Albany Online

The Albany Online Program at a Glance:

As a program of the Greater Albany Public School District, Albany Online uses K¹²/STRIDE curriculum to offer students in grades K-12 an exceptional learning experience. Through individualized learning approaches, Albany Online provides the tools students need to succeed—in school and beyond.  You cannot enroll with Albany Online by contacting K12/STRIDE directly. Enrollments are all handled locally, through the Albany Online office staff, in order to provide the best service and accurate information for each family.

To contact Albany Online, call 541-967-4607 or email:  Albany.Online@albany.k12.or.us 

Here’s why families have chosen Albany Online for their students:

• National accredited and individualized K¹² curriculum. Based on decades of education research, this curriculum packages high-quality lessons with mastery-based assessments, ensuring that students achieve success at each and every level.
• Tuition-free public education that provides a rigorous curriculum and large variety of core and elective classes.
• Nationally qualified and Oregon certified Middle School and High School teachers virtually provide individualized  tutorials and supplemental learning aids to assist students in meeting their goals. The Elementary program offers a local GAPS teacher to assist you and your student both virtually and in person.
• Guardians enjoy serving as the primary learning coach for their students!  You will see, experience, and even re-learn skills when coaching your student each day.  It’s a big job, but a very rewarding and inclusive opportunity for you and your student.
• Convenience! Online classes are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week from  any location with internet/wi-fi access.
• Kindergarten through fifth grade students will receive online planning and assessment tools, resources and hands-on materials such as textbooks, science kits, maps, and beautifully illustrated classic children’s storybooks. Our younger students practice skills by doing hands-on work, using high quality materials.  Students in K-5 typically need less than 3-4 hours of screen time per day to complete assignments. The younger your  student is, the less screentime required.
• Middle and High school students will receive courses that lead to graduation credits and are scheduled in a way that closely mirror the neighborhood school schedules.  Students may choose to enroll for a DUAL enrollment, which allows classes at their GAPS school and some classes with Albany Online.  Dual enrollment must be approved by the School building Administration.
• Albany Online high school students, that meet the graduation requirements for GAPS, will earn an accredited diploma through their assigned HS.
• A wide variety of courses are offered, thus allowing students to work at varying grade levels to fit their particular needs.
• This program allows students to create their own schedules, meeting the needs of medical and mental health issues, athletic competitions, or other situations that are difficult to address in a traditional in-person setting.

How Does It Work?

Albany Online contracts with  K¹² /STRIDE, a company based out of Virginia and revered for rigorous Online curricula  for more than  25 years. They provide courses and teachers that meet or exceed the Oregon Department of Education requirements for all classes. Learning can happen at home, on the road, or wherever an internet connection can be found. While attendance, teacher interaction, and daily lessons are conducted online, students in K-5 will have lessons that use physical materials and offline tools as well.  Elementary students will also experience optional virtual group connects with peers each week , field trips, and monthly one on one meetings with a local GAPS teacher. Elementary courses are year-long courses that are completed to the mastery level.

For middle and high school students, Albany Online offers semester long courses with all materials embedded into the virtual courses.  Whether targeting a top-tier, 4-year university, a local community college, or an immediate career, Albany Online prepares students to maximize their post-high school success. Online teachers are provided for each course and resources are available for students if they find themselves struggling with a content area.

Learning Coaches

All Albany Online students must have a Learning Coach. The Learning Coach is typically a guardian, an adult relative, an academic tutor, etc.  The Learning Coach is a CRUCIAL piece in the success of students taking Online classes. Learning coaches help to structure their students schedules, check on their progress and grades in each class, consult with teachers if the student is struggling, and are the contact responsible for attendance of the student.

Elementary Learning Coaches are very involved and should count on spending 3-5 hours per day assisting their K-5th grade students.

Middle School Learning Coaches will find themselves very involved at the beginning of their students enrollment.  Students will need help with navigation of the platform, making and following their schedules for each class, and following up on assignments being turned in and grades received. The online teachers provide great, extensive feedback on assignments if the student needs to re-work an assignment for a better grade. Learning Coaches are the cheerleaders and the enforcers for all aspects of the online process for their student.

