G AV S T E AC H E R P O L I C I E S AN D

E X P E C T AT I O N S

FY18-19
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Georgia Virtual Learning Mission, Vision, and Core Values ............................................................... 4

Mission .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Vision ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Core Values........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Georgia Virtual Employee Handbook 2018-2019 .................................................................................. 5
Working hours Expectations ............................................................................................................................6
Annual Performance Evaluations – Staff........................................................................................................6
Communication Devices ..................................................................................................................................6
Social Media .....................................................................................................................................................6
Employment of Relatives .................................................................................................................................6

Instruction Department Organization .................................................................................................... 6

Instruction Administration ................................................................................................................................. 7
Instruction Team Contact Information ............................................................................................................. 7
Instructional Lead Teacher Contact Information ............................................................................................ 9
Description of Duties............................................................................................................................... 10
Instructional Lead Teacher Description of Duties .......................................................................................... 10
Instructor Description of Duties ....................................................................................................................... 11
Instructor Descriptions ........................................................................................................................... 11
Full-Time Instructor .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Preferred Adjunct Instructor ........................................................................................................................... 12
Adjunct Instructor ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Teacher Quality ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Teacher Quality Organization .......................................................................................................................... 13
Teacher Quality and Contact Info ................................................................................................................... 13
Quality Assurance Specialists (QAS) .............................................................................................................. 14
GaVS Mentoring Team ................................................................................................................................... 15
Innovative Teaching Specialists ...................................................................................................................... 16
Georgia Learns ................................................................................................................................................... 16

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 The Hiring Process .......................................................................................................................................... 17
New Instructor Preparation Course (NIPC)..................................................................................................... 19
Teaching Online Practicum (TOP) ...............................................................................................................................19
GaVS Instructor ............................................................................................................................................................20
GaVS Mentoring ...........................................................................................................................................................20
Teacher Observations ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Teacher support ...................................................................................................................................... 21
Professional Development ...................................................................................................................... 21
Professional Learning Requirements SY 18-19 .............................................................................................. 21
Professional Learning Symposium ................................................................................................................... 22
Faculty Meetings ................................................................................................................................................ 22
Master Teacher Program ....................................................................................................................... 22
Master Teacher Requirements and Description............................................................................................... 22
School Procedures ................................................................................................................................... 23
The First Weeks of School ................................................................................................................................. 23
Teaching Assignments ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Course Set Up .................................................................................................................................................. 23
Reasons for NOT Restricting Content and Quizzes .....................................................................................................23
Initial Course Check ........................................................................................................................................ 25
School Policies ......................................................................................................................................... 25
General Rules ..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Best Practices for Grading After the Due Date ............................................................................................... 26
Quiz Time Limit Guidelines .............................................................................................................................. 27
Communication Tools and Guidelines ............................................................................................................. 28
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) ................................................................................................. 28
Communication ............................................................................................................................................... 29
FERPA ............................................................................................................................................................. 30
Special Needs ...................................................................................................................................................... 31
Performance Reports ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Synchronous Learning....................................................................................................................................... 33
Synchronous Learning Position Statement ...................................................................................................... 34
Synchronous Learning Policies ....................................................................................................................... 34
Late Work ........................................................................................................................................................... 35
Switching to a shorter session/schedule .......................................................................................................... 35
Fall and Spring Semesters ............................................................................................................................... 35
Fall and Spring late work policy examples: ..................................................................................................................36
Summer Semester ............................................................................................................................................ 36
Summer late work policy examples: .............................................................................................................................37
Wrong file format/unreadable file .................................................................................................................... 37
Suspension .......................................................................................................................................................... 38
School Break/Holidays and School Related Events Policy ............................................................................. 38
Medical Notes/Extension Requests ................................................................................................................... 38
Process for Submitting Extension Request Form and Documentation............................................................ 39
Student Bereavement Policy ............................................................................................................................ 40
Transfer Student Policy ..................................................................................................................................... 40

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 Students: Schedules, Advisement, and Eligibility .......................................................................................... 41
Students Who Get Behind or Switch Schedules .............................................................................................. 41
School Break Policy ........................................................................................................................................ 42
Advising Course Changes ............................................................................................................................... 42
Student Eligibility ............................................................................................................................................ 42
Working Ahead................................................................................................................................................ 43
Code of Conduct ................................................................................................................................................. 44
Plagiarism/Cheating......................................................................................................................................... 44
Student Code of Conduct ................................................................................................................................. 44
Multiple Quiz Attempts ..................................................................................................................................... 49
Special Needs Students With Test Retake Accommodations ......................................................................... 50
Best Practices for multiple quiz attempts - Remediation ................................................................................ 50
Test/Testing Issues .......................................................................................................................................... 52
Remediation/Mastery Guidelines ..................................................................................................................... 52
Remediation/Mastery FAQ.............................................................................................................................. 54
Student Distress.................................................................................................................................................. 57
Child Abuse/Neglect........................................................................................................................................ 57
Suicide/Depression/Harmful Intent ................................................................................................................. 58
Course corrections/Enhancements ................................................................................................................... 59
Registration and Roster Verification ............................................................................................................... 59
Social Media ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
Field Trips & Guest Speakers ........................................................................................................................... 59
Assessments and End of Semester Extensions................................................................................................. 60
Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC) Assessments................................................................................. 60
Final Exams ..................................................................................................................................................... 62
Proctoring ......................................................................................................................................................................62
Submitting Work Prior to Final Exam ..........................................................................................................................62
Contacting Non-Completers .........................................................................................................................................62
Early Release of Final Exams .......................................................................................................................... 62
Extensions on Time to Complete the Course .................................................................................................. 64
Senior Final Exams .......................................................................................................................................... 64
End of Semester.................................................................................................................................................. 64
Dropping Grades.............................................................................................................................................. 65
Entering Final Grades ...................................................................................................................................... 65
School grade reporting..................................................................................................................................... 65
Information Requests: Grades ........................................................................................................................ 65
Information Requests: Release Final Exam/Tests .......................................................................................... 66
Brightspace Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................ 66
Student Awards .................................................................................................................................................. 66
Human Resources ................................................................................................................................... 66
Full-time employment at a Georgia public school .......................................................................................... 66
Full-Time Instructor Paid Time Off Policy ..................................................................................................... 67
Process for submitting Vacation/leave Request: ............................................................................................. 67
Substitute Teacher Policy .................................................................................................................................. 68
Substitute Policy and Responsibiliites – Two Days ........................................................................................ 68
Substitute policy and responsibilities - Three or More School Days .............................................................. 68
Less than part-time Staff Compensation/Reduction Rate for substitute teacher ............................................. 69

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 Salaried Employee Non-Instructional Days .................................................................................................... 70
Notification requirements when unable to complete teaching assignments ................................................. 70
Teacher liability ................................................................................................................................................. 71
Georgia Employee Self-Service ......................................................................................................................... 71
Adjunct Instructor Invoice/payment Schedule ............................................................................................... 72
Team Work Travel Expense System ................................................................................................................ 72
How do I obtain my Vendor ID? ..................................................................................................................... 72
How do I request access to the TTE system? .................................................................................................. 73
What link is used to access the TTE system? .................................................................................................. 73
Support/Reference Materials ........................................................................................................................... 74
Georgia Liability Insurance Identification Card ............................................................................................ 74

GEORGIA VIRTUAL LEAR NING MISSION, VISION, AND CORE

VALUES

(Updated October 2017)

MISSION

Everywhere Learning. Anytime. Providing options and opportunities throughout Georgia.

VISION

Georgia's trusted partner for innovative, student-centered, digital learning experiences. Today
and tomorrow…

CORE VALUES

Quality

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 GaVS employs an innovative online faculty and staff, delivers comprehensive, standards-
based curriculum, and measures student success with unwavering commitment to
excellence and service.

Innovation

GaVS seeks out evolutionary practices and transformative educational methods, making
data-informed decisions to positively impact teaching and learning.

Flexibility

GaVS offers a student-centered environment that recognizes the diversity of each learner
through options in scheduling, location, course offerings, and differentiated content.

Opportunity

GaVS provides exceptional opportunities with talented teachers who focus on providing an
individualized experience, encouraging students to become life-long learners.

Safety

GaVS affords every student equal access to a positive, secure learning environment in
which all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, ensuring they have a voice.

GEORGIA VIRTUAL EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK 2018-2019

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Reference the Georgia Virtual Employee Handbook to review policies related to the following:

WORKING HOURS EXPECTATIONS

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS – STAFF
COMMUNICATION DEVICES
SOCIAL MEDIA
EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES

INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION

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 INSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION

Advanced Placement

Joyce McKay, Assistant

Supervisor of Instruction

Social Studies

Asherrie Yisrael, Assistant

Language Arts
Supervisor of Instruction

David Alexander,
Assistant Supervisor of Science
Instruction

Erin Hill, Supervisor of

Instruction Desire2Learn Teacher
Support
Mary Ellen Krueck,
Assistant Supervisor of
Instruction
World Languages

Marilynn Skinner,
Assistant Supervisor of CTAE/Electives
Instruction

Dana Bauries, Assistant

Mathematics
Supervisor of Instruction

INSTRUCTION TEAM CON TACT INFORMATION

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 Administrator Email Address Phone Department

Erin Hill Erin.Hill@gavirtualschool.org 404-323-6758 Supervisor of Instruction

Asherrie Yisrael Asherrie.yisrael@gavirtualschool.org 404-938-7266 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction - Language
Arts

Dana Bauries Dana.bauries@gavirtualschool.org 470-259-5760 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction - Mathematics

David Alexander David.alexander@gavirtualschool.org 404-903-4854 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction – Science

Joyce McKay Joyce.McKay@gavirtualschool.org 404-617-6056 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction - Advanced
Placement and Social
Studies

Marilynn Skinner Marilyn.skinner@gavirtualschool.org 470-426-7148 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction –
CTAE/Electives

Mary Ellen Krueck MaryEllen.krueck@gavirtualschool.org 404-291-0611 Assistant Supervisor of

Instruction - World
Languages

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 INSTRUCTIONAL LEAD TEACHER CONTACT INFOR MATION

Instructional Phone
Email Address Department
Lead Teacher

Allene Bagwell Allene.bagwell@gavirtualschool.org 678-662-7799 CTAE/Electives Instructional

Lead Teacher

Valerie Bentley valerie.bentley@gavirtualschool.org 404-480-2523 CTAE/Electives Instructional

Lead Teacher

Colleen Scopano Colleen.Scopano@gavirtualschool.org 404-583-8547 Language Arts Instructional

Lead Teacher

Alice Johnson Alice.johnson@gavirtualschool.org 678-713-4463 Mathematics Instructional Lead

Teacher

Stephanie stephanie.arrington@gavirtualschool.org 678-856-6284 Mathematics Instructional Lead

Arrington Teacher

Caroline Roberts caroline.roberts@gavirtualschool.org 404-480-2606 Science Instructional Lead

Teacher

Mark Matthews Mark.matthews1@gavirtualschool.org 678-561-5642 Science Instructional Lead

Teacher

Bobby Walker Robert.walker@gavirtualschool.org 770-580-4321 Social Studies Instructional

Lead Teacher

Alaina Musick alaina.musick@gavirtualschool.org 601-467-7332 Social Studies Instructional

Lead Teacher

Carlos Fernandez carlos.fernandez@gavirtualschool.org 770-376-0267 World Language Instructional

Lead Teacher – Spanish and
American Sign Language

Michael Farmer michael.farmer@gavirtualschool.org 229-585-0233 World Language Instructional

Lead Teacher – French and
German

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Kumiko Herndon Kumiko.herndon@gavirtualschool.org 386-288-2886 World Language Instructional
Lead Teacher – Chinese,
Japanese, and Latin

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

INSTRUCTIONAL LEAD TEACHER DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Instructional Lead Teacher reports to the Assistant Supervisor of Instruction. The
Instructional Lead Teacher is responsible for:

• the direct supervision of a team of instructors, both salaried and adjunct employees.

• managing student discipline directly as well as stakeholder concerns.

• providing support for teachers in assigned content areas, best practices in online
instruction, parent/facilitator/student issues, and in use of the learning management
system.

• working closely with the Quality Assurance Specialist and mentors to monitor and
support teachers.

• conducting classroom walkthroughs for teachers identified during the observation

process as having areas of deficiencies.

• collaborating with the Assistant Supervisor of Instruction to create the master

semesterly schedule.

• conducting an initial course check for all courses assigned to teachers he/she
supervises.

• leading weekly Instructional Lead Teacher meetings.

• attending monthly faculty meetings and quarterly instruction meetings.

• providing input regarding the needs for curriculum development within the assigned
department.

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 • completing tasks required to execute the day to day operations of the school, such as
creating weekly news announcements, a weekly email, hosting and/or creating
presentations for the weekly agenda for the Instructional Lead Teacher meeting.

INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

An instructor reports to the Instructional Lead Teacher. An instructor is required to possess a

valid, Georgia teaching certificate with certifications appropriate to teach the assigned
course(s). An instructor is responsible for:

• the direct supervision of his/her classroom(s)

• the setup and maintenance of his/her classroom(s)

• communicating with stakeholders

• attending monthly faculty meetings and other required professional learning

opportunities

• following policies and completing tasks required to execute the day to day operations of
the school

• An instructor can have additional duties such as development projects, mentorship, and
minor administrative duties as assigned.

INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTIONS

There are three employee classifications for teachers: full-time, preferred adjunct, and adjunct.
A description of each follows below. For more information on employee benefits, procedures,
and policies, see the employee handbook.

FULL-TIME INSTRUCTOR

• Full-time, 12 month employee according to school calendar. Teachers have a full-

time workload each semester plus other duties as assigned between semesters.

▪ FY18-19 GaVS school calendar

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 • Teaching and other duties should be equivalent to 450 segments per year.
• Accrues sick days and vacation days. See substitute policy for more details.
• Paid semi-monthly with benefits.
• Available for work 8-4 on work days and additionally as needed

PREFERRED ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR

NOTE: This applies to GAVS instructors who held part-time salaried positions as of May 31,
2018. No additional preferred adjunct positions will be added.
• Paid $130 per ½ Carnegie Unit, high school course
• Paid $155 per ½ AP Carnegie Unit, high school course
• Additional $15 per ½ unit for Master Teachers
• Will teach up to 93 segments per semester
• Does not accrue sick or vacation days, but leave forms must be submitted for work
days when unable to perform duties. See substitute policy for more details.

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR

• Paid $130 per ½ Carnegie Unit, high school course

• Paid $155 per ½ AP Carnegie Unit, high school course
• Additional $15 per ½ unit for Master Teachers
• Generally, will not teach more than 70 segments per semester
• Does not accrue sick or vacation days, but leave forms must be submitted for work
days when unable to perform duties. See substitute policy for more details.

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 TEACHER QUALITY

TEACHER QUALITY ORGANIZATION

Visit the Teacher Quality Site for more information.

TEACHER QUALITY AND CONTACT INFO

Teacher Quality Title Email address

Rich Copeland Supervisor of Teacher Quality Richard.copeland@gavirtualschool.org

Carrie Madden Teacher Training Specialist Carrie.madden@gavirtualschool.org

Joyce Bearden Professional Learning Joyce.bearden@gavirtualschool.org

Specialist- GaLearns

Sarah Norman Lead Mentor Sarah.norman@gavirtualschool.org

Whitney Rhodes Lead Innovative Teaching Whitney.rhodes@gavirtualschool.org

Specialist

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 QUALITY ASSURANCE SPECIALISTS (QAS)

The Quality Assurance Specialists are evaluation professionals and their role is to assist all
teachers to improve their instruction.

Quality Assurance Specialists Email Address

Allison Goggans allison.goggans@gavirtualschool.org

April Nix april.nix@gavirtualschool.org

LaTonya Richards latonya.richards@gavirtualschool.org

Sandra Martinaitis san.martinaitis@gavirtualschool.org

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 GAVS MENTORING TEAM

Mentoring Job Description

18-19 Mentors Email Address Department

Sarah Norman sarah.norman@gavirtualschool.org Math – Lead Mentor

Bettina Linden Bettina.linden@gavirtualschool.org World Languages

Doug Curtright doug.curtright@gavirtualschool.org Science

Edward Averett Edward.averett@gavirtualschool.org World Languages

Kathleen Batten Kathleen.batten@gavirtualschool.org Mathematics

Jeana Worley jeana.worley@gavirtualschool.org Science

Shane Miller shane.miller@gavirtualschool.org Social Studies

Jennifer Cambell jennifer.campbell@gavirtualschool.org Mathematics

Emily Kroutil Emily.kroutil@gavirtualschool.org Science

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 INNOVATIVE TEACHING SPECIALISTS

Innovative Teaching Specialists enhance professional learning within GAV, across Georgia,
nationally, and globally.

The team promotes GaLearns as experts in online teaching, appraisers of GaLearns course
work, evaluators of digital content, curators of digital resources, consultants for GaLearns
course development and scholars of web tools. Innovative Teaching Specialists support
GaVirtual School by reviewing capstones of potential candidates for employment, participating
in a variety of professional learning communities throughout the year, and developing
professional learning courses for GaLearns.

Innovative Teaching Specialists Email Address

Ashley Rickard ashley.rickard@gavirtualschool.org
Trikera Taylor trikera.taylor@gavirtualschool.org
Jennifer Egas jennifer.egas@gavirtualschool.org
Letitia Walker letitia.walker@gavirtualschool.org
Kristin Wolff kristin.wolff@gavirtualschool.org
Laurie Lombardi laurie.lombardi@gavirtualschool.org
Alaina Musick alaina.musick@gavirtualschool.org
Heather Pruitt heather.pruitt@gavirtualschool.org
Whitney Rhodes, Lead ITS whitney.rhodes@gavirtualschool.org

GEORGIA LEARNS

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Georgia Learns is a partnership for quality professional learning through the Georgia
Department of Education and GAV. GAVS instructors are encouraged to register and
complete courses to enhance their professional learning. Video instructions for GaLearns are
found here: GaLearns FAQ. Courses are added regularly. Email Joyce Bearden
(joyce.bearden@gavirtualschool.org) with questions.

Recommended courses:

Cyberbullying Creating Interactive

Special Needs Online 1 Special Needs Online 2
Awareness Synchronous Sessions

World Languages
Understanding and
Introduction to Data Blended Learning Using the Novice Section 508 – Electronic
Analysis Strategies Level Technology Accessibility
ACTFL/NCSSFL Can-
Do Statements

THE HIRING PROCESS

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Thorough and real-time training is imperative to develop and maintain well-prepared, effective
online instructors. GAVS provides an in‐depth training for all prospective instructors.

Step One: Prospective candidates may complete the Interest Survey on the Georgia Virtual
Learning Professional learning website. Current GAVS openings are posted as well.

Step Two: All prospective candidates must successfully complete both the Effective Online
Teaching Course and Verified Effective Online Teaching Course. Additional information about
completing the courses are located here: How to complete the Effective Online Teaching
Course and Verification.

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Step Three: After a virtual interview and completing an orientation at the Department of
Education in Atlanta, GA, invited candidates will participate in the GaVS New Instructor
Preparation Course (NIPC), facilitated by the Teacher Training Specialist, Mentors, and
assisted by Instructional Technology.

NEW INSTRUCTOR PREPARATION COURSE (NIPC)

The NIPC offers prospective GAVS instructors an opportunity to explore the Georgia Virtual
School platform, examine and master the tools within the Brightspace Learning Management
System, explore best practices in online instruction, and examine the policies and procedures
utilized within GaVS. During the course, trainees will learn from two perspectives: as a student
and as a GaVS Instructor.

NIPC offers continuous interaction and collaboration with fellow trainees, an assigned Mentor,
and the Teacher Training Specialist via the Discussion forum, weekly Jigsaw sessions, and
Yammer.

Step Four: Instructors who successfully complete the NIPC course may be invited to move on
to the Teaching Online Practicum (TOP), which is led by the Teacher Training Specialist and
assisted by the Mentoring Team.

TEACHING ONLINE PRACTICUM (TOP)

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TOP is a one-semester, immersive online teaching practicum. Teachers enrolled in TOP will
be assigned a live GaVS course and serve as the teacher of record. A mentor is assigned to
each TOP instructor for support; the mentor and TOP instructor will be enrolled in each other's
courses for ease in collaboration and communication.
TOP instructors, mentors, and GaVS experts meet weekly in synchronous sessions. TOP
instructors complete interactive practicum tasks that focus on key aspects of the GaVS online
teaching experience. TOP instructors work with mentors to meet or exceed expectations on
GaVS in/formal online teaching evaluations throughout the semester.
Expectations of TOP instructors:
• Assume all duties and responsibilities of a GaVS instructor for your course of record as
dictated by administration and by the policies set forth in the Teacher Handbook.
• Communicate and collaborate with the mentor to acclimate to the GaVS instructional
environment and to manage your live classroom and interact with stakeholders.
• Participate in all TOP weekly sessions and complete the related interactive task with
Meets or above rating.
• Interact in the TOP and other relevant Yammer groups to build presence and establish
role in learning community.
• Meet or exceed semester in/formal evaluations conducted by the Mentor, Instructional
Lead Teacher and Quality Assurance Specialists.

GAVS INSTRUCTOR
After successful completion of the induction process (TOOL – NIPC – TOP) , trainees are
considered a GaVS Instructor. Course load will be determined by the availability of the
instructor and the strategic planning by the Teacher Training Specialist and the instructional
administration.

GAVS MENTORING

Each new teacher is partnered with a mentor for two semesters, which begins during their
NIPC experience. Mentor teachers and Trainees are enrolled in each other’s classes in the
Training and Mentor role, respectively.

TEACHER OBSERVATIONS

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Quality Assurance Specialists (QAS) will observe all instructors’ classrooms throughout the
semester. The Quality Assurance Specialists are evaluation professionals and their role is to
assist all teachers improve their instruction. The QAS will complete observations. Special
emphasis will be placed on helping new teachers have a successful semester. Instructors are
encouraged to follow classroom management policies and procedures closely and to
communicate with their assigned QAS. Instructional Lead Teachers and mentors will be
periodically observing teachers’ classrooms and working in unison with the QAS to provide
thorough observation data.

FY 18-19 Georgia Virtual Online Teaching Framework

TEACHER SUPPORT

Teacher Quality is dedicated to the continuous improvement for all GaVirtual instructors and
strives to identify instructors that need support in order to provide our students with the very
best online classroom experience.

Teacher Quality partners with Instructional Leadership to develop personalized plans to

support teachers in areas of concern. Support may include one or more of the following:

• Individualized feedback
• Strategic consultations
• Targeted professional learning experiences
• Assistance from ILT/mentor

Personalized plans are reviewed at the end of each semester.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING REQUIREMENTS SY 18-19

Each year, Georgia Virtual establishes specific professional learning goals for the faculty.
These requirements must be met by dates posted for the instructor remain in good standing.
The professional learning requirements for the SY 18-19 are:

1. Professional Learning Symposium attendance (Fall, Spring)

2. Faculty Meeting attendance (for active teaching semesters)
3. Set at least one Professional Goal each school year in Strive following guidelines and
due dates. Professional Learning will be provided to instructors to complete these tasks.
Fall Goal Due Date: September 1, 2018
Spring Goal Due Date: February 1, 2019 - optional for those who completed in
fall

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 4. Successfully complete the following Special Needs courses within GaLearns.
Professional Learning will be provided to instructors to complete these tasks.

Special Needs I – April 15, 2019

Special Needs II – Completion deadline moved to 2019-2020

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SYMPOSIUM

The Professional Learning Symposium (PLS) is an invaluable and integral component of the
Georgia Virtual School program and accounts for professional development. Each spring
(March/April) and fall (October) the Professional Learning Symposium serves as our primary
professional learning event and active instructors are required to attend. GaVS utilizes the PLS
to relay important initiatives, offer community building across departments, and highlight
policies and collaboration amongst faculty. The PLS dates are set and communicated well in
advance (at least one year) of the event so staff can make plans to be available to attend.

Fall 2018 PLS: 10/20/2018, Forsyth Conference Center

Spring 2019 PLS: 3/9/2019, Forsyth Conference Center

FACULTY MEETINGS

On the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM, the Instruction Faculty and Staff meet for
monthly department meetings. Attendance is required for these meetings. Instructors who
cannot attend the live session must notify the Instructional Lead Teacher in advance and are
required to listen to the recording and to submit a summary within 48 hours of the session.

MASTER TEACHER PROGRAM

GAVS instructors wishing to apply for master teacher, click requirements. The Master Teacher
requirements will be released at the Fall PLS for the 2019 application.

MASTER TEACHER REQUIREMENTS AND DESCRIPTION

The Master Teacher program began in 2012 in order to recognize instructors that are
dedicated to Georgia Virtual School and to recognize excellence in online learning. The
Master Teacher designation lasts for three years. Teachers earning this designation in 2016
will need to reapply. Georgia Virtual School is a national leader in providing quality online
instruction.

Deadline: June 1, 2019

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 SCHOOL PROCEDURES

THE FIRST W EEKS OF SCHOOL

For GAVS instructors, preparation begins weeks and even months prior to that first day of
class.

TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS

Teaching assignments are made based on the instructor levels and the teaching evaluation
history. Also, failure to meet professional development requirements could result in a
reduction of teaching assignments/segments. Instructional Lead Teachers, full-time
instructors, and preferred adjunct instructors are given first priority; followed by adjunct
instructors.

COURSE SET UP

Courses are set up in July for fall semester, November for spring semester, and May for
summer semester. Course Set Up documents can be found in the Teacher Forum along with
syllabi and course schedules.

REASONS FOR NOT RESTRICTING CONTENT AND QUIZZES

Teachers should not date restrict or add release conditions which restrict students from
viewing content or submitting assessments. There are many reasons for NOT adding
restrictions and release conditions to the assessments and content.

