E-lert for Oct. 28

The NCVPS Community

Be Empowered

Check out Kentwood High Schools (WA) efolio requirement.

E-lert Subscription

Have you subscribed? If not, you can subscribe at the new e-lert site here. Look for the subscription service at the top of the sidebar. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your subscription. Each notice will have an unsubscribe option, too.

E-learning Success Stories

Submit your stories here: http://tiny.cc/d2oby Please tell us about student success stories and district success stories, such as increased virtual enrollment, fulltime DLA positions, teacher facilitators, and other virtual initiatives that have been started in your district. You may also forward to students and principals to complete!

Professional Networking

Join NCVPS on Facebook. Are you into networking and social media? Come join over 750 other educators. Find us at Facebook/ncvps

Follow the virtual learning consultants on Twitter at Twitter/MyVlc

SEEKING INPUT FROM SCHOOLS!!! [E-lert for Oct. 28]

Central Office and Charter Schools:

NCVPS is in the process of helping districts develop and integrate our online courses into district curriculum guides. In an effort to gain feedback into your planning process, NCVPS would like for you to answer a few questions. These questions will help us ascertain how your district is promoting online opportunities for your students.

Here's the survey link: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/ncpublicschools.gov/viewform?formkey=dEdhUzY5bUxZeDA4Nzh4bWl4MTE0cHc6MQ

Thank you!

Health Permission Form [E-lert for Oct. 28]

It is no longer required to send the health education parental permission forms back to the NCVPS office. It is the school's responsibility to keep this on file.

LEO Textbooks, Drops, & Registration [E-lert for Oct. 28]

LEO Textbooks belong to the school not the student. LEO college textbooks are very expensive and purchased with state money. Textbooks for LEO courses should be treated just as another textbook in the high school and can be used by students in other semesters.

Last day to drop a LEO course is quickly arriving. Check with the Community College providing your LEO courses for their drop date.

Spring Registration is open for Learn & Earn Online Courses. Only science, technology, and math courses qualify for LEO funding.

For a list of iSchool courses visit,
http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/web/ischool/online_courses/course_descriptions.php

For a list of Community Colleges/courses visit,
http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/learnEarn/index.html

A number of steps must be followed to participate in either LEO course option. Visit the iSchool website or contact a participating Community College for registration information.

If you have any questions about the LEO registration process check out the LEO tab in the DLA Spa.

As always, please contact Deborah Pedersen with any questions, deborah.pedersen@ncpublicschools.gov

Accounting, Personal Finance and Principles of Business and Finance Mid Term Exams

As new and revised courses, Accounting, Personal Finance and Principles of Business and Finance will be field tested for the school year 2010-2011. What does that mean for you and our students? Students are required to take a two part field test for the course this semester. The first part will be administered at the midpoint of the semester and cover the first half of the course content. The second part will be administered at the end of the course and cover the second half of the course content. Both parts are to be administered at the face to face school. District policy should be followed in terms of using the field test scores to calculate an exam score; district policies regarding field tests vary greatly.

You may obtain a copy of the appropriate Mid Term and Final Exam from your CDC (Career Development Coordinator) or your testing coordinator. Please be aware, this is a DPI assessment, not an NCVPS assessment and standard testing procedures should be followed.

Early Calendar Schools Transitioning to Traditional Calendars Due to Flooding

Due to the inclement weather of flooding earlier in the semester and other hardships, some schools needed to transition from the Early Calendar Schedule to Traditional, yet, the schools will need to get NCVPS grades on the Early Calendar Schedule. If your school falls into this situation, DLAs will need to begin coordinating with teachers and their students now. NCVPS teachers will need to be informed so discussion and planning can be arranged. DLAs also need to take on the responsibility to coach students to have their course work completed well in advance so teachers can provide the final grades on the DLA's requested time scale.

Seeking GOLIVE Districts [E-lert for Oct. 28]

Would you like to be a GOLIVE district?

