and, as a result, receive poor or failing grades.
Students who enroll in EPIC after the beginning of a nine-week period will have a reduced minimum number of assignments they must complete to be considered in full attendance. How many assignments they will need to complete is dependent on their entry date to the school during that nine-week period and will be communicated to them by their teacher.
All EPIC students should strive to be 100 percent in attendance AND complete all assignments from their curriculum and teacher. Not completing all assignments will be detrimental to students' grades and grade point average.
PACING
How long it takes a student to complete his/her school year and how many breaks (such as for a winter or spring break or for a family trip) depends on a student’s pacing schedule. Pacing is customized for a student and is dependent on two factors: parent request and student’s ability.
A default pacing schedule will not include breaks from the beginning of the school year until the end of the school year. So if you want your child to have breaks during the school year for holidays, family vacations, etc., which many parents do, make sure you communicate that to your teacher so that your teacher adjusts the pacing schedule within your child’s curriculum to fit your family’s needs. Pacing can be adjusted during the school year, too. In fact, teachers must adjust it if a student gets behind due to a lack of engagement. However, it is better that you monitor your child's engagement so he/she doesn't get behind and communicate up front what your expectations and needs are for breaks so that your child doesn’t have to play “catch up” because he or she was not pacing appropriately to allow for those breaks from the beginning.
