Create an online course selection sheet (requiring Parent signature).
Assist with enrollment. Ensure the course meets graduation requirements and NCAA, if applicable. See Search for Courses in the SLP or search in Courses for Students. Click on an applicable title to see course details and view syllabus and alignment documents.
Ensure that parents are informed about their child’s online learning experience, so they know what to expect and how they can best support. Consider sending a letter to guardians and students, introducing them to online learning with Michigan Virtual, including any local program expectations and requirements.
Create a syllabus to hand out to students so they know your local expectations of them.
Get classroom/lab setup (if applicable). Create a learning environment that is welcoming, supportive, and flexible.
Set up a plan for how you will regularly communicate with your online students, guardians, and other school staff. Consider utilizing local systems, setting up a Google Classroom, or use school-approved communication apps like Remind.
If your school restricts web traffic and will need a list of external websites that should be added to a “safe list” to ensure Michigan Virtual students can access all needed course websites, follow the guidance in the article, Michigan Virtual Course Allow List or reach out to Customer Care.
Prepare early for Count Day! Always check with your administration and auditor to see what they expect from you for pupil accounting purposes for your students enrolled in virtual courses. Pupil Accounting Reference Information:
If your school restricts web traffic and will need a list of external websites that should be added to a “safe list” to ensure Michigan Virtual students can access all needed course websites, follow the guidance in the article, Michigan Virtual Course Allow List or reach out to Customer Care.
Guide students to the Student Learning Portal (SLP) to sign into their course. They should have received an email with their login information. If needed, they can select the “Forgot your Login and/or Password” link.
For students enrolled in AP or Plus (flex-paced) courses in the Brightspace learning management system:
Direct students to begin the Complete Student Orientation right away, which is required to be completed once per school year. Encourage students to take notes, as they must earn 100% on the assessment before their full course content will become available.
We suggest that mentors also print out individual pacing schedules for easy reference throughout the term.
For students enrolled in Essentials credit recoverycourses in the Buzz learning management system:
See Navigating Essentials Courses, to learn how to help these students get started. Note that Essentials students are not required to complete a Student Orientation.
Send guardian(s) a letter or email explaining their student’s online course and expectations. Remind guardian(s) that they also have a login for the SLP. Include the Guardian Quick Start Guide.
Encourage students to review the welcome letter from their instructor, the Teacher Feed, and the Teacher contact information located in Brightspace.
Guide students to check their SLP Messages daily. Instructors, students and mentors are encouraged to use this internal, direct communication system.
Discuss netiquette when sending messages and participating in discussion board activities as well as plagiarism, grammar, and spelling.
Log into the Student Learning Portal daily to check on student progress, and login information, and to review messages. (Note: If you are an Affiliation User and a Mentor, you must be on the Mentor drop-downto view messages.)
Review the Welcome Letters that instructors email you. It’s best to print and store or make a folder in your email to refer back to for instructor contact info.
Locate your students’ Course Start and End Dates. Write the dates on the board or post-start and end dates within your local communication.
Establish and communicate clear expectations and guidelines with your students. Building relationships is key!
There are progress checks at the end of each unit. This is a good way to see if students are understanding the material.
If in a lab setting, seat students together who are taking the same course. This is great for collaboration.
Communicate with the online teacher on a regular basis regarding student progress.
Are you ready for Count Day? Make sure you have checked with your administration + auditor to see what they expect from you for pupil accounting purposes.
Check to learn which students have an IEP or a 504. Upload the necessary documents in the SLP. Michigan Virtual will let you know what accommodations they can provide.
If you don’t meet your students in person every day, consider using Google Classroom and Google Meet or another online tool to communicate with them and do weekly check-ins.
On a monthly basis, Michigan Virtual instructors will send a progress report to you, the student, and guardian on file. To help answer questions you may receive, see Progress Reports Explained.
Always feel free to contact the Mentor Support Manager, Andrea Kistler, at akistler@michiganvirtual.org or call or text 517-664-5470. You can also contact Customer Care at Michigan Virtual at 888-889-2840.
Middle of Term
Meet one-on-one with each student, at least weekly, if possible, to review their personalized Pacing Schedule, course progress, and grades, providing consistent accountability.
Eligibility rules normally apply to online students (this helps keep students accountable). You can use the new Grade-to-Date score in the SLP gradebook to report athletic eligibility.
Will any of your students need to end their course earlier than the published SLP end date, including seniors during the second semester? The local mentor must plan and manage this process. Note that Michigan Virtual instructors no longer track senior end dates and are not involved in the early end date process. Review our Early End Date Requirements and Expectations.
If supported by your local school, consider whether incentives would make sense for your situation and students, such as earning the right to work in the library or off-site if grades are above a certain percentage (optional).
Send an email to the guardian(s) letting them know their student is halfway through their online course. Remind them to review their student’s pacing guide.
Prepare for exams:
Look on the pacing schedule or in the course gradebook to determine which courses contain a midterm or final exam.
Exams are password protected and it is the Mentor’s responsibility to distribute exam passwords to their students. Mentors: Locate Exam Passwords
We suggest that all student tests and exams be proctored by their mentor.
Start a spreadsheet of final exam passwords for easy access. This helps if you have several students.
If you directed any of your students to complete their course earlier than the published SLP end date, including seniors, you will need to monitor the process and reach out to instructors requesting grade finalization once you have verified that all submitted work has been graded and the learning management system and Student Learning Portal gradebooks have synced. See Early End Date Requirements and Expectations for detail. Reach out to Andrea Kistler for assistance with the Early End Process.
Print the “Completed Gradebook Report” to view final grades. This list will populate as the instructors finalize grades. Refer to this knowledge base article to learn how to Locate a Student’s Final Grade.
Get an early start and sign up students for summer and/or fall courses!