A GO LIVE leading edge district will learn from solutions created by other LEAs and will develop own solutions that focus on e-learning and e-leadership strategies. Each LEA will receive customized training and support, both face-to-face and virtually and be extended an invitation to serve on our advisory board. To learn more visit this link . . .

https://docs.google.com/a/ncpublicschools.gov/document/edit?id=1KHsO1ZeiOJRd-gpXBizpW1SZVTF1lN6jr-KHgmnWTD4&hl=en&pli=1#

SAS Programming Slots Still Open [E-lert for Oct. 28]

NCVPS and SAS Institute are partnering to offer high school students a course in SAS Computer Programming. The prerequisites for the course are Algebra I and at least 1 programming course such as Visual Basic, C++, Java or Python.

Here is a brochure with more information on the course(s).

SAS Programming

For more information, please contact Karen Creech at karen.creech@ncpublicschools.gov.

OCS Courses for Spring 2011 [E-lert for Oct. 28]

The NCVPS OCS Blending Learning courses for the Spring 2011 semester will be available for enrollment on November 15! This exciting and unique program is proving to be a tremendous success for students across North Carolina who are involved in the pilot of these courses. NCVPS is excited to off four courses in the Spring to all OCS students and OCS teachers of North Carolina.

The courses available will be OCS English I, OCS English II, OCS Algebra I, and OCS Biology. Directions will be posted by November 15 on the NCVPS website with more information for schools.

Follow this link for more information:
http://ncvps.org/courses/ocs/

Schools who plan on registering students for any of the available courses can begin to prepare for the Spring semester by considering the following:

1. The NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program is a collaborative effort between the NCVPS teacher and the face-to-face (f2f) OCS teacher. Schools who plan on enrolling students need to be able to identify the OCS f2f teacher who will be teaching the OCS students and working with the NCVPS teacher.

2. All OCS f2f teachers will need to go through an approximate two hour online training prior to the Spring semester start on January 24, 2011. Teachers will be able to decide when they want to complete the training but all f2f teachers will need to complete this training prior to the start of Spring semester. More details on this will be available on November 15.

3. NCVPS Technical Requirements are posted on the main page. Additional sites for each course will be provided as well through the Course Descriptions also located on the NCVPS main page.

If you have any questions about the NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program, please contact Michelle Lourcey (michelle.lourcey@ncpublicschools.gov) or Jennifer Nobles (jennifer.nobles@ncpublicschools.gov).

LOCK Session Webinars - Upcoming Schedule [E-lert for Oct. 28]

NCVPS LOCK session webinars are typically hosted the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. These sessions are mini-webinars hosted for DLA and DLC knowledge gain and mini-training. The sessions are intended to be an opportunity for statewide DLAs and DLCs to collaborate on various topics that pertain to the responsibilities of the role. The sessions are hosted in the DLA online Wimba Classroom in the Blackboard DLA Spa. The Archive file to this month's session(s) already presented follows the green highlight. The next LOCK scheduled is highlighted in yellow.

TIME: 11:00 AM (unless otherwise specified)

Nov 2 - "Open Forum" (Topics may include: upcoming DLC/DLA training, OCS and 9 wk Health course offered in spring semester, student progress, and any topics participants would like to inquire about.) - Presenters: School Services VLCs, Adam, Connie, James and Melissa.

Nov 9 - "OCS" (Occupational Course of Study) - Presenter: Michelle Lourcey, Director of NCVPS Credit Recovery and the NCVPS OCS Program.

Upcoming sessions -- Dates TBA:

"Curriculum Guides" - Presenter: Dr. Bryan Setser, NCVPS Executive Director.
"Curriculum Guide Best Practices" - Presenters: Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS Chief Academic Officer; and Melissa Davis, NCVPS Regional Virtual Learning Consultant.

"No Zero Policy" - Presenter: Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS Chief Academic Officer

OCT 12 - "Learn & Earn Online (LEO) Update" - Presenter: Deb Pedersen, NCVPS Director for LEO. ARCHIVED FILE: http://ncvpsclassroom.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=_ncvps_s__4100_1_883357_2010_1012_1105_53

Reminders [E-lert for Oct. 28]

COURSE REGISTRATION

> Spring registration is open. Click here for details!

