FAQs
Courses and Instruction FAQs
Does online learning in an independent study format work well?
Yes. For many students, independent online learning is an excellent option. While not all students feel comfortable speaking up in a traditional classroom setting, each student deserves the chance to share thoughts and get helpful feedback from teachers and advisors. Insight School of Oklahoma (ISOK) offers an environment where this can happen at each student's pace and when they can focus best.
What roles do teachers play?
ISOK teachers play a central role in your student's education. ISOK trains experienced Oklahoma-certified teachers in online teaching techniques to create an environment where students feel engaged, empowered, and challenged. Our teachers know how to connect and inspire, and they're dedicated to helping each student succeed. They're able to spend less time on classroom management and more time on teaching, mentoring, and engaging with students, so they can build one-to-one relationships with them and understand and respond to their individual needs. ISOK teachers also answer day-to-day questions and assess student performance through assignments, exams, and quizzes.
Do your courses require textbooks?
Some courses do require textbooks, but most textbooks are electronic. ISOK provides required books to all students.
How do you teach lab courses like biology or chemistry?
The content component and structure of our biology and chemistry courses are the same as for our other courses. We make use of the latest technologies to enable students to participate in virtual labs and dissections.
How do you satisfy the physical fitness requirement?
Being successful at ISOK involves staying active both inside and outside the classroom. We have a set of courses that teach and emphasize individual physical fitness and nutrition. These courses require students to perform fitness activities and measure and report on their individual fitness as they complete individual physical fitness exercises.
Are there assignments and due dates?
Like a traditional full-time public school, ISOK encourages students to develop responsibility for their academic progress. That means there are assignments, due dates, and deadlines. While some of what we do is more flexible in terms of the times and the places students do their work, we also make sure that parents and teachers are involved to help students progress through coursework in a timely manner.
How do you prevent students from cheating?
ISOK takes academic integrity very seriously, and we have a number of methods to prevent plagiarism and inappropriate collaboration. We use several online tools designed specifically to identify plagiarism. Our online quizzes and exams require special passwords. Our online quiz technology can detect when a student is copying from another student.
A more subjective, but no less effective, tool for identifying cheating is the teacher's knowledge of the student's ability, past work, and verbal "print." Keeping in mind that much of the relationship with the student is built via written word, a student's "word print" is as unique and identifiable in an online classroom as a student's face is in an in-person classroom.
Although no school—online or otherwise—can guarantee 100 percent academic honesty, we've taken robust and reasonable measures to monitor student activities and to identify cheating when it happens. Instances of academic dishonesty are dealt with immediately and in accordance with school policy. Prior to enrolling, students and their parents are required to read, agree with, and sign an academic honesty policy.
How do parents stay involved?
We know that, if possible, parental interest and involvement can play a key role in student success. We strongly encourage parents to support their student in their studies, keep informed of their progress, and encourage them to stay on top of their work. Parents are provided access to up-to-date information about their student's progress throughout the year via regular communication from the teacher and school.
We also recognize that as students enter their high school years, they often seek to become more independent. Our high school program is designed to support exploration of that independence, while still providing necessary guidance, support, and expertise for both parents and students through our Family Support Team.
How do parents get information/progress reports?
Parents are provided access to our learning management system and can enter the online system at any point with a username and password. Grades are updated weekly. ISOK teachers are also available to consult with parents by email or telephone. And, of course, parents always have access to their student's progress and report cards each month and can view lessons, student log-in activity, class calendars, etc.
What support do you offer students?
Beyond the ongoing support offered by our teachers every day in class, ISOK supports today's students with a host of innovative programs, including a Social and Emotional Learning program, a remediation program, and much more.
Do I have to be home while my child is doing schoolwork?
No. Although your student will benefit from your encouragement and knowing that you care about their progress, ISOK teachers and staff are available for problem-solving and support even when you're away. One benefit of our program is that your student can study at their own time, place, and pace, even when you can't be there.
Do ISOK credits transfer to other schools if needed?
Because ISOK is a public school, our courses and the credits earned are transferable.
Does ISOK offer summer school courses?
Not currently, but we're considering offering a summer program in the future.
Are Child Find services available?
All public schools are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) to identify, locate, and evaluate students who may demonstrate disabilities through the Child Find process. The intent of Child Find is that all children ages 3–21 with disabilities are located, identified, and evaluated in order to receive needed supports and services.
As public School, ISOK provides a Free Appropriate Public Education to children ages 3–21, including those children who qualify for special education services unless the parent refuses special education services. In order for a child to receive intervention or special education services, an evaluation must be conducted to confirm the presence of a delay or disability.
ISOK provides specialized programming through specially trained teachers to provide education-related services for children with disabilities. Supports are provided in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and range from mild and moderate to significantly more involved supports for each of the following disabilities as defined by the State of Oklahoma:
- Autism
- Developmental Delay
- Deaf-Blindness
- Emotional Disturbance
- Hearing Impairment, Including Deafness
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orthopedic Impairments
- Other Health Impairments
- Specific Learning Disability
- Speech or Language Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Visual Impairment Including Blindness
If through Child Find activities, a child is identified as possibly having a disability and needing special education services, ISOK may seek parent consent to evaluate the child. All such evaluations will be conducted in compliance with applicable federal and state law and regulations. Parents must report that their child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) during the enrollment process. Please contact ISOK Special Services to report students who may be in need these specialized educational and/or related services.
What are my rights as a parent of a child with special needs?
Parent Rights and Procedural Safeguards
Parents and guardians of children eligible for or currently receiving special education services have certain rights according to state and federal laws. For more information on parent rights in special education, a copy of the Oklahoma State Department of Education Parent Rights in Special Education and Notice of Procedural Safeguards is available on the State of Oklahoma website.
Parent Revocation of Consent for Services Under the IDEA
The parent of a child with a disability who receives special education and/or related services under the IDEA may submit a written request to the district revoking consent for the continued provision of those services. Upon receipt of the written revocation request, ISOK will follow a procedure consistent with legal requirements to terminate all of the child’s special education and related services and identify the child as a general education student for all purposes.
Does ISOK follow FERPA?
Yes. ISOK may disclose personally identifiable information from a student's education record as instructed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Visit the U.S. Department of Education website for an inclusive list of FERPA rights.
