MODELS OF ENROLLMENT

There are three possible outcomes of DE student enrollment. In all cases, a Distance Learning Plan is required.

Self-Contained

A self-contained model of student enrollment occurs when the student participates in a distance education program provided by the resident district. The student may be taking a supplemental course or enrolling as a fulltime student. In this event, no MOU will be required since the student’s resident district and the program provider (or nonresident district) are the same entity. 

A few examples of a distance education student enrolled in self-contained courses include: 

• A student participating in a DE laboratory environment will regularly attend class at the local school but the course is delivered by an instructor separated from them by either time or space. Although this student may be tracked through the use of a traditional attendance system, distance education students attendance and membership are calculated through the completion of the Milestones outlined in the Distance Learning Plan.
• A hybrid distance education student will sometimes attend class in the regular brick-and-mortar environment while having the flexibility to continue the coursework at a distance.
• A pure distance education student will progress through the coursework completely at a distance without being required to physically attend class in the traditional brick-and-mortar environment. Please note this applies to the individual course. A student may take some of the courses in a traditional class while other courses may be completely at a distance.

Partnership

In the partnership model, a student enrolls in one or more distance education courses delivered by an instructor employed by another Wyoming school district, community college, the University of Wyoming, or out-of-state institution. 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is required to outline how educational support will be provided to the student, describe any required training, and determine the fees associated with the DE course(s) taken.

For all partnership enrollments, a student maintains membership in the resident district. The student’s average daily membership (ADM) and adequate yearly progress (AYP) are maintained at the student’s resident district.

Fulltime Transfer

A resident district may withdraw a student from its membership so that the student can enroll as a fulltime student in a distance education program provided by another Wyoming school district. In this case, the student is counted among the membership of the nonresident school district providing the distance education program. The student’s adequate yearly progress (AYP) is also counted towards the nonresident district providing the DE program.

If a student participates in another school district’s distance education program as a fulltime transfer enrollment, the nonresident district must (1) formally document the transfer and request of student records by sending written notification to the student’s resident district and (2) immediately notify the student’s resident district in writing if the student withdraws.

The Wyoming Department of Education does not recommend this course of action as this model may not be necessary or in the best interest of the student. In this model, the distance education student does not have immediate access to the local schools’ resources and support. Also, if the student finds that distance education is not appropriate for their learning style, no alternative options for instruction are available from the nonresident district due to the geographic separation.

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