> LEO Spring 2011 Registration - click here for details.

> SAS Computer Programming - new pilot course - click here for details.

> October Health Course (1/2 credit) - click here for details.

DLA & SCHOOL MAINTENANCE

> DLA Contact Information - Be sure to update your contact information in the registration system. Follow this link to see how to update your contact information.

> Central Office Distance Learning Coordinator: Follow this link to watch a short video that shows how to check your district's enrollment, check grades, and enroll and drop students at the school level.

> Summer 2010 Final Grade - click here for eSIS directions.

> Follow this link to the DLA Checklist for Fall 2010.

> Fall 2010 VTINs list here.


DISTRICT INFORMATION

> Watch our Curriculum and Instruction presentation to see an over of online offerings and e-learning strategies. Click here to view!

> If your district is enrolling home-schooled students, follow this link to see the new process: http://www.ncvps.org/parentstudent/homeschool/index.html

> For funding formula information, follow this link: http://www.thevlc.org/2010/07/ncvps-funding-formula-why-what-and-how.html

STUDENT SUPPORT

> If your students need tutoring help, be sure to check out our Peer Tutoring Center by following this link.

> Follow this link to the Student Checklist for Fall 2010.

NCVPS Community: E-lert for Oct. 22

Be Empowered

Storybirds: Storybirds are short, visual stories that you make with family and friends to shareand (soon) print.

E-lert Subscription

Have you subscribed? If not, you can subscribe at the new e-lert site here. Look for the subscription service at the top of the sidebar. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your subscription. Each notice will have an unsubscribe option, too.

E-learning Success Stories

Submit your stories here: http://tiny.cc/d2oby Please tell us about student success stories and district success stories, such as increased virtual enrollment, fulltime DLA positions, teacher facilitators, and other virtual initiatives that have been started in your district. You may also forward to students and principals to complete!

Professional Networking

Join NCVPS on Facebook. Are you into networking and social media? Come join over 750 other educators. Find us at Facebook/ncvps

Follow the virtual learning consultants on Twitter at Twitter/MyVlc

Spring 2011 Registration Now Open [E-lert for Oct. 22]

Registration is now open. NCVPS will open additional course sections each Monday. If there is a waitlist for a course, go ahead and place your students on the waitlist. This will let us know how many sections to open each week.

Please check out these resources:

Course Descriptions, Prerequisites, Textbooks, & Tech Requirements
Follow this link to course descriptions, prerequisites, and tech requirements: https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ASUfjGU4wbEIZHJrcXJrbl8zOXMzY3htYmNo&hl=en

Before schools commit to a registration, please assure the student meets any pre-requisite listed with the course description, and the school can also meet the tech and textbook requirements as they may apply.

Registration System User's Guide
Follow this link to the user's guide for the registration system: https://docs.google.com/View?id=dfwwcvfq_1663fhnxccc6

Student Contact Information
Be sure to update the student's email address and phone number when you register if there has been a change.

Learn & Earn Online Registration Now Open [E-lert for Oct. 22]

Spring Registration is open for Learn & Earn Online Courses. Only science, technology, and math courses qualify for LEO funding.

For a list of iSchool courses visit,
http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/web/ischool/online_courses/course_descriptions.php
For a list of Community Colleges/courses visit,
http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/learnEarn/index.html

A number of steps must be followed to participate in either LEO course option. Visit the iSchool website or contact a participating Community College for registration information.

If you have any questions about the LEO registration process check out the LEO tab in the DLA Spa or contact Deborah Pedersen, deborah.pedersen@ncpublicschools.gov

9 Week Health Course Offered in Early Calendar & Regular Schedule [E-lert for Oct. 22]

NCVPS will be offering a 9 week health course to supplement your Health/PE program. Here are some of the advantages to this new offering:

Advantages for 9 week long health:

-Scheduling PE with a community college allows schools to enroll students in Health for 9 weeks and PE off campus. This leaves the on-site PE and Health teachers with smaller ratios which should enhance instruction.