High School Learning Coaches also need to be involved in getting their student started by providing a list of clear expectations for grades, progress rates, and a schedule for completing work. Weekly follow up on grades and progress is highly recommended for HS Learning Coaches.

All Learning Coaches have access to their students grades and progress through a separate account within the AOL program. Accounts update nightly. Accurate information is at your fingertips at all times. You can see log-in times, assignment submission times, grades and comments for everything your student completes.

Individualized Learning, Public School Accountability

In addition to providing individualized learning, as an online public school program, Albany Online provides the structure, administrative support, oversight, accountability, and state testing required of all public school students.

Albany Online Immunization Rates

• Immunization Rates

2024-25 School Year Enrollment

If you are interested in enrolling or in gathering  information for the 2024-25 school year, please call Albany Online at 541-967-4607 or email:  Sheryl.Clemetsen@albany.k12.or.us 

Eligibility Requirements

Students in grades K-12 are eligible for this program. If your student lives within the Greater Albany School District  boundaries, you will need to enroll through your local neighborhood school, and indicate that you have an interest in Albany Online (AOL).  If you live outside the district, you will need to secure an inter-district transfer approval. For transfer information please visit the Transfer page (Families > Information > Transfer requests, or linked directly here).

All online students are required to have a Learning Coach, someone that will assist the student with technology issues as well as assist the student with their curriculum. The Learning Coach also assists the student in meeting deadlines and attendance requirements.  The Learning Coach may be the student’s guardian, an adult relative or an instructional tutor. Student’s success in the online program relies heavily on the Learning Coach’s involvement from enrollment to completion of the courses.

Albany Online families must provide internet access, at their home, for their student to complete the online classes. If you do not have an active internet service, please contact the FACT office (541-924-3720) for assistance and resources to help you secure internet BEFORE enrolling with AOL. All GAPS students qualify for a loaner computer which may be checked out from your neighborhood school or through Albany Online. Cell phones and tablets are not suggested and do not meet the technology needs to complete the online curriculum. Any laptop, desktop, or Chromebook will work with the online curriculum.

Students receiving Special Education services or ELD services are eligible to enroll with Albany Online. Services for IEP’s and ELL will be provided at the school sites and parents are responsible for transporting their students to receive those services.

GAPS students enrolled with Albany Online are eligible for all extra-curricular activities offered by their neighborhood school. Parents must coordinate with the school’s administration.

How to register?

To register  for the 2024/2025 school year, please visit the GAPS enrollment page for registration instructions. All students desiring enrollment with Albany Online must enroll through their neighborhood school first. Parents can then indicate an interest to enroll with Albany Online when attending the registration day scheduled in August. Students may enroll as full-time students or dual enrollment students. Dual enrollment allows the student to take classes at both their in-person school and online. Please talk with your neighborhood school administration or counselors to work out a schedule that best fits your student’s needs.

Enrollment into Albany Online  is a semester long commitment and will result in a letter grade that appears on the student’s report card.  Enrollment into AOL and return to in-person classes from AOL will occur only at the quarter or semester breaks.

Sheryl Clemetsen
Online Learning Specialist
541-967-4607
Email
336 9th Ave. SW
Albany, OR  97321

Wendy Marks
Office Manager / Registrar / Records 
541-924-3625
541-924-3759
Email
336 9th Ave. SW
Albany, OR  97321

Individualized Curriculum

Albany Online uses individualized curriculum from K¹² for grades K-5 and FuelEd for grades 6-8 and 9-12, which is based on decades of education research about how minds really work. With courses in core subjects, the curriculum was designed to let kids find the learning style that works best for them. The curriculum is wrapped in rich, engaging content that turns minds on—the minds that usually wander when traditional classes are too slow, the minds that get lost in the shuffle, the minds that need a little more time.

At Albany Online, we believe that all children deserve to learn without limits.