• Transfer students – Restricts students from being able to get started without someone
moving student through all of the restricted assessments/content. Blocker for student
and very time consuming for the instructor or administration to get student to a point
where he/she can begin working.
• Approved end of semester extensions – When administration sets up access for a
student to submit work for approved end of the semester extensions, the administrator
does not know what content is restricted. When student gains access in the short
window the course is opened, the student cannot submit assignments when the
assessment items are not available.
• Approved assignment due date extensions - When administration approves and

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 assignment due date extension request, the student is expected to meet the new
deadline. If the content and/or assessments are restricted, the student possibly cannot
submit assignments by the new deadline. This makes it look like our teachers are not
granting students an extension and therefore upsets parents and school facilitators.
• Students who fall behind and are attempting to catch up - When a student has fallen
behind in the course and has not submitted work from previous assignment due dates,
we do not accept late work past the two day late work window. Students are expected
to begin following the course schedule and focus on work that is due on the upcoming
assignment due date. If there are release conditions added to content and
assessments which require previous work to be submitted prior to a student can submit
current work, students are wasting time attempting to figure out why and how to submit
the current assignments. This causes frustration and possibly makes the student fall
further behind in the class.
• SpEd reduced coursework – When a student has an accommodation requiring a
teacher to waive assessments, the student cannot complete required work if the content
and/or assessments are set up to release after student completes assignments he/she
is not required to complete. Also, some students have extended assignment due
dates. If assignments are date restricted, the student cannot submit work per
accommodations if the assessments are closed due to expired date.
• Copying future course sections – When new sections open, the new course content and
assessments are sometimes copied from one of the existing sections (not Master). If
assessments and content have been restricted, the new teacher might not realize there
are restrictions added or might not understand what restrictions have been set up. This
poses future issues that Student Support, ILTs, ASIs, and SI have to deal with and
correct.
• Adding restrictions removes the flexibility offered by an online class. By adding
restrictions, students do not have the opportunity to choose what assessment works
well within the time a student might have to complete assignments at a particular part of
the day. This could make a student fall behind in completing his/her work in a timely
manner.
• Working ahead of schedule - Date restrictions or release conditions can limit a student's
ability to work ahead of the schedule. This causes problems for students who attempt
to work ahead for any reason. Keep in mind our policy states students must work
ahead for planned absences or school vacations, so we should not be limiting their
ability.
• Teacher availability - Teachers are not always present to respond promptly to email
questions during the day and students waste their time.
• Incorrect restrictions or release conditions settings - Setting restrictions is a difficult
tedious process. If one detail is overlooked, problems can occur. When restrictions or
release conditions are not correctly set up, this causes a roadblock, confusion, and
frustration for students and stakeholders. This poses future issues that Student
Support, ILTs, ASIs, and SI have to deal with and correct.
•

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 INITIAL COURSE CHECK

Once courses are set up, Instructional Lead Teachers will conduct an initial course check.

SCHOOL POLICIES

GENERAL RULES

• Teachers are expected to login and actively participate in class every school day.

• Teachers are expected to have a minimum of 2 hours per school day available in
which students and stakeholders can phone with questions or concerns. These
hours of availability should be posted in the Teacher Information widget as well as
communicated to stakeholders.

• Teachers should read and respond to email and phone calls within one school day.

• Completed assignments should be graded within three school days of being turned
in to the learning management system during fall and spring semester or one school
day during summer, unless the teacher notifies the students and stakeholders via
email and news announcement of a different timeline. Major projects and essays
may require more time.

• News announcements should be posted at least once a week during fall and spring
and daily during summer.

• All GAVS related correspondence should be contained within the learning

management system and Georgia Virtual Learning Office365 accounts. Tools
provided by GAVS should only be used for GAVS related work.

• For Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, zeros should be entered for any missing work no
later than Thursday, the day following the assignment due date. For Summer 2019,
zeros should be entered for missing work no later than the day following the
assignment due date.

Please remember that when a zero is assigned for a missing assignment, in the
feedback for the assignment, teachers must note:

1. The original due date for the assignment

2. Details of the GaVS late work policy
3. The last date by which the student can turn in the assignment for a late grade

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 • Upon entering 0s or late point deductions based on the late work policy, teachers
are expected to provide details in the feedback regarding specific dates and
deductions. It is good practice to notify stakeholders when a student failed to turn in
assignments for a specific assignment period.

• Student progress reports should be completed within TheSIS by 10 pm every other

Tuesday following the weekly assignment due date for Fall and Spring semesters.
Progress reports should be completed by 10 am each Tuesday during Summer
semester.

• All student work should be submitted inside the learning management system. If
students are sent to an outside site to do an assignment, there must be some way to
ultimately submit it internally, such as by putting a link in a dropbox. Teachers
should not accept and grade work submitted via email or outside the learning
management system.

BEST PRACTICES FOR GRADING AFTER THE DUE DATE

1. Review course schedules before the start of the course. If assignments appear to be
crammed together before a due date, or do not benefit student achievement based on
their location on the course schedule, move them. This will also help with grading
following a due date.
2. Encourage students to follow the course schedule. Set the expectation HIGH at the
beginning of the semester.
3. Provide opportunities to remediate assignments within one or two days if assignments
are turned in by the day they are assigned on the course schedule. This will encourage
students to follow the course schedule and not wait until the last minute to submit
assignments.
4. It may be best to assign more difficult grading items such as projects and essays at the
beginning of the due date/week. This will allow teachers time to grade during the week.
5. Discussions should be assigned on the course schedule well-before the anticipated due
date. Students will need time to participate and engage in collaboration. This will also
prevent students from rushing to complete discussion assignments by the deadline and
may reduce grading following a due date.
6. Grade assignments which were submitted by the assignment due date before
submitting progress reports. Wait until after you submit progress reports to grade
assignments that were submitted late after a due date. Do not include these
assignments on the upcoming progress report.

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 7. If a major project or essay was due/submitted during the assignment period and you
feel that additional grading time is needed, you should communicate with all
stakeholders via email and news announcement the date you expect to have these
graded. Progress reports should be submitted without the major project or essay grade
included.

QUIZ TIME L IMIT GUIDELINES

Guidelines

• 1.5 to 2 minutes/question for multiple choice or short answer questions

• 5 minutes/question for long answer questions
• 20 minutes/question for College Board type Free Response Questions

non-AP courses

o Final exam - 90 minutes, 5 minute grace period

• 45 - 60 multiple choice questions.
o Tests –60 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 2 – 4 short/long answer questions and 20 – 30 multiple choice
questions.
o Quizzes - 30 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 1 - 2 short/long answer questions and 10 - 15 multiple choice
questions or 15 – 20 multiple choice questions.
o Review Quizzes/Assignment Checks - 10 to 30 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 5 – 20 multiple choice questions.

AP courses
o Final exam - 90 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 45 – 60 multiple choice questions.
▪ Including any FRQ or long answer
▪ If Free Response or long answer questions are
included on the final exam adjust the number of
multiple choice questions in accordance with the
time/question guidelines above.
o Tests (Multiple Choice, FRQ, or combination) - 60 minutes, 5 minute grace
period
• 2 – 4 short/long answer questions and 20 – 30 multiple choice
questions or 1 – 2 short/long answer questions, 1 FRQ, and 15 –
20 multiple choice questions.

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 • No more than 1 FRQ per 60 minute test and up to 20-30 questions,
or up to 3 FRQs without multiple choice questions.
▪ Note: AP Courses may have specific FRQ tests which
may include essays, problems or spoken
responses. FRQ tests should not exceed 60 min and
contain no more than 3 FRQ or 2 FRQ and 1 DBQ.
o Quizzes - 30 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 1 - 2 short/long answer questions and 10 - 15 multiple choice
questions or 15 – 20 multiple choice questions
• 1 long answer max per 30 minute quiz and 10-15 M/C questions
o Review Quizzes/Assignment Checks - 10 to 30 minutes, 5 minute grace period
• 5 – 20 multiple choice questions

COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND GUIDELINES

TELEPHONE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT (TCPA)

There are many communication tools that allow individuals to gather phone numbers for the
purpose of group messaging via recorded voice or SMS (Short Messaging Service or text
messaging). If you are utilizing such a tool that does this, please note that the Telephone
Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) (Reference: 47 U.S. Code § 227) is the law that governs the
use of telephone equipment.

In 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated TCPA. They ruled it
unlawful to make calls using automated dialing equipment or prerecorded messages to
phones that use cellular service without gaining prior consent of the party called.

This rule prohibits a person from making any call (other than emergency calls) using any
automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice to any number
assigned cellular service. A call is defined as a phone call, text message, or Internet-to-
phone text message that is not exempted (emergency purposes, prior express consent, FCC
created exemptions).

Protecting yourself would require that you obtain prior expressed consent from the person
before making any outgoing recorded calls or sending text messages. The strongest form of
consent is written. A best practice is to collect consent via a form where the date, person's
name, the communication method (SMS and/or prerecorded call), the authorized number, and
the opt in is captured. If verbal consent is given by the parent, the consent should be
documented in the GAVS communication log. Also, a follow up email should be sent to the
parent notifying them that verbal consent was given during the phone conversation.

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 COMMUNICATION

Updated February 2018

Teachers should contact new students as soon as they appear on this list and complete the
Welcome Call Checklist.

Communication logs should have multiple entries documenting different forms of student and
stakeholder communication such as a phone calls, emails, welcome calls, notes about specific
issues, failure calls, non-participation class, and any other information a teacher feels is
important for administration to know about the student. For instance, at least every other
week, it is a best practice for teachers to send a course update email to all students, parents,
and assigned Quality Assurance Specialist.

The first week a student grade drops below 70, teachers should contact parents by phone.
Communication should be documented using the Notes feature within TheSIS. Follow up calls
should be made at least once a month while students continue to have a grade below 70. If
after two phone calls the teacher has not received a response of any type from the parent, the
facilitator and Instructional Lead Teacher should be contacted to verify accuracy of parent
contact information. Consider all students on your Classlist as active students and continue to
grade and/or put in zeros and follow the late work policy. At no point should an instructor
recommend a withdrawal or course change for a student. If you are asked to make a
recommendation, please direct the parent/student to their school facilitator.

o If the email is important and conveys information that requires documentation or

you feel is important information administration and other teachers should know,
send it through TheSIS. Examples include progress report updates, a change in
an assignment deadline, extensions, and grades. Not every email needs to come
through TheSIS but those are just suggestions.
o If the email is a general reminder or general information, use Office365 Mail.
Examples include information about an upcoming deadline (that has not
changed), a chat that is upcoming or the recording of a chat, or an issue with a
particular explanation of content that you are clarifying.
o Things to keep in mind with O365:
• If email addresses for students, parents, or facilitators are added to
the TO or CC section within Office365 Mail, everyone can view and
has access to all email addresses. This is a violation of privacy. If
a person was to accidentally hit reply all, then it would reply to
everyone in the TO and CC section of the email.
• When sending an email about one student to several individuals
outside gavirtualschool.org, place the stakeholders’ email

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 addresses in the CC with the knowledge that reply all will return to
all on the email. Otherwise, use BCC.
• When sending an email to several (or all students) to external email
addresses, place the students’ external email address, as well as
stakeholders’ email addresses, in the BCC. This helps keep protect
our students and reduces the reply all phenomena.
• If sending an email to several or all students’ GaVS Office365
account (no external email accounts), use the TO as the email is
staying within the system and the students all know one another in
class. But remember that they can reply all and everyone is copied
on the response. Make sure to BCC any stakeholders or external
student email accounts.
o If the parent contact information listed in TheSIS is incorrect, teachers should use
the form located on the student profile page to request the information be
updated. Teachers should confirm and/or verify the correct information with the
parent before submitting the form.

Updated 3/12/2015

FERPA

The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the
privacy of student educational records. Private student information including social security
number, GTID, and course grades should only be shared with the parent, student, or
authorized school personnel. Due to FERPA policies, teachers and administrators are
prohibited from communicating student information with anyone but the student, the parent(s)
on record, the school facilitator on record, school monitors on record, or school administration.
Teachers should not communicate with tutors or any other person not listed on a student's
records. If a teacher is contacted by someone other than a person on record, the teachers
should not provide any student information and let the person know that communication can be
made only with the student's parent(s).

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Great care must be taken to ensure this information is not inadvertently shared with those who
do not have the proper permission. Private information should not be left on an answering
machine or sent to an email address outside of the gavirtualschool.org domain. This
information may be shared with personnel at a student's home school, but only over the phone
when directly speaking to the staff member at the other school. Do not email private student
information to staff at other educational institutions. When in doubt, do not share the
information and instead check with your Instructional Lead Teacher. Official communication
about specific students should only occur using the Georgia Virtual School email or phone
calls that are logged.

All emails and other electronic documentation of communication with Georgia Virtual School
should be kept for a minimum of five years. It is recommended that old emails be filed in
folders by year and semester so that they can be retrieved at a later date if needed.

To remain FERPA compliant, students cannot be required to create an account at an outside

site. Sites can be suggested as optional tools but ultimately the assignment should be able to
be completed with the tools provided by GAVS. Never create the account for a student.