-This option may be especially attractive to upperclassmen many of which would rather not take classes with freshmen.

-2 sessions per semester

- With 2 sessions per semester, a school could enroll all of their PE students in a health class online; half in the first nine weeks of the semester and half in the second nine weeks. This gives the school the option of putting an assistant in the lab with the health students and allowing the PE teachers to all split the PE students that are left. This will effectively cut ratios in the gym in half, providing for better quality PE instruction. After the nine weeks ends, the health students can go to PE with the PE teachers and the PE students can go to the lab for health.

If you have additional questions, please contact Karen Creech and karen.creech@ncpublicschools.gov.

Curriculum and Instruction Presentation [E-lert for Oct. 22]

In the Oct. 19 LOCK session, Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS's Chief Academic Office, lead the curriculum and instruction presentation. Distance learning advisors and coordinators from around the state attended this webinar. If you missed it, please watch the archived sessions below.

Part I.
http://got.im/ekN

Part II.
http://got.im/CEk

Part III. Q&A Session
http://got.im/RnI

OCS Courses for Spring 2011 [E-lert for Oct. 22]

The NCVPS OCS Blending Learning courses for the Spring 2011 semester will be available for enrollment on November 15! This exciting and unique program is proving to be a tremendous success for students across North Carolina who are involved in the pilot of these courses. NCVPS is excited to off four courses in the Spring to all OCS students and OCS teachers of North Carolina.

The courses available will be OCS English I, OCS English II, OCS Algebra I, and OCS Biology. Directions will be posted by November 15 on the NCVPS website with more information for schools.

Follow this link for more information:
http://ncvps.org/courses/ocs/

Schools who plan on registering students for any of the available courses can begin to prepare for the Spring semester by considering the following:

1. The NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program is a collaborative effort between the NCVPS teacher and the face-to-face (f2f) OCS teacher. Schools who plan on enrolling students need to be able to identify the OCS f2f teacher who will be teaching the OCS students and working with the NCVPS teacher.

2. All OCS f2f teachers will need to go through an approximate two hour online training prior to the Spring semester start on January 24, 2011. Teachers will be able to decide when they want to complete the training but all f2f teachers will need to complete this training prior to the start of Spring semester. More details on this will be available on November 15.

3. NCVPS Technical Requirements are posted on the main page. Additional sites for each course will be provided as well through the Course Descriptions also located on the NCVPS main page.

If you have any questions about the NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program, please contact Michelle Lourcey (michelle.lourcey@ncpublicschools.gov) or Jennifer Nobles (jennifer.nobles@ncpublicschools.gov).

LOCK Session Webinars - Upcoming Schedule [E-lert for Oct. 22]

NCVPS LOCK session webinars are typically hosted the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. These sessions are mini-webinars hosted for DLA and DLC knowledge gain and mini-training. The sessions are intended to be an opportunity for statewide DLAs and DLCs to collaborate on various topics that pertain to the responsibilities of the role. The sessions are hosted in the DLA online Wimba Classroom in the Blackboard DLA Spa. The Archive file to this month's session(s) already presented follows the green highlight. The next LOCK scheduled is highlighted in yellow.

TIME: 11:00 AM (unless otherwise specified)

OCT 19 - "NCVPS Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) Panel Discussion" - Presenters: NCVPS C&I staff.

NOV 02 - "Curriculum Guides" - Presenter: Dr. Bryan Setser, NCVPS Executive Director.
NOV 16 - "Curriculum Guide Best Practices" - Presenters: Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS Chief Academic Officer; and Melissa Davis, NCVPS Regional Virtual Learning Consultant.

OCT 12 - "Learn & Earn Online (LEO) Update" - Presenter: Deb Pedersen, NCVPS Director for LEO. ARCHIVED FILE: http://ncvpsclassroom.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=_ncvps_s__4100_1_883357_2010_1012_1105_53

Reminders [E-lert for Oct. 22]

COURSE REGISTRATION

> LEO Spring 2011 Registration - click here for details.

