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See below for answers to frequently asked questions regarding Kolbe’s self-paced courses.
What is included in the Self-Paced course?
Kolbe Academy’s Self-Paced courses are a blend of our home school course plans and Kolbe’s live online classes. The student accesses weekly folders on Schoology which contain each week’s readings and video lectures and may also include extraneous material, such as auto-graded quizzes and additional practice assignments. The student works independently at a pace determined by the Primary Educator, usually a parent. The student has one year from the stated start date to complete the course. If an extension is needed, please contact the student’s advisor. We offer two options: Self-Paced (SP), and Self-Paced Plus (SP+).
What is the difference between a Self-Paced course and a Home School course?
Kolbe’s Self-Paced courses, like Kolbe Home School courses, are moderated by the Primary Educator, usually a parent. While the student has access to video lectures and other resources in the weekly folders on Schoology, the Primary Educator is responsible for determining the student’s final grade and submitting that, along with samples, to the student’s advisor.
Self-Paced (SP) courses include extra resources, including class video recordings, additional assignments, which may or may not be submitted as samples, auto-graded quizzes, and other extraneous documents and items that are not included with Kolbe’s Home School course plans. You may opt to have your child complete these additional assignments, but please note that they are to be submitted to, and graded by, the Primary Educator and they are not required to be completed. Kolbe provides the Primary Educator with the tools necessary to evaluate these assignments in the form of course plans and answer keys, which include example subjective responses to short answer questions and essay prompts.
Self-Paced Plus (SP+) courses contain all the above, along with a designated Kolbe teacher who assists students in the mastery of course content and facilitates the
successful completion of the course. Each SP+ course has an asynchronous teacher who is experienced in the relevant field of study and is dedicated to student growth through evaluating assignments, like essays and exams, and by giving personalized feedback. Teachers are available to students through both email and office hours to answer course content questions and give guidance when needed. Please note that the assignments submitted to the teacher are not required to be completed. Self-Paced Plus includes the additional features:
- Students and teachers interact directly through email and office hours
- Teachers check and respond to email once daily M-F (excluding breaks and holidays)
- Teachers return graded submissions within one week
- Teachers give the student valuable feedback on both areas where the student has exceled as well as areas for improvement
- Students may interact with other students through discussion boards on Schoology when a discussion topic is offered and moderated by the teacher
How are the Self-Paced courses formatted?
Course content is organized into weekly folders on Schoology in accordance with the homeschool course plans. All readings and assignments, including instructions for that week, are listed in the weekly folders as well. For SP+, students submit work to the assignments in the weekly folders and receive their feedback and grades on their documents. While those grades are suggested by the teacher, the Primary Educator may or may not use them when submitting grades and samples to Kolbe.
What is the Primary Educator's role in a Self-Paced course?
The Primary Educator moderates the SP/SP+ course for the student in that they determine the final grade, the overall grade weighting, the supplemental assignments (when applicable), and the samples that will be submitted to the advisor for verification and record-keeping. The student and Primary Educator decide on the timeframe and goals for completion of the course and the Primary Educator enforces these goals. In a SP+ course, the student may also consult the teacher for guidance in this area.
Where can the Primary Educator find course plans and answer keys?
The Primary Educator can locate the course plans and answer keys in the parent portal on Powerschool. If you need assistance finding this, please consult the SP/SP+ Orientation recording located on every SP/SP+ course page on Schoology. This Orientation is also linked in the Welcome Email sent upon enrolling. There are also PDF guides on the homepage of the Powerschool log in to assist you in locating the digital course plans.
How does my student turn in completed work?
SP students turn in work to the Primary Educator, usually a parent, who grades assignments. The Primary Educator then may submit a grade report to Kolbe Academy for credit. SP+ students submit work to the pre-selected assignments in the weekly folders on Schoology, which enable the teacher to give feedback and a grade. The Primary Educator may or may not use these grades when submitting to Kolbe. All other work assigned each week should be submitted to the Primary Educator (when applicable).
Can I go back and re-watch a recorded lecture?
Yes. Self-paced videos do not have a limit to the amount of times they can be viewed.
May I contact the teacher who is featured in the recordings?
For students in regular Self-Paced courses, all questions or concerns regarding courses (excluding technical questions) should be addressed to [email protected]. If you would like your child to be in a course led by a teacher, you should consider enrolling in a Self-Paced Plus course or the equivalent Online Course offered by Kolbe Academy.
Self-Paced Plus students have access to their teachers via email, discussion boards on Schoology, and office hours.
Which assignments will the instructor grade for Self-Paced Plus?
Assignments have been pre-selected by a qualified Kolbe teacher, and may include regular course assignments, quizzes, paper topics, and tests. Junior high courses offer 8 – 10 graded assignments and high school courses offer 12 – 15 graded assignments. This is in addition to any auto-graded assignments on Schoology, like weekly quizzes.
Do I still need to submit work samples when reporting grades for the Self-Paced and Self-Paced Plus courses?
To report Self-Paced course grades, please see our grade reporting articles for more information. We suggest starting with reviewing the "Grade Report Submission Overview" and the "Grade Reporting Guide" for your student's grade level to get started!
There are two options to report a Self-Paced Plus course grade. Your first step is to locate the "Grade Reporting" folder in your student's Self-Paced Plus course(s) in Schoology (see image below for an example). Complete the assessments in this folder after the corresponding Semester has ended. The assessment will give two options:
- The asynchronous teacher can submit the final semester grade as it appears in the Schoology grade book. In this case, there is no need for the parent to submit anything to their advisor.
- Or, the asynchronous teacher will not submit anything. In this case, the parent or primary educator is responsible for submitting all samples and the grade submission form for this course.
The primary educator will indicate in the assessment which option they prefer. When selecting the first option, the primary educator does not have to submit the course in the grade portfolio. When selecting the second option, the primary educator will need to submit the course's final grade on the grade submission form, if they desire, for the course to be reflected on the student's grade report.
For students taking high school Self-Paced Plus courses and have selected the asynchronous teacher to submit the grade, please ensure the following each semester:
- To earn credit with no designation: any 2 assignments need to be submitted for Self-Paced Plus grading.
- To earn the K designation: 4 papers, midterm and final exam are required to be submitted for Self-Paced Plus grading.
- To earn the H designation: 8 papers and 2 exams are required to be submitted for Self-Paced Plus grading.
Note: "The primary educator will need to be logged into the student's Schoology account to complete these assignments."
Who do I contact if I have technical issues?
Email [email protected].