SPECIAL NEEDS

(Updated December 2017)

Students with a current IEP, 504 Plan, ESL Plan, Medical Plan or Hospital/Homebound Status
can receive special needs services with Georgia Virtual School. Teachers will receive an email
from our special needs staff with a list of accommodations to make. The teacher should then
implement the accommodations within three days of receiving the email or of the student
entering the course. The following links provide helpful information, resources and ideas for
implementing accommodations in the online classroom and supporting special needs students.

Special Needs Policies

Implementation of Accommodations and Organization Tips

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Special Needs Teacher Toolbox Page

When a student is to be given extended time on tests and quizzes, the extended time must be
provided using the special access tool for each quiz or test. It is not acceptable to just not
enforce the default quiz time requirements. Click here to view a short video which
demonstrates how to add special access to quizzes.

When a student has the reduced coursework accommodation, make sure you use the
“EXEMPT” feature in Brightspace for any waived items and note waived or reduced/modified
assignments in the gradebook feedback within three days of receiving the accommodations
email or the student entering your class. If it is not possible to reduce coursework because the
course has a limited number of graded items which are necessary to assess understanding of
the course standards, the below explanation should be posted in the gradebook comments.

Wording for the gradebook in classes that cannot reduce graded items:

• This course requires limited graded assessments. All parts of all graded items are
necessary to assess your mastery of the state standards. You may use the activities,
content, and resources within the course as needed to complete assignments and
prepare for assessments.

See the Reduce Coursework resource in the teacher toolbox for more information on how to
document and communicate these accommodations as well as tips on how to reduce
coursework.

Below is a list of student classifications which may be addressed and in need of

accommodations:

* 504 = Student has a 504 Plan

* ESL = English as a Second Language

* HHB = Hospital/Homebound

* Medical/Health Plan

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* Special Education: Autism (AU)

* Special Education: Deaf-Blind (DB)

* Special Education: Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH)

* Special Education: Emotional/Behavioral Disorder (EBD)

* Special Education: Intellectual Disability (ID)

* Special Education: Orthopedic Impairment (OI)

* Special Education: Other Health Impairment (OHI)

* Special Education: Significant Developmental Delay (SDD)

* Special Education: Specific Learning Disability (SLD)

* Special Education: Speech/Language Impairment (S/LI)

* Special Education: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

* Special Education: Visually Impaired (VI)

PERFORMANCE REPORTS

What should you do if you receive a request from a face to face school to provide present
levels of performance for a special needs student in your class? In short, you should provide
accurate class performance information supported by data to the school so that it can be
included in the student's IEP or 504 Plan meeting. This may include the student's class
average, test average, daily work average, and any relevant behaviors or other information
that may be pertinent to the discussion of the student's current progress in your class. If you
are provided with a form that requests information that is not applicable to your online class, it
is fine to simply note that it is not applicable to your course. Once you have completed the
requested form, send it to the facilitator so that it can be distributed as needed to the IEP or
504 Plan case manager. If you have any questions about completing forms regarding a
special needs student's class performance, please contact the Special Needs Team! We are
here to support you!

SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING

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 SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING POSITION STATEMENT

We believe synchronous learning is important because it provides students the full benefits of
our highly qualified instructors. The synchronous interaction provides immediate instructor and
student feedback, reduces the feeling of isolation, fosters a sense of community with the
learners, and offers a forum for student collaboration. By incorporating live and interactive
learning opportunities in the online environment, teachers are leveraging synchronous learning
to enhance learning and promote student engagement.

Our synchronous sessions should be personalized for the individual learner’s needs. We feel
it is important to allow the teacher flexibility to determine what should to be covered, what
students should be targeted, and when the sessions should be held to reach these students.
We encourage teachers to create engaging lessons to meet the needs of all learners. We
advocate the use of the tools available in the synchronous platform to promote active
engagement, social learning, and continuous feedback. Teachers should be creative and hold
sessions that accommodate the different learning levels (high, average, and low). The
synchronous classroom can be an equalizer for students of all abilities.

We encourage collaboration between our teachers to discuss best practices for holding
successful synchronous sessions. By working together, we can determine what works best for
students with different learning abilities and styles.

SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING POLICIES

Because this environment is so vital to online learning, teachers should hold weekly office
hours for students for at least one hour between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on a school night. The
same office hour can be used across multiple courses taught by one instructor. Teachers
should also hold a welcome session for each start date each semester. All teachers should
make regular use of the tool. If students or parents request a teacher meet outside the weekly
office hour, teachers are expected to make reasonable accommodations in scheduling.

ALL sessions, even if there are no attendees, should be recorded and never deleted. The
recording links should be posted in a teacher’s course to ensure students have access to the
materials covered/discussed during the session.

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The GaVS Jigsaw site should only be used for GaVS meetings. Teachers should not use the
site for any meetings outside of GaVS.

LATE W ORK

Student work is due according to the assignment due dates on the course
schedules. Extensions past the last day of school will NOT be granted. Work turned in after
the deadline on the course schedule will be accepted per the policy outlined below for Fall,
Spring, and Summer semesters. The late work policy is enforced from the original assignment
due date; therefore, if a student is granted an extension (reference the Student Handbook for
the Make-up Work Policy) and the new assignment due date is after the original late work
window has expired, work submitted after the new due date will result in a grade of zero. At
the end of the semester, all class work must be submitted prior to the time period the final
exam is available. Thus, for example, if final exams begin Wednesday of the last week of
school, all other assignments which can still be accepted based on course schedule due dates,
except the final exam, must be submitted by Tuesday of the last week of school.

SWITCHING TO A SHORTER SESSION/SCHEDULE

When a student switches to a shorter session/schedule, any assignments that have been
completed cannot be resubmitted, nor will incurred late penalties be removed from the graded
work. Any zeros already entered on the old schedule not yet due on the shorter schedule can
be replaced. Zeros previously earned will not be removed from the gradebook but will be
replaced if assignments are submitted by the shorter schedule due date.

FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS

(Updated Fall 2018)

Please be aware of the pacing guide and due dates for all assignments. Extensions past the
last day of school will NOT be granted. Student work is due weekly on WEDNESDAYS at
(11:59 pm) EST. Check course schedules for specific due dates. Work turned in after the
deadline on the course schedule will be accepted within 2 school days following due date with
a late penalty assessed. The late penalty begins on Thursday and is assessed for assignments
submitted through the end of the day Friday. Assignments submitted on Thursday and Friday

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will receive a 20% late penalty. Late work submitted after Friday will not be accepted. The late
work policy is enforced from the original assignment due date. Therefore, if a student is
granted an extension and the extended assignment due date is after the original late work
window has expired, work submitted after the extended due date will result in a grade of
zero.

At the end of the semester, all class work must be submitted prior to the final exam period.
Thus, if the final exam period begins Wednesday of the last week of school, all assignments
which can still be accepted based on course schedule due dates, must be submitted by
Tuesday of the last week of school.

Note about Final Due Date of the Semester

• The final due date of the semester is as follows:

• Fall 2018: Friday, November 30
• Spring 2019: Friday, May 3
• Work submitted through Tuesday following the Friday due date receives a 20% late
work penalty. Work submitted after Tuesday during Final Exams week will no longer be
accepted for credit, and a zero should automatically be entered for these assignments.

FALL AND SPRING LATE WORK POLICY EXAMPLES:

• David turns in an assignment at 3:15 pm on Friday which is within the late work window. He
scores 7 out of 15 on the assignment. David will lose 20% of the total assignment value,
which is 3 points on this assignment (15 * 0.20). The score recorded in the gradebook is
4/15. A note should be made in the gradebook detailing the late work deduction.

• David turns in an assignment at 3:15 pm on Friday which is within the late work window. He
scores 70 out of 100 on the assignment. David will lose 20% of the total assignment value,
which is 20 points on this assignment (100 * 0.20). The score recorded in the gradebook is
50/100. A note should be made in the gradebook detailing the late work deduction.

SUMMER SEMESTER

(Updated Fall 2018)

Please be aware of the pacing guide and due dates for all assignments. Extensions past the
last day of school will NOT be granted. All work for a summer school course is due the day
assigned by midnight (11:59 pm) EST. Work turned in after the deadline on the course
schedule will be accepted within 1 school day following due date with a 20% late penalty
assessed. Assignments due on Friday, that are submitted Saturday, Sunday, or Monday will

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receive a 20% late penalty. After 1 school day, a grade of 0 will be given. The late work policy
is enforced from the original assignment due date; therefore, if a student is granted an
extension and the new assignment due date is after the original late work window has expired,
work submitted after the new due date will result in a grade of zero.

At the end of the semester, all class work must be submitted prior to the time period the final
exam is available. Thus, if final exams begin Thursday of the last week of school, all other
assignments which can still be accepted based on course schedule due dates, except the final
exam, must be submitted by Wednesday of the last week of school.

SUMMER LATE WORK POLICY EXAMPLES:

• David turns in an assignment at 3:15 pm on Sunday, which was due on Friday. He scores a
7 out of 10 on the assignment. David will lose 2 points on this assignment (10 * 0.2) and the
score recorded in the grade book is 5/10. A note should be made in the grade book
detailing the late work deduction.
• David turns in an assignment at 3:15pm on Monday, which was due on Friday. He scores
an 80 out of 100 on the assignment. David will lose 20 points on this assignment (100 * 0.2)
and the score recorded in the grade book is 60/100. A note should be made in the grade
book detailing the late work deduction.

WRONG FILE FORMAT/UNREADABLE FILE/UNSUBMITTED QUIZ

Updated: January 14, 2019

Sometimes students submit a file that the teacher is not able to open. When that occurs, the
teacher will leave feedback notifying the student, and a zero will be entered into the
gradebook. The student then has up to three school days Fall and Spring semesters (up to two
school days Summer semester) to submit a readable version of the file without penalty.
Students are expected to submit all subsequent assignments in a properly formatted file type.
Three school days Fall and Spring (two school days Summer semester) after the teacher has
notified the student of the file issue, the standard late policies apply.

If a student has a file issue again, the teacher may enter a zero for the grade and notify the
student of the reason. It is not required to give another three-day window Fall or Spring (two-
day window Summer) to fix the subsequent file submission issues.

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In addition, sometimes students may complete a quiz or test but fail to successfully submit the
quiz or test. In this case the student should be prompted to open the assessment and submit,
or the instructor may impersonate the student and submit the quiz or test on the student’s
behalf. Since students do not have the option to further modify question answers after the
allotted window of time has elapsed, the date of submission should be taken as the day/time at
which the time allotted for the quiz or test was up. (Ex. A student began a test for which 60
minutes was allotted at 3:00pm and did not successfully submit the quiz. The submission time,
for the purpose of determining late work penalties, would be 4:00pm. NOTE: if the student has
Special Needs accommodations which allow for extended time on tests, the total time allotted
for the test/quiz should include the extended time).

SUSPENSION

If a student is suspended from the local school, GaVS course access remains open. Unless
the local school directs a student otherwise, he or she should continue working in the GaVS
course while suspended at the local school. Note that under no circumstance is a school
suspension grounds for an extension under the GaVS late policy.

SCHOOL BREAK/HOLIDAYS AND SCHOOL RELATED EVENTS POLICY

Students should stay on the GaVS schedule that they choose upon entering their course.
Even if the local school breaks do not coincide with the GaVS break, students must meet the
assignment due dates. Students should communicate their school breaks with their teacher as
soon as possible and if necessary discuss with their instructor how to get ahead.

When a student has a school break, school holiday, field trip, or any school related event that
will not allow them to follow the course schedule, they should continue working according to
the assignment deadlines. School breaks, school holidays, field trips, or any school related
event are not considered excused absences; therefore, an extension request will not be
approved.

MEDICAL NOTES/EXTENS ION REQUESTS

During fall and spring when a student has an excused absence of two* or more days, with
supporting documentation such as a medical note, the teacher must be notified in writing and
given a copy of any documentation within five school days. During summer when a student
has an excused absence of more than one day, with supporting documentation such as a

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medical note, the teacher must be notified in writing and given a copy of any documentation
within three school days. At the conclusion of the absence, it is important to note that students
are expected to continue following the course schedule and submitting assignments promptly
while awaiting the decision of the extension request.

If the teacher is not notified in writing and given documentation within the time allowed, the
student will not be permitted to make up missed work. If the makeup work request is approved
by GaVS administration, the teacher will provide a new deadline and a list of makeup work that
can be submitted for full credit. The late work policy is enforced from the original assignment
due date; therefore, if the new assignment due date is after the original late work window has
expired, work submitted after the new due date will result in a grade of zero.

If a request is approved during the final weeks of school, approved makeup work must be
submitted prior to taking the final exam and final exams must be taken on the dates as noted in
the course pacing schedule. Extension requests will not be accepted the last week of the
semester. We cannot allow makeup work extensions past the last day of GaVS classes, and
final exams must be taken on the dates as noted in the course pacing schedule.

Note: School breaks, school holidays, field trips, or any school related event are not
considered excused absences; therefore, an extension request will not be approved. Students
should reference the School Break/Holidays and School Related Events Policy.

*There are times when a student could miss fewer than two days and need an extension. If
you have concerns about a student situation, contact your Assistant Supervisor of Instruction.