> SAS Computer Programming - new pilot course - click here for details.

> October Health Course (1/2 credit) - click here for details.

DLA & SCHOOL MAINTENANCE

> DLA Contact Information - Be sure to update your contact information in the registration system. Follow this link to see how to update your contact information.

> Central Office Distance Learning Coordinator: Follow this link to watch a short video that shows how to check your district's enrollment, check grades, and enroll and drop students at the school level.

> Summer 2010 Final Grade - click here for eSIS directions.

> Follow this link to the DLA Checklist for Fall 2010.

> Fall 2010 VTINs list here.


DISTRICT INFORMATION

> If your district is enrolling home-schooled students, follow this link to see the new process: http://www.ncvps.org/parentstudent/homeschool/index.html

> For funding formula information, follow this link: http://www.thevlc.org/2010/07/ncvps-funding-formula-why-what-and-how.html

STUDENT SUPPORT

> If your students need tutoring help, be sure to check out our Peer Tutoring Center by following this link.

> Follow this link to the Student Checklist for Fall 2010.

NCVPS Community: E-lert for Oct. 15

Be Empowered

NonVisual Desktop Access: NVDA is an open source screen reader that allows those with visual impairment to enjoy the information and educational possibilities of the Web.

E-lert Subscription

Have you subscribed? If not, you can subscribe at the new e-lert site here. Look for the subscription service at the top of the sidebar. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your subscription. Each notice will have an unsubscribe option, too.

E-learning Success Stories

Submit your stories here: http://tiny.cc/d2oby Please tell us about student success stories and district success stories, such as increased virtual enrollment, fulltime DLA positions, teacher facilitators, and other virtual initiatives that have been started in your district. You may also forward to students and principals to complete!

Professional Networking

Join NCVPS on Facebook. Are you into networking and social media? Come join over 650 other educators here: http://www.facebook.com/ncvps

Follow the virtual learning consultants on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MyVLC

Spring 2011 NCVPS Registration [e-lert for Oct. 15]

Registration for the NCVPS Spring 2011 opened Friday, October 15.

Course Descriptions, Prerequisites, Textbooks, & Tech Requirements
Follow this link to course descriptions, prerequisites, and tech requirements: https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ASUfjGU4wbEIZHJrcXJrbl8zOXMzY3htYmNo&hl=en

Before schools commit to a registration, please assure the student meets any pre-requisite listed with the course description, and the school can also meet the tech and textbook requirements as they may apply.

Registration System User's Guide
Follow this link to the user's guide for the registration system: https://docs.google.com/View?id=dfwwcvfq_1663fhnxccc6

Student Contact Information
Be sure to update the student's email address and phone number when you register if there has been a change.

OCS Courses for Spring 2010 [E-lert for Oct. 15]

The NCVPS OCS Blending Learning courses for the Spring 2011 semester will be available for enrollment on November 15! This exciting and unique program is proving to be a tremendous success for students across North Carolina who are involved in the pilot of these courses. NCVPS is excited to off four courses in the Spring to all OCS students and OCS teachers of North Carolina.

The courses available will be OCS English I, OCS English II, OCS Algebra I, and OCS Biology. Directions will be posted by November 15 on the NCVPS website with more information for schools. Schools who plan on registering students for any of the available courses can begin to prepare for the Spring semester by considering the following:

1. The NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program is a collaborative effort between the NCVPS teacher and the face-to-face (f2f) OCS teacher. Schools who plan on enrolling students need to be able to identify the OCS f2f teacher who will be teaching the OCS students and working with the NCVPS teacher.

2. All OCS f2f teachers will need to go through an approximate two hour online training prior to the Spring semester start on January 24, 2011. Teachers will be able to decide when they want to complete the training but all f2f teachers will need to complete this training prior to the start of Spring semester. More details on this will be available on November 15.

