Where can I see the courses offered by each vendor?
Go to the course guide page, where you’ll find links to our partner vendors and their course catalogs.
How do I withdraw my child from Berks Online Learning?
To withdraw from Berks Online Learning, please contact a representative of your child’s school. Please visit the school contacts page to view a list of school district contacts and their email addresses.
Does my child need to take the PSSA tests?
Yes, all BOL students will be required to take the same state-mandated exams as their brick-and-mortar peers at their local school. This includes PSSAs in grades 3, 4, 5, 8, and 11, as well as the Keystone Exams. You will be contacted by your district to make arrangements to come into the school for testing arrangements.
What if my child has an IEP?
If a student enrolled in courses through Berks Online Learning (BOL) has an IEP, the accommodations and IEP recommendations will need to be monitored through personnel at the home school district. Students will either be monitored by a teacher of record through the school district or the district will contract with an outside agency to ensure all IEP recommendations are being met. If there are any questions about this, please contact Marcelle McGhee at 610-898-8950 or send email to marmcg@berksiu.org.
ATTENDANCE
Must I report in when my child is sick?
Yes. Attendance is tracked daily, so if your child is sick, please call Berks Online Learning at 610-898-8950 or send an email to BOLinfo@berksiu.org.
How are vacation days reported?
Students follow their local school district’s calendars. For a copy of your child’s school calendar, please visit the school district website. Students do not need to contact Berks Online Learning to report vacation days on their local school calendars. Vacation days outside of the local school calendar must be reported to Berks Online Learning by calling 610-898-8950 or by sending an email to BOLinfo@berksiu.org.
If the online vendor does not follow the same holiday schedule as your local school district and expects your child to complete assignments on a day on which your child would not be present, please contact the online vendor teachers to let them know that your child will not be present because of the holiday your family will be observing.
How much time should my child spend online?
In order to complete all the coursework in their daily assignment calendar, students should expect to spend at least 1 hour in each course, 5 days per week. For example if a student has five courses, that student is expected to spend at least 5 hours every day completing schoolwork. At the end of the week the student is expected to have completed 25 hours of school work.
How is attendance monitored?
Each student is expected to log into his/her coursework five days a week, at whichever times and on whichever days are appropriate for that student. The program allows flexibility and autonomy for each student/family to decide what schedule works best for them. One requirement we have is that students must be logged into their student account and completing work at least five days per week. We will contact the school liaison with any attendance concerns and our plan for following up with the family.
When must work be completed?
All courses are semester-based courses, so to acquire full credit in any core subject area, the student needs to complete both parts of the course. Please check the Berks Online Learning calendar for semester dates. All coursework must be complete by that date before the student may move on to the next semester’s coursework.
Please note for graduating seniors, school districts will set semester dates by which all grades must be submitted in order for senior level students to qualify for graduation. Deadline extensions must be approved by the school district liaison.
What happens if my child does not log into their courses and complete work?
Attendance in the BOL program is a student’s obligation and responsibility. A student who abuses the attendance policy cannot be expected to do well in school.
Please read the Berks Online Learning attendance policy here.
GRADING
How do I see my child’s grades?
Parents can login to their child’s online account to view their child’s grade book. Parents may also request a progress report from Berks Online Learning. Click here to send an email request: BOLinfo@berksiu.org.
Is my child “on track” to complete all course work by the set deadlines?
All vendors provide a course tracking tool in each student’s online account. For directions on how to use a specific vendor’s tool, contact that vendor’s Help Desk or send an email request to Berks Online Learning at BOLinfo@berksiu.org.
How does my child get a report card?
Report cards are distributed by the home school district. Please contact the school district for its report card schedule. Please visit the school contacts page to view a list of school district contacts and their email addresses.
What if my child does not finish their work by the semester deadline?
If a student does not complete the work of the first semester, that student may be allowed to complete the course with a new imposed deadline appropriate to the percentage of completion established. An academic improvement plan would be generated for the student with the new deadline and outlining the consequences of incomplete coursework. One consequence would be the completion of summer school. The student would be required to attend the home school district’s summer school in order to make up the failed coursework credit or retake the online course, and the cost of the course would be the responsibility of the student and parent/guardian.
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
If my child graduates or withdraws from the program, where do I return the equipment?
Upon graduation or withdrawal from the Berks Online Learning program, the equipment issued to each Berks Online Learning student must be returned. . The first step in the process is to contact the Berks Online Learning program office at 610-898-8950 to notify us of your child’s withdrawal.
If a student should decide to withdraw from the Berks Online Learning program within the first 30 days of enrollment, the BOL Technology Package (laptop, printer, etc.) issued to the Berks Online Learning student must be returned within 14 days of withdrawal to the Berks County Intermediate Unit. After 30 days of enrollment the equipment must be returned to the guidance counselor at the local school district. Please contact BOL for assistance with this process.
Whom should I contact if something is wrong with my child’s computer?
The first contact you should make is to the vendor help desk to make sure it is not an issue with the online vendor’s website. For a listing of those contacts, go to the Help Desk page.
If the problem is not a technical issue with the vendor but rather an equipment problem, Please contact BOL at BOLinfo@berksiu.org or call 610-898-8950. If either the laptop or the printer needs to be repaired, a loaner unit will be provided to the student upon return of the faulty equipment in order to provide uninterrupted access to the online content.