Important Reminders:

• Please DO NOT wait to complete and submit the Extension Request Form if you are
notified that a student may possibly need an extension.

• Once a teacher completes an Extension Request Form, documentation is requested.

• Teachers should not wait to receive medical documentation themselves. It is fine to get
the medical documentation and forward along to the extension email address.

• Documentation@gavirtualschool.org

PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING EXTENSION REQUEST FORM AND DOCUMENTATION

NOTE: Effective Summer 2018

If you feel a student has a situation that warrants an extension, follow the applicable process
below:

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 1) For a student with an assigned special education teacher in TheSIS, please email the
special education teacher directly with the details of the extension request.
a) The assigned special education teacher will review the case and will
communicate the final decision to the instructor, student, and stakeholders within
2 school days.
b) Special education teachers will accept extension requests and any additional
supporting documentation from parents, students, facilitators, and teachers via
email.
2) For students without an assigned special education teacher in TheSIS, submit the
details using the extension request form.
a) Marilynn Skinner, Dana Bauries, Joyce McKay, and Asherrie Yisrael will review
the extension requests. If needed, the Special Needs Consultants will review
extension requests.
b) Requests to be submitted by parent, facilitator, teacher
c) Documentation can be emailed to documentation@gavirtualschool.org
d) Extension decision will be made within 2 school days
e) Extension will be for all classes-not individualized by class.
f) Marilynn Skinner, Dana Bauries, Joyce McKay, Asherrie Yisrael, or the Special
Needs Team will contact ILT or instructor(s) if any additional information is
required and will then communicate the final decision and plan to the instructor,
student, and stakeholders.

STUDENT BEREAVEMENT POLICY

When a student experiences the death of a close family member or friend, or an immediate
family member suffers a serious illness requiring hospitalization, the teacher should be notified
in writing and given a copy of documentation within five school days Fall or Spring semester
(three school days Summer semester). Examples of documentation includes a bulletin from
the funeral, a newspaper obituary, a death certificate, hospital discharge paperwork, or a note
from the family member’s attending physician. If the teacher is not notified in writing and given
documentation within the time allowed, the student will not be permitted to make up missed
work. Extension requests will be processed based on the Medical Notes/Extension
Requests policy outlined in this handbook.

TRANSFER STUDENT POL ICY

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Transfer student definition: A transfer student is defined as a student who has completed a
significant portion of a course at another school and wishes to finish the same course at
Georgia Virtual School (GAVS).

All transfer students must have a facilitator identified at the school that will monitor student
progress, communicate as needed with the GAVS Program staff, and receive student grades
at the end of the semester. All transfer requests must be initiated by the student’s local school
facilitator and approved by a GAVS administrator. It is expected that the student will abide by
all GAVS’s guidelines, including semester session starting and ending dates.
Students have ten school days from withdrawal at the previous school to be fully enrolled at
GaVS. No transfer student will be accepted with more than a ten school day enrollment gap
even if the transfer process began within the ten school day window.

Guidelines for Course Placement: Students should begin working immediately and should
submit assignments based on the session schedule. The transfer grade must be entered in
the gradebook for assignments that were previously due per the session schedule. After
teachers have attempted to contact stakeholders to access the student’s current knowledge
and skills, the teacher might find the student has not covered standards which were previously
covered/studied in the GAVS course. Because students are responsible for learning all course
standards, the teacher can provide remediation opportunities for the standards which were not
previously covered. If remediation opportunities are given, the teacher should clearly
communicate the expectations and deadlines to all stakeholders.

Teachers should attempt to access the student’s current knowledge and skills using one or
more of the following: conversation with student and/or parent, request information from
school facilitator, request information from the student’s previous teacher of the course, or
have student provide syllabus or documentation from previous course.

If additional resources are needed to help close learning gaps, we suggest offering links to the
appropriate content pulled from the GAVL shared resources.

Course Grades: Transfer grades from the previous school will be prorated with the grades
earned at GAVS to arrive at a final grade for the course.

STUDENTS: SCHEDULES, ADVISEMENT, AND ELIGIBILITY

STUDENTS WHO GET BEHIND OR SWITCH SCHEDULES

As an instructor, it is your responsibility to be aware of your students’ progress in the course.

The GAVS late work policy is to be followed always and zeros should be placed in the grade
book after each assignment due date period, with no exceptions.

41
Students can switch to a shorter schedule once during a semester. Teachers should
document this switch in the communication log with the effective date. In most cases, it is not
recommended that students switch from an 18 week to a 12 week schedule.

If the teacher feels additional measures are needed, he or she may contact the Instructional
Lead Teacher to discuss the situation.

There is no reason for the late work policy to be ignored in a GAVS course without
administrative approval. When a student is switched to a shorter schedule, any assignments
that have been completed cannot be resubmitted. Any zeros already entered on the old
schedule not yet due on the shorter schedule can be replaced. Zeros previously earned will not
be removed from the gradebook but will be replaced if assignments are submitted by the
shorter schedule due date.

There is not an appropriate situation where a student should be allowed to go back to previous
weeks’ work and complete assignments with no penalty, particularly at the end of the
semester. This is poor teaching practice and will reflect poorly on a teacher’s evaluation.
Please adhere to this policy to protect the integrity of your classroom and of Georgia Virtual
School.

SCHOOL BREAK POLICY

Students should stay on the GAVS schedule that they choose upon entering their course.
Even if the local school breaks do not coincide with the GAVS break, students must meet the
assignment due dates. Students should communicate their school breaks with their teacher as
soon as possible and if necessary discuss with their instructor how to get ahead.

ADVISING COURSE CHANGES

Teachers should not advise parents, students, or facilitators about which courses to take or not
take. Our program does not have all the necessary information to make these determinations.
It is ultimately a local decision in many cases. If a teacher is asked to give advice in this area,
the teacher should refer that person to the Instructional Lead Teacher.

There are times when students will need a course enrollment change. Once the semester has
started, if you become concerned about the placement of a student, contact your Instructional
Lead Teacher. Teachers should not suggest that a student change courses or semesters. If a
student, parent, or facilitator requests this sort of move from an instructor, the instructor should
direct the person to the Instructional Lead Teacher.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

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Students must be 21 or younger to take courses with Georgia Virtual School. If you believe a
student is not eligible to participate, contact your Instructional Lead Teacher.

WORKING AHEAD

Teachers should closely monitor the progress of students working ahead. If a student is failing
and working ahead, intervene and redirect by contacting the student and facilitator and/or
restricting access to quizzes and/or drop boxes. Teachers will grade within three school days
according to the course schedule. If a student is working ahead successfully, the instructor
should still monitor the student closely, grade the student’s work within the three school day
timeline, and provide rich feedback.

When a student has a school break, school holiday, field trip, or any school related event that
will not allow them to follow the schedule, they should continue working according to the
assignment deadlines.

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 CODE OF CONDUCT

PLAGIARISM/CHEATING

There are times when students choose to be dishonest in their academics and two common
incidents are plagiarism and cheating.

To deter students from academic dishonesty and /or plagiarism, please post the Student Code
of Conduct in your syllabus, Welcome Announcement, and Welcome Chat. The Code of
Conduct is in the Student Handbook and Student Orientation Course. It is a good idea to
integrate reminders in your course announcements regarding plagiarism and cheating.
Students and a parent/guardian should also submit a signed copy of the Student/Parent
Handbook and Syllabus Acknowledgement form in the dropbox before beginning your course.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Georgia Virtual School believes school is an appropriate setting for all children and youth. The
Student Code of Conduct is designed to support this concept by developing, through
reasonable and consistent practices, appropriate student behavior patterns. Those behaviors
and disciplinary actions set forth in the Code are designed to serve as learning experiences for
students.

The Student Code of Conduct includes those behaviors having disciplinary actions and/or
intervention strategies that shall be carried out by teacher, Georgia Virtual School
administrators, and/or the student’s local school. The Code applies to conduct in the learning
management system, synchronous sessions, or any form of communication whether written or
oral.

Compliance with the Student Code of Conduct is expected of all students. This Student
Code of Conduct applies to all students attending Georgia Virtual School.

Stakeholder Expectations:

The Student Is Expected to:

1. Behave in a Respectful, Responsible, and Safe manner;

2. Abide by expectations, guidelines, rules and regulations established by Georgia Virtual
School;
3. Participate in class daily; and

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 4. Hold him or herself to a high standard of academic effort and achievement.

The Parent/Guardian Is Expected to:

1. Set an example of respecting the worth of other persons;

2. Review school expectations, guidelines, rules and regulations with student and family
members;
3. Collaborate with school officials;
4. Seek help from Georgia Virtual School, and if applicable the local school, when
necessary to support a student’s achievement;
5. Inform school officials of concerns relative to student needs; and
6. Make sure the student participates in class daily.

The Teacher is Expected to:

1. Treat each child with dignity and respect;

2. Teach and positively reinforce the Code of Conduct;
3. Review with students Georgia Virtual School’s expectations, procedures, and policies;
4. Establish and maintain an atmosphere of high achievement and appropriate behavior in
the classroom;
5. Communicate with students and parents if student behavior is inappropriate;
6. Report continuous student misbehavior promptly to appropriate school personnel, and
report immediately any misbehavior that will or may result in removal from class(es).

The Facilitator is Expected to:

1. Set an example of respecting the worth of other persons;

2. Review and be knowledgeable of Georgia Virtual School's expectations, guidelines,
rules and policies;
3. Collaborate with school officials;
4. Seek help from Georgia Virtual School, when necessary to support a student’s
achievement;
5. Inform school officials of concerns relative to student needs;
6. Make sure the student participates in class daily;
7. Consistently enforce Georgia Virtual School expectations and the Code of Conduct; and
8. Collaborate with the teacher, in conjunction with GaVS and local administration,
regarding student behavior problems and resulting disciplinary actions.

Behavioral Expectations:

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Students in a "virtual building" need to follow certain rules. As a Georgia Virtual School
student, you must conduct yourself with the highest standards of honesty and integrity. You
should conduct yourself in an appropriate and respectful manner, so as not to interfere with the
rights of another student to learn and to contribute to a safe and orderly environment that is
conducive to learning. Communication with GaVS staff, teachers, and students should never
be damaging, abusive, offensive, or contain inappropriate words or topics of conversation. All
assignment submissions or discussion posts must contain school appropriate topics and
should never be obscene, lewd, profane, offensive, indecent, sexually specific, or
pornographic.
The following acts will not be tolerated.

• Computer crimes
• damaging computer programs
• hacking
• constructing viruses
• introducing viruses into a system
• copying programs
• Misuse of communication tools such as email, pager/instant messenger tool, or
synchronous chat tool.
• Accessing, sending, creating or posting material or communication that is damaging;
abusive; obscene, lewd, profane, offensive, indecent, sexually explicit, or pornographic;
threatening or demeaning to another person;
• Harassing and/or bullying.
• Falsifying, misrepresenting, omitting or erroneously reporting information regarding
instances of alleged inappropriate behavior by teacher, administrator or other school
employee towards a student.

Academic Integrity and Expectations:

Academic integrity is a fundamental component of teaching and learning. Maintaining high

standards of academic integrity ensures the sustainability of the educational process.
Therefore, students are expected to commit to and be responsible for demonstrating the five
fundamental components, even in the face of adversity:

1· Honesty 2· Trust 3· Fairness 4· Respect 5· Responsibility

Unless your teacher or the specific assessment directions inform you of exceptions, all work
must be original and entirely the student's own work without any outside help. While taking
assessments or completing written assignments, students will not confer, either in person or
through electronic communication, with other students, parents, family members, facilitators,

46
tutors or acquaintances. While taking assessments or completing written assignments,
students may not use any textbooks, references, or other materials/outside sources (printed or
electronic) unless your teacher or the specific assessment directions inform you of
exceptions. Assignments that require documentation and/or references must adhere to
guidelines presented by the teacher. When in doubt, clarify with your teacher before beginning
an assignment or submitting it.

Students are expected to complete and save their work for GaVS classes in a digitally secure
environment that is password protected. GaVS provides a secure working area and storage in
O365. Failure to secure and protect files/documents that become shared with other students
will be considered an honor violation.

When content disputes arise in the course, the facilitator should not interfere with the teacher-
student relationship concerning content interpretation. Sometimes this presents teachable
moments and interfering with this process hinders learning. With regards to content
interpretation disputes, the teacher has the final authority on content interpretation.