3. NCVPS Technical Requirements are posted on the main page. Additional sites for each course will be provided as well through the Course Descriptions also located on the NCVPS main page.

If you have any questions about the NCVPS OCS Blended Learning program, please contact Michelle Lourcey (michelle.lourcey@ncpublicschools.gov) or Jennifer Nobles (jennifer.nobles@ncpublicschools.gov).

LOCK Session Webinars - Upcoming Schedule [e-lert for Oct.15]

NCVPS LOCK session webinars are typically hosted the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. These sessions are mini-webinars hosted for DLA and DLC knowledge gain and mini-training. The sessions are intended to be an opportunity for statewide DLAs and DLCs to collaborate on various topics that pertain to the responsibilities of the role. The sessions are hosted in the DLA online Wimba Classroom in the Blackboard DLA Spa. The Archive file to this month's session(s) already presented follows the green highlight. The next LOCK scheduled is highlighted in yellow.

TIME: 11:00 AM (unless otherwise specified)

OCT 19 - "NCVPS Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) Panel Discussion" - Presenters: NCVPS C&I staff.

NOV 02 - "Curriculum Guides" - Presenter: Dr. Bryan Setser, NCVPS Executive Director.
NOV 16 - "Curriculum Guide Best Practices" - Presenters: Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS Chief Academic Officer; and Melissa Davis, NCVPS Regional Virtual Learning Consultant.

OCT 12 - "Learn & Earn Online (LEO) Update" - Presenter: Deb Pedersen, NCVPS Director for LEO. ARCHIVED FILE: http://ncvpsclassroom.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=_ncvps_s__4100_1_883357_2010_1012_1105_53

NCVPS Teacher Information (VTIN) for eSIS input [e-lert for Oct. 15]

Most have already provided NCVPS Teacher information to school Data Managers (DMs) for their input into eSIS. If you have not provided this information to DMs already, please expedite. The updated "VTIN" file is available for your review and is posted in the DLA Spa, last tab, "NC WISE Teacher Info". There are two documents that contain teacher information:

1) "VTIN - Summer-Fall, 2010" - This document contains teacher information on all teachers contracted with NCVPS (which includes all courses except Macro/Micro Econ, & German).
2) "External Teachers - 2009-2010" - This document contains teacher information for the only two NCVPS external affiliations, Florida Virtual (Macro/Micro Econ), and Oklahoma State University (German).

REF item #1 above - The VTINs (bogus SSNs) are eventually converted to actual SSNs (per requirement for SAR). The conversion is done via a file coordinated between NCVPS and NC WISE at NCDPI.

REF item #2 - Once the VTIN (bogus SSN) and "experience code" listed is recorded in eSIS, it's coding automatically flags the system these are external providers, and therefore, no actual SSN is required.

Financial Business Services at NCDPI uses the data submitted during fall semester for the SAR (Student Activity Report). Teacher information keyed into eSIS for the spring semester is necessary for updated PMRs (Principal's Monthly Reports) throughout the duration of the school year.

Reminders [E-lert for Oct. 15]

COURSE REGISTRATION

> LEO Spring 2011 Registration - click here for details.

> SAS Computer Programming - new pilot course - click here for details.

> October Health Course (1/2 credit) - click here for details.

DLA & SCHOOL MAINTENANCE

> DLA Contact Information - Be sure to update your contact information in the registration system. Follow this link to see how to update your contact information.

> Central Office Distance Learning Coordinator: Follow this link to watch a short video that shows how to check your district's enrollment, check grades, and enroll and drop students at the school level.

> Summer 2010 Final Grade - click here for eSIS directions.

> Follow this link to the DLA Checklist for Fall 2010.

> Fall 2010 VTINs list here.


DISTRICT INFORMATION

> If your district is enrolling home-schooled students, follow this link to see the new process: http://www.ncvps.org/parentstudent/homeschool/index.html

> For funding formula information, follow this link: http://www.thevlc.org/2010/07/ncvps-funding-formula-why-what-and-how.html

STUDENT SUPPORT

> If your students need tutoring help, be sure to check out our Peer Tutoring Center by following this link.

> Follow this link to the Student Checklist for Fall 2010.

NCVPS Community: e-lert for Oct. 7

Be Empowered
SimplyWeb 2000: This speech enabled Web browser has many features that allow those with vision impairment to easily and readily access information on the Web.

E-lert Subscription

Have you subscribed? If not, you can subscribe at the new e-lert site here. Look for the subscription service at the top of the sidebar. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your subscription. Each notice will have an unsubscribe option, too.

E-learning Success Stories

Submit your stories here: http://tiny.cc/d2oby Please tell us about student success stories and district success stories, such as increased virtual enrollment, fulltime DLA positions, teacher facilitators, and other virtual initiatives that have been started in your district. You may also forward to students and principals to complete!

Professional Networking

Join NCVPS on Facebook. Are you into networking and social media? Come join over 650 other educators here: http://www.facebook.com/ncvps

Follow the virtual learning consultants on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MyVLC

Spring 2011 NCVPS Registration [e-lert for Oct. 7]

Registration for the NCVPS Spring semester is anticipated to be open mid to late October. Once a specific date is determined, notification will be posted to DLCs and DLAs. Updates will also be posted in the next e-Lert.

The spring, 2011 course catalog was posted this week. http://www.ncvps.org/courses/catalogue/ Please make students aware so they can review and make their choice of course to enroll early in advance. NOTE: Upon clicking on a course description, you will note that course descriptions have been combined wtih textbook and tech requirements.

SAS Programming Course to be Offered (Limited Seats) [e-lert for Oct. 7]

NCVPS and SAS Institute are partnering to offer high school students a course in SAS Computer Programming. The prerequisites for the course are Algebra I and at least 1 programming course such as Visual Basic, C++, Java or Python.

Here is a brochure with more information on the course(s).

SAS Programming

For more information, please contact Karen Creech at karen.creech@ncpublicschools.gov.

LEO SPRING REGISTRATION-OCTOBER!! [e-lert for Oct. 7]

Reminder: LEO courses are free. Textbooks, tuition, and other fees are funded by Learn and Earn Online. Changes were made to courses qualifying for LEO (science, technology, & math) but funding was not impacted for the 2010-2011 academic year.

iSchool registration opens on October 18 for students whose classes were cancelled this fall. iSchool will be in touch with you. A math placement test will be required for iSchool math courses. If you have not enrolled students in iSchool courses before, visit the web site now for information about the process, http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/web/ischool

Registration for all iSchool students will open Oct. 21. A list of iSchool courses can be accessed at, http://tinyurl.com/25kk63p

Oct 21 is also the date for Community College spring registration, contact your LEO collaborating Community College for more information about spring courses, or check out the website for the entire NC Community College System LEO offerings, http://vlc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/learnEarn/index.html

All LEO courses must be science, technology, or math.

Please contact me with any LEO questions, Deborah Pedersen, deborah.pedersen@ncpublicschools.gov

9 Week Health Course Being Offered by NCVPS [e-lert for Oct. 7]

NCVPS will be offering a 9 week health course to supplement your Health/PE program. Here are some of the advantages to this new offering:

Advantages for 9 week long health:

-Scheduling PE with a community college allows schools to enroll students in Health for 9 weeks and PE off campus. This leaves the on-site PE and Health teachers with smaller ratios which should enhance instruction.

-This option may be especially attractive to upperclassmen many of which would rather not take classes with freshmen.

-2 sessions per semester

- With 2 sessions per semester, a school could enroll all of their PE students in a health class online; half in the first nine weeks of the semester and half in the second nine weeks. This gives the school the option of putting an assistant in the lab with the health students and allowing the PE teachers to all split the PE students that are left. This will effectively cut ratios in the gym in half, providing for better quality PE instruction. After the nine weeks ends, the health students can go to PE with the PE teachers and the PE students can go to the lab for health.

If you have additional questions, please contact Karen Creech and karen.creech@ncpublicschools.gov.