The following activities are examples of some, but not all, acts that show a lack of academic
integrity:

• Cheating (intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized material, assistance, or

study aids in any academic work). The use of online translators or any other type of
assistance on graded assignments i.e. dropbox assignments, quizzes, and tests is
considered cheating, UNLESS your teacher or the specific assessment directions
inform you of exceptions. Cheating includes copying another student's work and
submitting it as your own or sharing your work with another student. Be sure to get your
teacher's permission before working with a classmate on an assignment;
• Collusion;
• Falsification and/or misrepresentation of data to include submitting documents, records,
or assessments that is falsified, invented, or contains fictitious data, results, or
sources.
• Lying;
• Plagiarism (representing another person's ideas, words, expressions, or data in writing
or presentation without properly acknowledging the source);
• alteration of materials;
• Forgery;
• Performing work or taking an examination for another student;
• providing or using external assistance relating to an examination, test, quiz, or daily
assignment, without the expressed permission of the teacher, including looking at
another student’s work, sharing answers, or copying another student’s work or any act
designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student;

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 • Submitting work through the use of another person's password/login is considered
dishonest behavior. Student logins/passwords are confidential information that should
not be shared with others. Any assignments, work, or projects posted while using
another student's login will be considered plagiarism. Allowing another person, even a
family member, to use your login and submit work on your behalf is also considered to
be dishonest behavior;
• Working on a lab report with one or more students, sharing documents related to a lab
report, or submitting the same lab report which was submitted by another student you
worked with to perform the lab experiments in your school or home. NOTE: While it is
acceptable for students to work together in small groups while performing lab
experiments and collecting data, the final lab report that is submitted for graded credit
should be each student’s independent work.
• Submitting your own work from another course or previous semester and presenting it
as work that was completed for the current course.
• Failure to secure and protect files/documents that become shared with other students

Academic honesty is very important to your success as an online learner. Students who fail to
comply will be dealt with according to GaVS policy as stated below.

Discipline Levels

Level I: Level I discipline is used for minor acts of misconduct which interfere with the
good order of the school. Teacher intervention will begin with the first offense violation
of the student code of conduct.

Level II: Level II discipline is used for intermediate acts of misconduct or repeat level I
infractions which interfere with the good order of the school. Following appropriate
teacher intervention, the student will be referred to school administration, and
implementation of consequences based on the student code of conduct will follow.

Level III: Level III discipline is used for major acts of misconduct or repeat level II
infractions which interfere with the good order of the school. This misconduct includes,
but is not limited to, repeated misbehaviors of a similar nature, serious disruptions of the
school environment, threats to health, safety, or property and other acts of serious
misconduct.

Academic and Behavioral Violations Consequences

Level I: Examples of violations include, but • Notification sent to local school.
are not limited to, minor misuse of classroom • Notification sent to parent/guardian.
tools, rude or disrespectful communication

48
with the teacher, rude or disrespectful • Loss of points on assignment(s) if
communication with another student, refusal offense is academic in nature.
to comply with classroom or GaVS rules, or
displaying a lack of academic honesty.

Level II: Examples of violations include, but
are not limited to, repeat level I offenses,
bullying, major misuse of classroom tools, or
engaging in the verbal assault of the teacher
or another student.
• Notification sent to the local school.
• Notification sent to parent/guardian.
• The local school shall administer
disciplinary action for the second offense in
accordance with its local policy.
• Tools within the learning management
system may be removed if the student is in
violation of using those tools.
• The student may not enroll in
additional courses in the same semester, but
is eligible for enrollment in future semesters.

Level III: Examples of violations include, but • Notification sent to the local school.
are not limited to, substantial or repeat level II • Notification sent to parent/guardian.
offenses, threatening physical assault to • The local school shall administer
someone, terroristic threats, damage to disciplinary action for the third offense in
GaVS property, or any substantial accordance with its local policy.
misconduct that the Supervisor of Instruction • The student will be withdrawn from all
believes will affect the orderly operation of the current GaVS enrollments, and is not eligible
school. for enrollment in future semester.
Note: If a student is withdrawn from a GaVS course by administration for violation of the code
of conduct, the local school must request a withdrawal grade at the time of withdrawal.

MULTIPLE QUIZ ATTEMP TS

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 SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS WITH TEST RETAKE ACCOMMODATIONS

If a special needs student has a test retake accommodation:

• The first quiz or test attempt should not be deleted.

• Feedback should be left on the second attempt documenting the reason for a second
attempt.
• Special Access should be set up to allow for the retest per the student’s
accommodations.
• The student should receive the grade of the Highest Attempt.
• No remediation prior to the retake is required when retake is due to accommodations.
• Questions should be sent to the special needs instructor assigned to the special needs
student.

The instructor should,

• Under the quiz Restrictions tab, click Add Users to Special Access.
• Under Special Access Properties, check the box to override attempts allowed and set
attempts allowed to 2, click apply, select the student from the users list and Click Add
Special Access.
o Note: If the student has extended time be sure to include the extended time at
the same time the 2nd attempt is added. Before exiting the restrictions page,
ensure that all accommodations (extra time and extra attempts) are saved
correctly.
• Note: No grade range under Advanced Attempt Conditions should be included when
creating the second quiz or test attempt.
• Under the quiz Assessment tab set the overall grade calculations to the Highest
Attempt.
• Click Save and Close.

BEST PRACTICES FOR MULTIPLE QUIZ ATTEMPTS - REMEDIATION

In accordance with the GaVS Remediation Policy when a second quiz or test attempt is
offered, this opportunity should be extended to all students.

50
A second quiz or test attempt may be granted students if,

• There are sufficient questions in the question library (2.5 times the number of questions
students are required to answer on the quiz/test) to allow for a new test or quiz attempt
to be created.
• The class, as a whole, has scored poorly on the first quiz or test attempt.
• Students have completed a remediation activity addressing the same performance
standards of the first quiz or test prior to taking the second quiz or test attempt. The
remediation activity must be uploaded to the remediation dropbox folder created for the
activity.
• If a second quiz attempt is granted,
• The student should receive the grade of the Highest Attempt.
• The first quiz or test attempt should not be deleted.
• Feedback should be left on the second attempt documenting the reason for a second
attempt.
• No more than 2 attempts may be granted.
• Note: Should a special situation arise where a student has previously been granted 2
attempts and another attempt is needed the instructor should contact their ILT.

The instructor should,

• Notify the class and stakeholders of the second quiz or test attempt via a news
announcement and email.
• Create a remediation dropbox folder. NO new grade item should be created when the
new dropbox folder is created.
• Under the dropbox folder Restrictions tab add the date/time range. Set the Start/End
date/time the students have to submit the remediation activity.
• Once the remediation dropbox closes, identify the students who have completed the
remediation activity.
• Under the quiz Restrictions tab, click Add Users to Special Access.
• Under the Special Access Properties, check the box to override attempts allowed and
set attempts allowed to 2, click apply, select the student(s) from the users list and Click
Add Special Access.
o Note: If the student has extended time be sure to include the extended time at
the same time the 2nd attempt is added. Before exiting the restrictions page,
ensure that all accommodations (extra time and extra attempts) are saved
correctly.
• Under the quiz Assessment tab set the overall grade calculations to the Highest Attempt
• Click Save and Close.

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 • Note: No grade range under Advanced Attempt Conditions should be included when
creating the second quiz or test attempt.

TEST/TESTING ISSUES

A second quiz or test attempt may be granted if,

• The student has experienced an unforeseen issue while taking the first attempt and the
instructor feels a retest is appropriate (i.e. power outage, fire drill, etc.).

If a second quiz attempt is granted:

• The instructor should grant the student Special Access to the second attempt and
award the student the grade from the Highest Attempt.
• The first attempt should not be deleted and feedback should be left on both attempts
documenting the reason for two attempts.
• No more than 2 attempts may be granted. Note: Should a special situation arise where
a student has previously been granted 2 attempts and another attempt is needed, the
instructor should contact their ILT.
• The instructor should,
• Under the quiz Restrictions tab, click Add Users to Special Access.
• Under the Special Access Properties, check the box to override attempts allowed and
set attempts allowed to 2, click apply, select the student from the users list and Click
Add Special Access.
o Note: If the student has extended time be sure to include the extended time at
the same time the 2nd attempt is added. Before exiting the restrictions page,
ensure that all accommodations (extra time and extra attempts) are saved
correctly.
• Note: No grade range under Advanced Attempt Conditions should be included when
creating the second quiz or test attempt.
• Under the quiz Assessment tab set the overall grade calculations to the Highest Attempt
• Click Save and Close.

REMEDIATION/MASTERY GUIDELINES

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During the school year, there are often opportunities to extend students’ learning or to provide
enrichment or alternative assessments for students to demonstrate their knowledge. When
offering remediation opportunities to students, instructors have two options:

1. Extra Points: Students may be given an opportunity to earn extra points on an

existing assignment by submitting corrections or revising the assignment in
accordance with the instructor’s feedback. An opportunity to earn extra points should
be worth no more than 10% of the assignment value (original maximum assignment
value). Extra points should be added to the original assignment grade; and a note
should be included in the assignment feedback. Since opportunities should be
offered to all students, a student may earn extra points in excess of 100%.
Teachers will need to modify the grade item settings to allow the grade to exceed
100%. To modify the grade item settings, teachers will:

• Select Manage Grades

• Locate and select the grade item you need to modify
• Select the radio button next to “Can Exceed”
• Save

2. Extra Learning Opportunity: Students may be given the opportunity to replace a

grade on a previous assignment by completing an entirely different assignment that
addresses the same standards as the original assignment. The replacement grade
should take the place of the original grade in the gradebook; and a note should be
included in the assignment feedback.

When offering students an opportunity for remediation please adhere to the following
guidelines:

• If remediation or enrichment opportunities are offered, they should be available to all

students.
• Remediation or enrichment grades should be a part of a current grade item and NOT
a separate bonus item.

Curving grades: Since instructors have the option of offering remediation opportunities to
students, grades on assessments should NOT be curved or otherwise altered without a
corresponding remediation opportunity.

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 REMEDIATION/MASTERY FAQ

Added 3/30/2015

Please keep in mind that remediation/mastery opportunities should be designed to allow

students to fully master the content/standards of their courses and promote deeper
understanding. The purpose of remediation is not to allow students to make up assignments
that they did not complete or did not invest adequate time/effort on. We want to ensure that our
students have every opportunity to master course content; but want to avoid artificially inflating
grades.

Questions:

Is there a time limit or a due date policy for remediation assignments?

No, there is not a set time limit for remediation assignments. This is left up to the
professional discretion of the instructor.

Is there a limit to the number of remediation assignments that can be offered in a semester?

No, there has not been a limit placed on the number of opportunities that can be offered
to students during a given semester.

Is ILT approval needed in order to offer remediation?

No, as long as remediation opportunities are offered in accordance with the

remediation/mastery guidelines as outlined in the teacher handbook ILT approval is not
required.

Are there individual department guidelines for remediation opportunities?

No, the remediation/mastery guidelines apply to all GAVS courses regardless of

department. There are no remediation guidelines that are specific to one department or
another.

If a student submits work early are instructors required to allow them to resubmit for additional
credit?

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 No, this is up to the discretion of each individual instructor.

Can students who did not initially complete the assignment replace the resulting zero with the
grade for a remediation assignment?

Yes, when opportunities for remediation are given (whether the opportunity is for extra
points or for an extra learning opportunity) they must be offered to all students.

Can a remediation opportunity be contingent upon students watching a recording of a

synchronous session?

Yes. You would not want to stipulate that students attend the live session to access an
opportunity for remediation; but requiring that students listen to a recording is perfectly
acceptable.

Is it acceptable to allow a “retest?”

• Yes, as long as the Multiple Quiz attempts policy is followed. Reference the Best
Practices for multiple quiz attempts - Remediation policy on pages 51-52 of the
Teacher Handbook.

• Or students may complete test corrections by reviewing the questions that they
got incorrect and providing additional information to earn a maximum of 10% of
the total assignment worth back. Alternatively, they may complete an entirely
different assignment that covers the same standards as the test in order to
replace the test grade.

If a student receives a 0 by virtue of not having submitted an assignment before the LAST
deadline, can that student be given another chance?

Yes, as long as this is in keeping with the remediation guidelines and is offered to all
students. It must be an opportunity to revise the original assignment (complete the
assignment in the case of a student who did not complete it initially) for a maximum or
10% or an opportunity to complete a different assignment in order to replace the grade.

My understanding is we must offer a given remediation to all students. Suppose several

students have 0's (that were not late, just a plain earned 0), can we give them the opportunity

55
to do a remediation for their particular zero? In other words, their 0's are on different
assignments.

Any assignment that is offered as an opportunity for remediation credit must cover the
same standards as the assignment that you will be adding points to. If there is a test
and a project that both cover the same standards you may allow students to complete a
different assignment that covers the same standards in order to replace one or the other
but not both. If the assignments in question cover different standards you may not use
one remediation opportunity.

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 STUDENT DISTRESS

Updated February 26, 2018

CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT

Even in the online environment, certified teachers are mandated reporters of child abuse and
neglect. If a teacher or administrator has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been
abused, he/she must make a report, immediately but no later than 24 hours, to the local DFCS
office or law enforcement and are subject to criminal penalty for failing to do so.

Options for Reporting:

There are three options for reporting suspected abuse and neglect to DFCS.

Option #1***: Make a report by phone by calling 1-855-GACHILD / 1-855-422-4453.

Option #2: Email or fax the Georgia Mandated Reporter form to 229-317-9663 or
cpsintake@dhr.state.ga.us

Link to form: Mandated Reporter Form

Option #3: Submit the Georgia Mandated Reporter form online at

https://cps.dhs.ga.gov/Main/Default.aspx.