Week 6 Progress Reports & Early Calendar Mid-term [e-lert for Oct. 6]

Progress Reports were posted Wednesday, October 6 on the Traditional Schedule, and mid-term reporting for the Early Calendar schedule. Progress reports are posted in each school's NCVPS Registration System account, REPORTS tab.

NCVPS teachers are making efforts to contact students weekly to discuss their progress. DLAs and facilitators, please strive to do the same to assist keeping students on task. Communciate with the teachers especially concerning students at risk of failling. DLCs, please promote support plans with the goal for each NCVPS student to be followed up with each week (as some are able to do so daily).

LOCK Session Webinars - Upcoming Schedule [e-lert for Oct. 7]

NCVPS LOCK session webinars are typically hosted the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. These sessions are mini-webinars hosted for DLA and DLC knowledge gain and mini-training. The sessions are intended to be an opportunity for statewide DLAs and DLCs to collaborate on various topics that pertain to the role's responsibilities. The sessions are hosted in the DLA online Wimba Classroom in the Blackboard DLA Spa.

TIME: 11:00 AM unless otherwise specified.

OCT 12 - "Learn & Earn Online (LEO) Update" - Presenter: Deb Pedersen, NCVPS Director for LEO.
OCT 19 - "NCVPS Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) Panel Discussion" - Presenters: NCVPS C&I staff.

NOV 02 - "Curriculum Guides" - Presenter: Dr. Bryan Setser, NCVPS Executive Director.
NOV 16 - "Curriculum Guide Best Practices" - Presenters: Dr. Tracy Weeks, NCVPS Chief Academic Officer; and Melissa Davis, NCVPS Regional Virtual Learning Consultant.

NCVPS Teacher Information (VTIN) for eSIS input [e-lert for Oct. 7]

Most have already provided NCVPS Teacher information to school Data Managers (DMs) for their input into eSIS. If you have not provided this information to DMs already, please expedite. The updated "VTIN" file is available for your review and is posted in the DLA Spa, last tab, "NC WISE Teacher Info". There are two documents that contain teacher information:

1) "VTIN - Summer-Fall, 2010" - This document contains teacher information on all teachers contracted with NCVPS (which includes all courses except Macro/Micro Econ, & German).

2) "External Teachers - 2009-2010" - This document contains teacher information for the only two NCVPS external affiliations, Florida Virtual (Macro/Micro Econ), and Oklahoma State University (German).

REF item #1 above - The VTINs (bogus SSNs) are eventually converted to actual SSNs (per requirement for SAR). The conversion is done via a file coordinated between the CTO of NCVPS and NC WISE at DPI.

REF item #2 - Once the VTIN (bogus SSN) and "experience code" listed is recorded in eSIS, it's coding automatically flags the system these are external providers, and therefore, no actual SSN is required.

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Summer Semester Grades [e-lert for Oct. 7]

If your school had students enrolled in NCVPS courses the summer semester, be sure the grades get recorded on the student's transcript. This process needs to be done during this semester since schools do not open a summer semester in eSIS.

Middle Schools - if you enrolled students in NCVPS summer courses and the student has moved to high school, please coordinate getting the grade(s) forwarded to the student's assigned high school.

Reminders [e-lert for Oct. 7]

1) If your students need tutoring help, be sure to check out our Peer Tutoring Center by following this link.

2) Be sure to update your contact information in the registration system. Follow this link to see how to update your contact information.

3) Central Office Distance Learning Coordinator: Follow this link to watch a short video that shows how to check your district's enrollment, check grades, and enroll and drop students at the school level.

4) Follow this link to the Student Checklist for Fall 2010.

5) Follow this link to the DLA Checklist for Fall 2010.

6) Fall 2010 VTINs list here.

7) If your district is enrolling home-schooled students, follow this link to see the new process: http://www.ncvps.org/parentstudent/homeschool/index.html

8) For funding formula information, follow this link: http://www.thevlc.org/2010/07/ncvps-funding-formula-why-what-and-how.html