• Web-based reporting requires completion of Mandated Reporter Training to obtain an

ID# (All GAVS staff should have previously completed this requirement.)
o Course name: Child Abuse and Neglect: Mandated Reporting Requirements for
Employees, Volunteers, and Contractors of Georgia Public Schools
o The link to the course:
https://www.prosolutionstraining.com/account/courses/start/?uCustomerCourse_i
d=2903495
After reporting suspected abuse or neglect, complete the Student Distress Report form to
notify GAVS Administration and GAVS school counselors that a report was filed. Include the
student’s name as well as the time and date you reported. There is no need to include the
details that were reported.

Mandated Reporter Manual

Questions to Expect When Making a CPS Referral

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 SUICIDE/DEPRESSION/HARMFUL INTENT

If a student in any way indicates that he or she is contemplating harm to him/herself or others,
immediately call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line 800-715-4225***. Teachers are required
to report within 24 hour. After calling the crisis center, notify the below GAVS Administration
and GAVS school counselor. Include the student’s name, time and date you called, and a
description of the reason you reported. During the reporting process if you are informed to
contact the student/parent directly yourself, please hang up and call the local police
department. Follow the process outlined below.

Process for reporting student emergency if long call hold time or directed to make
contact yourself:

If calling Crisis Hotline or DFCS for a student emergency and waiting on hold for more
than 20 minutes OR informed to contact the student/parent directly yourself, please
hang up and call local police department.
1. Look up student’s district and home address in TheSIS.
2. Use this link: https://www.usacops.com/ga/
3. Click on student’s district.
4. Use local phone number to call police department.
5. Explain concern and give student’s name and home address.
6. Ask for welfare check on the student.
7. Email supervisors and complete student distress form.

If a student expresses suicidal thoughts, depression, or other emotional problems complete the
Student Distress Report form to notify GAVS Administration and GAVS school counselors.
Make sure to include the student’s name and a description of the reason you are reporting
your concerns. When possible, forward any documentation to support your concerns including
the assignment description/requirements. Documentation should be sent to the below
administration.

• Amanda Williamson: amanda.williamson@gavirtualschool.org

• Erin Hill: erin.hill@gavirtualschool.org
• Margaret Thomas: margaret.thomas@gavirtualschool.org
• Instructor’s assigned Assistant Supervisor of Instruction
•
Process for reporting student emergency if long call hold time or directed to make
contact yourself:

If calling Crisis Hotline or DFCS for a student emergency and waiting on hold for more
than 20 minutes OR informed to contact the student/parent directly yourself, please
hang up and call local police department.
1. Look up student’s district and home address in TheSIS.

58
 2. Use this link: https://www.usacops.com/ga/
3. Click on student’s district.
4. Use local phone number to call police department.
5. Explain concern and give student’s name and home address.
6. Ask for welfare check on the student.
7. Email supervisors and complete student distress form.

COURSE CORRECTIONS/ENHANCEMENTS

To protect the integrity and consistency of our GAVS courses, instructors are not able to edit
content items individually. Instructors are encouraged to utilize other tools within the learning
management system to enhance the students’ learning experiences. If you have a request for
a course content correction, please use the form provided. The form is located in the Teacher
Toolbox or can be accessed using the Helpdesk Ticket link located in the TheSIS sidebar.

REGISTRATION AND ROS TER VERIFICATION

Registration contains a listing of students who have fully enrolled in your course. Once fully
enrolled through our registration process, students are enrolled in the Student Orientation
Course (SOC) to insure they have the required capacity to take our course. Once a student
has completed SOC, he/she will appear on the Classlist in Brightspace. After registration
closes for the semester, students who did not complete SOC will be rolled into their courses
and placed on the last start date. Teachers should compare the list of students in registration
to the Classlist in Brightspace.

If there is a discrepancy between these lists, teachers should report this to their Instructional
Lead Teacher by the Monday before final exams. If a student is in Brightspace, you should
consider that student active. Teachers should never assume that a student has dropped the
course but should instead continue to make contact via email and phone.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Georgia Virtual School has a social media policy governing how faculty and staff use outside
websites that in any way involve or reference our school or other Georgia Virtual Learning
initiatives. Please review the policy annually to be sure you are in compliance.

Georgia Virtual Learning Employee Social Media Policy

FIELD TRIPS & GUEST SPEAKERS

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Georgia Virtual School does not permit class field trips. Teachers may make students aware
of optional opportunities that they can discuss with their families and participate in if they
choose to. For example, a teacher can advertise a conference to the class and provide the
information required for students to sign up and attend. However, the event should not be tied
to course grades. Additionally, teachers must not in any way help students organize meeting
together at these events. Each student individually may decide to go and they attend at their
own risk without the sponsorship or liability of Georgia Virtual School. Teachers may also plan
to attend the event advertised but should not make plans to meet or see students while there.

If a teacher wants to have a guest speaker in a synchronous learning session, approval should
be obtained. The speaker should fill out the application at http://goo.gl/vFF2b (the teacher may
also fill it out on the speaker’s behalf). Email notification will be sent to the teacher either
approving or denying the guest speaker. If approval is granted, the teacher can setup the
session to allow guest access.

ASSESSMENTS AND END OF SEMESTER EXTENSIONS

GEORGIA MILESTONES END OF COURSE (EOC) ASSESSMENTS

Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC) assessments (formerly known as End of Course
Tests or EOCTs) are required by the state of Georgia in some courses. Public school students
enrolled in and/or receiving credit for one of these courses, regardless of grade level, are
required to take the Georgia Milestone assessment upon completion of the course. This
includes middle school students completing a course associated with a Georgia Milestones
EOC assessment, regardless of whether they are receiving high school credit. The results of
the EOC assessments will serve as the final exam in each course, contributing to the student’s
final course grade. Students enrolling into a public school from non-accredited programs are
required to take and pass the Georgia Milestones EOC assessment prior to receiving credit for
the course. It is the student’s and parent’s responsibility to contact the school or district for
testing arrangements.

The courses that require the Georgia Milestone EOC assessments are as follows:

9th Lit/Comp
American Lit/Comp
Biology
Physical Science
Accelerated GSE Algebra I/Geometry B
Accelerated GSE Geometry B/Algebra II

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GSE Algebra I
GSE Geometry
Economics
US History

There are other courses that do not require the Georgia Milestones EOC assessment but that
students can take the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment in lieu of the final exam. Those
courses include:

AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP Biology
AP US History
AP English Language and Composition

Public school students in the above AP courses may elect to take the Georgia Milestone EOC
assessment because students must take all Georgia Milestone EOC assessments prior to
graduating from a Georgia public high school. It is assumed that students in AP courses are
not taking the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment unless the facilitator notifies GaVS
otherwise. For public school students enrolled in courses who may choose to take the Georgia
Milestone EOC assessment, the facilitator will receive an email during the semester with
information on how to notify GaVS of that intent. (Refer to the handbook section titled AP
Courses Georgia Milestone EOC Assessment Policy.)

Upon completion of the 2nd semester (B or AB course) of the above listed courses, public
school students are required to complete a Georgia Milestone End of Course assessment.
Beginning with summer semester 2014, public school students will take the Georgia Milestone
EOC assessment at their local school. Public school students should contact their facilitator to
determine when their school’s next Georgia Milestone EOC assessment administration date
will be held. If public school students enrolled in a Georgia Milestone EOC course have not
taken the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment or the facilitator has not reported the score to
GaVS, the pre-final course average will not be released. GaVS only releases final course
grades. Private, home school, and out of state students will be expected to take a final exam in
place of the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment.

For public school students who entered ninth grade for the first time before July 1, 2011, the
numeric score on the EOC assessment counts as 15% of the student’s final numeric grade in
the course. For public school students who entered ninth grade on or after July 1, 2011, the
numeric score on the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment counts as 20% of the student’s final
grade in the course. (State Board Rule 160-4-2-.13)

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A Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade may only count in one course. For example, a
student who takes the US History Georgia Milestone EOC assessment may not count that
Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade in both a US History course and also an AP US
History course. Also if a student is taking the course a second time, the first Georgia Milestone
EOC assessment score cannot be counted as the Georgia Milestone EOC assessment grade.

Non-public and out of state students are not required to take the Georgia Milestone EOC
assessment. Instead, those students will take a final exam inside the course. However, be
aware that if a non-public or out of state student transfers from a non-accredited program to a
Georgia public high school, all Georgia Milestone EOC assessments must be taken and
passed to receive credit for the course and meet graduation requirements

FINAL EXAMS

PROCTORING
Final exams are administered the last week of school according to the course schedule. Some
schools require that final exams be proctored. The support team maintains/updates the
Schools Requiring Proctoring document each semester. Reference that document for an up-to-
date list of the schools that require final exam proctoring.

SUBMITTING WORK PRIOR TO FINAL EXAM

At the end of the semester, all class work must be submitted prior to the time period the final
exam is available.

• If final exams begin Wednesday of the last week of school, all other assignments which
can still be accepted based on course schedule due dates, except the final exam, must
be submitted by Tuesday of the last week of school.
• If final exams begin Thursday of the last week of school, all other assignments which
can still be accepted based on course schedule due dates, except the final exam, must
be submitted by Wednesday of the last week of school.

CONTACTING NON-COMPLETERS
If a student has not taken the final exam by 5 pm Thursday, the teacher should contact the
student and parents by phone no later than noon on Friday and send a follow up email as a
reminder. The call and email must be documented in the communication log.

EARLY RELEASE OF FINAL EXAMS

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Students are required to take an assessment (final exam or EOC) at the end of each GaVS
course. The dates for all final exams are posted on the main GaVS website under Important
Dates a semester ahead of schedule, and EOC assessments are scheduled at the student’s
local school. All students are expected to take the GaVS final exam on the scheduled dates.

Should a student have a medical emergency, bereavement, or religious holiday conflicting with
the scheduled date of GaVS final exams, a student may request an alternate testing date. The
student must contact the instructor of the course immediately, complete the early final exam
request form, and provide appropriate documentation supporting the request. A GaVS
administrator will review the request within 24 hours, and approval/denial notification will be
sent to the student, facilitator and parent. If an early exam request is approved, the student is
expected to take the exam on the approved date or a zero will be entered as the final exam
grade for the class. Please note that working ahead and completing required coursework early
is not sufficient reason for requesting an early final exam.

Teachers should never offer an early exam without permission from your Assistant Supervisor
of Instruction.

• During the fall and spring semesters, if a student has demonstrated that he/she has
mastered the material, or the teacher feels the student is ready for the exam earlier than
the scheduled exam days, the final exam may be taken early as long as the below
guidelines/terms are followed, and the request has been approved. Early final exam
requests must be made three school days prior to the date of the requested exam date.
Also, requests must be received three school days prior to the advertised final exam
date(s).
• During the summer semester, early final exams will not be approved unless there is a
medical emergency, bereavement, or religious holiday that conflicts with the scheduled
exam date. Please do not offer early final exams to summer school students.

Parents, students, or facilitators are responsible for completing the Early Final Exam Request
form and must agree to the guidelines/terms noted below. If a student, parent, or facilitator
asks about the possibility of taking the final exam early, the person receiving the request
(teacher, ASI, or Support Team) should provide the link to the request form. When the request
is submitted, the ASIs will receive notification of the request and contact the teacher to
approve or deny the request.

Guidelines/Terms for Early Exam:

• The school facilitator must approve the early exam date.

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 • The student should have completed all course assignments and assessments prior to
taking the final exam. A grade of zero will be entered for any assignment or
assessment that is not submitted before taking the final exam.
• Early final exam requests must be made three school days prior to the date of the
requested exam date.
• Requests must be received three school days prior to the advertised final exam date(s).
• The student will have only one attempt at the final exam and will not be allowed to
“retake” it at the scheduled date.
• The final exam will not be graded, and the final course grade will not be released until
official grades are released after the semester ends.
• The teacher should provide clear guidance in writing to the student, parent, and
facilitator regarding availability of the exam.
• Enter all information in the communication log for this student.
• If the request is approved, the teacher should conditionally release the final exam to
allow the student to take the exam on agreed upon date.
• Let the Assistant Supervisor of Instruction know once the conditional release settings
have been set up and is ready for the student.

EXTENSIONS ON TIME TO COMPLETE THE COURSE

The purpose of an extension at the end of the semester is to allow students more time to
complete the last week’s work and/or final exams. Extensions will not be honored for students
to complete work that has not been completed during the semester and teachers should NOT
offer this as an alternative for students.

SENIOR FINAL EXAMS

Many school systems provide “senior privileges” for their graduating seniors. One of the most
popular privileges is to exempt final exams with a certain course average. Because we serve a
very diverse student population across many school districts, GAVS does not follow the policy
of any school system with regards to final exams. It is GAVS policy that all students will
complete the objective final exam according to our timeline and procedures. If a student,
parent, or facilitator asks an instructor to apply their local school policy, please direct these
inquiries to the Instructional Lead Teacher.

END OF SEMESTER

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 DROPPING GRADES

At the end of the semester, it is sometimes an option to drop the lowest grades for all students
in a course. It is not required but is an option. Since dropping grades is optional, teachers
should not discuss this information with the students or stakeholders.

Teachers should follow the guidelines below:

• No grades should be dropped until the course closes.

• Teachers are allowed to drop 1 grade for every 5 grades in a grade category.

• Teachers may drop up to 3 grades per segment. A segment is a half Carnegie

unit course. That means a half-unit course (A or B) can have up to 3 grades dropped.
A full unit (AB) course can have up to 6 grades dropped.

Instruction on how to drop grades can be found by clicking on this link.

ENTERING FINAL GRADES

Instructors should follow the timeline provided in the Teacher Forum. The timeline and videos
are found in the Grading 101 Reporting module under Teaching/Semester Wrap Up.

SCHOOL GRADE REPORTING

According to State Board Rules, schools are required to transcribe the numerical grade that
Georgia Virtual School provides. We do not assign letter grades. This includes AP courses so
even if a school typically awards bonus points for an AP course, for Georgia Virtual School AP
courses, they should transcribe the grade we assign. It is not the responsibility of the teacher
to enforce this policy. If a teacher receives a question or complaint in this area that he or she
is not comfortable addressing, it may be forwarded to the Instructional Lead Teacher.

INFORMATION REQUESTS: GRADES

At the end of the semester, schools often request information from GAVS requiring a report of
the grade items. If this request is made during the active term, you should refer the requester
to utilize their grades tab (for students), facilitator view or parent auditor account (whichever is

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appropriate). If an instructor receives a request for a complete or partial listing of grades after
the course is closed to students, please direct this request to the Assistant Supervisor of
Instruction. If you are not able to resolve a grade dispute after the semester ends, forward the
requests to your Instructional Lead Teacher.

INFORMATION REQUESTS: RELEASE FINAL EXAM/TESTS

Due to the nature of online courses and test security, we do not release final exams or tests to
students and parents. Teachers should not change quiz or test settings to allow students to
view all questions on a test or quiz. To maintain test/quiz integrity within our courses, students
should only be allowed to view questions answered incorrectly. Please do not release all test
or quiz questions to students in order to review for the final exam. Also, we do not release final
exams or course materials after the course has been closed.

BRIGHTSPACE TROUBLESHOOTING

If students report problems or instructors are experiencing problems regarding the learning
management system, please report these directly to the Instructional Lead Teacher.

STUDENT AW ARDS

Teachers can nominate students and are encouraged to do so. A list of them is maintained
here. Teachers who wish to nominate a student for the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP)
should contact the local GHP Coordinator where the student resides. This applies even to
home school students. A list of the GHP Coordinators is available on the DOE website.

HUMAN RESOURCES

DOE Human Resources, 404-656-2510

• Denise Peterson, Director of Human Resources; dpeterso@doe.k12.ga.us

• Sylvia Phillips, Assistant Director of Human Resources; sphillip@doe.k12.ga.us; (404)

651-7566
• Crystal Albright, HR Generalist – recruitment; calbright@doe.k12.ga.us

FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT AT A GEORGIA PUBLIC SCHOOL

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Teachers who are employed full-time at a Georgia public high school may not use time during
the regular school day to do Georgia Virtual School work. This includes the entire teacher work
day, not just actual class time. For example, if a teacher’s hours at school are 7am to 3pm, that
teacher cannot do Georgia Virtual School work during that time.

FULL-TIME INSTRUCTOR PAID TIME OFF POLIC Y

Updated: January 14, 2019

Full-time staff accrue paid time-off for vacation (annual leave) and sick days (sick leave). Full-
time instructors are strongly encouraged to limit the use of annual leave for the purpose of
vacations to non-instructional days only. Requests for annual leave to be taken during school
days must be approved in writing by a supervisor, and should be limited to rare occasions and
to situations where the necessary leave dates are out of the instructor’s control (ie. to attend
the graduation of self or an immediate family member, to enroll a child in school or college, to
observe a religious holiday, or to attend a wedding of an immediate family member). Requests
for Annual leave to be taken on non-instructional days must still be approved in writing, but
may generally be taken at the instructor’s discretion as long as the instructor has the
necessary amount of annual leave accrued.

PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING VACATION/LEAVE REQUEST:

Login to Georgia Virtual School’s O365 domain and complete the steps outlined on the
Vacation/Leave Request site.

For leave policy information, reference GADOE Internal Leave Policies.

When a salaried instructor is using accrued leave, the below substitute policy should be
followed.

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 SUBSTITUTE TEACHER POLICY

If a teacher is going to be unable to perform his or her services due to medical or physical
health reasons for one day, a substitute is not required. However, you must complete the
steps outlined on the Vacation/Leave Request site. Additionally, students should be made
aware of the absence and be given contact information for emergency situations, and an out of
office automatic reply which includes the substitute teacher’s contact information should be
placed on your email account.

SUBSTITUTE POLICY AND RESPONSIBILIITES – TWO DAYS

If a teacher is unable to perform required teaching duties for two days, a substitute must be
obtained to cover the course for the two-day period. Teachers are responsible for finding a co-
worker willing to cover the course. Instructional Lead Teachers should be notified of the dates
of absence and who is covering the course. Salaried teachers may only have other salaried
teachers cover their courses. Less than part-time instructors can utilize either other less than
part-time instructors or salaried ones to cover their courses.

Substitute’s responsibilities:

• The substitute should post an announcement in the course with contact information
including email address and phone number.
• The substitute must monitor new discussions to ensure no inappropriate posts occur.
• The substitute should address student issues over email and copy the instructor on all
responses.

SUBSTITUTE POLICY AND RESPONSIBILITIES - THREE OR MORE SCHOOL DAYS

Absences of three or more school days require a substitute. Only less than part-time
instructors may serve as substitutes. Teachers should find their own substitute when possible.
The Instructional Lead Teacher must be notified of dates of absence, reason for absence, and
who the substitute is.

A substitute teacher should follow the same policies and procedures as the primary classroom
teacher. Substitute’s responsibilities:

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 • The substitute should post an announcement in the course with contact information
including email address and phone number.
• The substitute must monitor new discussions to ensure no inappropriate posts occur.
• The substitute should address student issues over email and copy the instructor on all
responses.
• Return any phone calls received by students and notify the instructor of the reason and
outcome of the phone conversation.
• Assignments should be graded and correspondence replied to within the designated
time-lines.
• When needed, the substitute should post news items and conduct synchronous learning
sessions.
• On Thursday after an assignment due date deadline, the substitute teacher should enter
zeros for any missing work and phone parents of failing students. Notify the ASI when
grades are updated and ready for progress reports to be submitted. The ASIs will
submit the progress reports. (Updated April 2017)
Please remember that when a zero is assigned for a missing assignment, in the feedback for
the assignment, teachers must note:

1. The original due date for the assignment

2. Details of the GaVS late work policy
3. The last date by which the student can turn in the assignment for a late grade

Failure to follow these requirements may be reflected on the substitute teacher’s evaluation
and may affect future teaching assignments.

LESS THAN PART-TIME STAFF COMPENSATION/REDUCTION RATE FOR SUBSTITUTE

TEACHER

Compensation for Two School Days:

# of Segments Rate of Substitute Pay Per Day

1-50 $20

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 51-100 $40

101-150 $60

151-200 $80

Compensation for Three or More School Days:

# of Segments Rate of Substitute Pay Per Day

1-50 $30

51-100 $60

101-150 $90

151-200 $120

*Substitute pay cannot exceed undispersed pay for classes requiring a substitute.

SALARIED EMPLOYEE NON-INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS

Salaried employees should document work completed on non-instructional days using this
GADOE Salaried Employee Duties - Non–Instruction Days form.

NOTIFICATION REQUIRE MENTS W HEN UNABLE TO COMPLETE TEACHING

ASSIGNMENTS

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While teaching, personal issues can arise that make it difficult or impossible to finish teaching
a course. When these issues arise, it is important to immediately discuss them with your
Instructional Lead Teacher. Written notice should be provided at least 30 days prior to the
date when a teacher will no longer be able to complete the duties assigned. When this written
notification is made, pay for a partially completed semester will be calculated at the standard
pay rates based on the average daily enrollment during the time that the teacher was
performing the assigned teaching duties.

If 30 days written notice is not provided, the teacher may forfeit all pay for the semester.
Failure to complete a teaching assignment may lead to reassignment of other teaching
assignments in the same semester and in future semesters.

TEACHER LIABILITY

Georgia Virtual School is a program of the Georgia Department of Education. Staff and
contractors who follow school policies and have legal issues arise in relation to those policies
will have those issues handled by the department’s legal services. Teachers interested in
additional protection can elect to join the Professional Association of Georgia Educators at
http://www.pageinc.org.

GEORGIA EMPLOYEE SELF-SERVICE

This system will be used to view pay stubs as well as update employee information such as
your mailing address and direct deposit information.

• If you have turned in your information to enroll in direct deposit, please keep in mind
that the system will do a pre-note with your bank to ensure correct deposits of your pay.
• The first payment will be paper check and will be mailed to your home address. It could
take 7-10 business days to receive the check.
• Your next payment will be direct deposit.
• If your direct deposit information is updated after the first paper check, the next payment
will be a paper check because the system will need to do a pre-note with your new bank
to ensure correct deposits of your pay.
• Once direct deposit starts you will no longer receive a pay stub, you will need to log into
Employee Self Service to review your pay stubs.
• Here is the link to the Employee Self Service website:
https://hcm.teamworks.georgia.gov/psp/empl/?cmd=login
• Once on the site you will need to enter your Employee ID Number (must be eight digits
so enter leading zeros but do not include “E”) as your User ID and your initial password
will be your social security number (without the dashes). The system will then prompt
you to answer security questions and change your password.

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 ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR INVOICE/PAYMENT SCHEDULE

• Adjunct teacher invoices will be created and released twice Fall and Spring semester
and once Summer semester.
o Fall – September and November
o Spring – February and April
o Summer – June

• Teachers are paid based upon their average daily enrollment (ADE). Payment is based
on the semester class enrollment and is not guaranteed.
o Fall semester
▪ October 15 - 1st ⅓ of pay based upon ADE
▪ December 15 - remaining ⅔ of pay based upon ADE (ADE minus first 1/3
paid)
o Spring semester
▪ March 15 - 1st ⅓ of pay based upon ADE
▪ May 15 - remaining ⅔ of pay based upon ADE (ADE minus first 1/3 paid)
o Summer semester
▪ July 15 - full summer payment

TEAM W ORK TRAVEL EXPENSE SYSTEM

Approved travel reimbursement requests are submitted using the Teamwork Travel Expense
(Concur) system. Below are the steps employees will follow to obtain a vendor ID and request
access to the system.

Follow the New State of Georgia Travelers instructions to ensure you understand the process
for obtaining a vendor ID and requesting access to the system.

New State of GA Travelers **START HERE**

HOW DO I OBTAIN MY VENDOR ID?

Employees requiring a Vendor ID to receive expense reimbursement can now request a

Vendor ID and those with an existing Vendor ID can update personal and bank account

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information in the Employee Expense Reimbursement module in Employee Self Service (ESS)
totally online.

Complete instructions to request a Vendor ID or to update banking information for Employee

Expense Reimbursements is available on the SAO website click here: ESS Employee
Expense Reimbursement Job Aid.

You will receive immediate notification via email.

HOW DO I REQUEST ACCESS TO THE TTE SYSTEM?

To request access to the TeamWorks Travel and Expense (TTE) system complete the
Teamworks Travel and Expense Request Access Form on the SAO website click here:
Teamworks Travel and Expense Request Access Form

After your request to access the TTE system is processed, you will receive an email which will
contain your login credentials.

WHAT LINK IS USED TO ACCESS THE TTE SYSTEM?

• Click this link to access the TTE Online Booking Tool website

Username: VendorID@sog.ga.gov ((must be eight digits so enter leading zeros

but do not include “E”)

• Click this link to access GA Travel & Expense (TTE/Concur)

Username: VendorID@sog.ga.gov (must be eight digits so enter leading zeros

but do not include “E”)

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 SUPPORT/REFERENCE MATERIALS

• GAVS Concur Travel Instructions

• State Travel Policy

• Basic Training Webinar Series

• Travel Related Links & Resources

• TTE System User Reference Guide 2017

• Manual Expense Form/Spreadsheet – Only use if issue with Concur account

GEORGIA LIABILITY INSURANCE IDENTIFICATION CARD

State of Georgia Government or State employees are required to have a copy of the Georgia
Liability Insurance Identification Card while operating a vehicle within the scope and course of
employment. Print a copy of the FY19 Automobile Liability Insurance Card and have it in any
vehicle that you may be driving while conducting business for the state.

Please remember that this is only liability coverage to protect others should you cause them
any harm. If you drive your personal vehicle while conducting business for the state your
personal auto insurance pays for any damage to your vehicle if you are at fault. The State
coverage pays the other party if you are at fault. Cars rented through one of the approved
statewide rental contracts should have the same liability card with you when conducting
business for the state.

DON’T FORGET, should any damage occur while driving a rental car and you are running a

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personal errand the bill is on you. You will have to pay out of pocket for any damages caused
by you.

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