Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families 

www.wivirtualschoolfamilies.org  

Enrollment Information

For Virtual School Students 

February 1, 2010 

How do families who are interested in enrolling their children in virtual public charter schools in Wisconsin go about doing so?  This information sheet will help introduce families to the virtual school enrollment process.   

Please note:  We have made every effort to assure that the information in this information sheet is correct and is as current as possible at the time of writing.  However, circumstances may change.  In particular, some school districts may still be finalizing decisions about how they will structure their virtual school programs for the 2010-11 school year.  Please review the Department of Public Instruction web site carefully, please check with individual school districts for up-to-date information, and please contact the Department of Public Instruction with specific questions you may have. 

Also note:  In choosing whether to enroll their children in a virtual school, and in choosing which virtual school to select, parents should look closely at each school’s curriculum, staffing, policies and programming.  If you apply for a spot by February 19 of this year through the open enrollment program and your child is accepted, you have until June 11 to decide whether to enroll your child in a virtual school, and you can continue to gather information about schools up until that date.  However, if you fail to complete the open enrollment application by February 19, your child will be unable to attend a virtual school until the 2011-12 school year at the earliest.  Parents who want to keep their options open should apply to all the virtual schools (up to three) in which they are interested, and then continue to gather information before making a final decision later in the year. 

Inter-District Open Enrollment in Virtual Schools in Wisconsin 

• Most children who enroll in virtual public charter schools in Wisconsin do so through Wisconsin’s inter-district public school open enrollment program.
• This program allows parents to apply for their children to attend school in a district other than the one in which they reside. This is the method parents use to enroll their children in full-time virtual public charter schools located outside their home districts.
• As an example, a student whose family lives in Cross Plains may use the inter-district open enrollment program to enroll in the virtual school chartered by the McFarland School District, the Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA).

How and When Do Parents Apply Under the Open Enrollment Program? 

• The open enrollment application period for the 2010-11 school year runs from February 1, 2010 through February 19, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. 
• Please note that the deadline for applications of February 19 at 4:00 p.m. is a firm deadline and no extensions are granted.
• Please do not wait until the last minute to apply.  If you have questions, it may take some time to get answers.
• Parents may apply in two ways:
• Online, through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) web site.  This alternative is strongly recommended.  Online applications will be available as of February 1.
• By paper application, delivered so it arrives in the non-resident school district which hosts the virtual school before the end of the application period on February 19 at 4:00 p.m.

Intra-District Enrollment in Virtual Schools in Wisconsin 

• If a family lives in a district which operates a virtual school, it can enroll children in that virtual school through the district’s intra-district transfer program rather than through the statewide inter-district open enrollment program. 
• Information about intra-district transfer programs is available from each individual school district.
• As an example, a student whose family lives in the Grantsburg School District and who wants to attend the Insight School of Wisconsin chartered by the Grantsburg School District would use Grantsburg’s intra-district enrollment process.

Where Can I Get More Information about the Open Enrollment Program? 

• Detailed information about all aspects of the open enrollment process can be found on the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) web site, including:
• Informational brochure.
• Link to online application (available as of February 1).
• List of Frequently Asked Questions and answers.
• Contact information for DPI staff who can discuss the process in detail and answer questions.  The person to contact is Mary Jo Cleaver, who can be reached a tmaryjo.cleaver@dpi.wi.gov or (608)267-9101.  Please note that she receives hundreds of inquiries about the open enrollment process each month, so it may take some time after you contact her before she is able to respond. 
• To access this information, go to www.dpi.wi.gov and click on “Topics” at the top of the page, then click on “A – Z Topics,” then click on “Open Enrollment.”

Which Virtual Schools Are Open for Enrollment? 

• A list of all virtual public charter schools that are currently operating can be found on the DPI web site. 
• To access this information, go to www.dpi.wi.gov and click on “Topics” at the top of the page, then click on “A – Z Topics,” then click on “Virtual Schools.”
• The list of full-time virtual public charter schools includes schools operated by the following school districts which offer programs covering the following grades:
• Appleton  --  Grades K-12.  Grades K-8 are offered through the Wisconsin Connections Academy and grades 9-12 are offered through the Appleton eSchool.  See www.aasd.k12.wi.us and click on “Our Schools.”
• Grantsburg  --  Grades 9-12, offered through the Insight School of Wisconsin.  See www.insightwi.net .
• McFarland  --  Grades K-12, offered through the Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA).  See www.k12.com/wiva/home .
• Monroe  --  Grades 6-12.  Grades 6-8 are offered through the Monroe Virtual Middle School and grades 9-12 are offered through the Monroe Virtual High School.  See www.monroeschools.com and click on “Our Schools.”
• Northern Ozaukee  --  Grades K-12, offered through Wisconsin Virtual Learning (WVL).  See www.wisconsinvl.net .
• Waukesha  --  Grades 6-12, offered through iQ Academy Wisconsin.  See www.iqacademywi.com .
• Most of these schools are having open houses and demonstrations at many locations around the state during the February 1-19 open enrollment period.  Please check the web sites of the individual schools for details.
• Please note that the school districts listed above are the districts which have operated the largest virtual school programs in Wisconsin.  There are several other school districts or consortiums of districts which operate programs as well.  A complete list is available on the DPI web site.

Limit on Open Enrollment in Virtual Schools 

• The total number of students who can enroll in virtual schools statewide through the open enrollment process each year is capped at 5,250.
• If more than 5,250 students want to enroll in virtual schools in a given year, the ones who will be allowed to do so will be selected at random.
• Students who are already enrolled in a virtual school are guaranteed a spot in a virtual school in the succeeding year, even if they choose to transfer to a different virtual school.
• Siblings of current virtual school students are guaranteed spots in virtual schools, even if they choose to attend a different virtual school than their sibling attends.
• Enrollment in full-time virtual schools through the open enrollment process is approximately 3,635 for the 2009-10 school year.  (This is not the total number of students enrolled in full-time virtual schools, because students who enroll in virtual schools in their home districts rather than enrolling through the open enrollment process are not included in this count.) 

Questions and Answers about the Open Enrollment Process 

Since the open enrollment process can be complicated, questions often come up.  As mentioned, the DPI web site has a list of Frequently Asked Questions and answers, and families can call Mary Jo Cleaver at DPI to ask questions.  Some of the questions that parents have asked are listed below, along with the answers. 

Q.  If I file an open enrollment application with a virtual school other than the one that my child currently attends, will that jeopardize my child’s place at his or her current virtual school?

A.  No.  In June, you can still decide to stay with the current virtual school. 

Q.  I know we can file open enrollment applications with three school districts.  Does that include the school district my child is currently attending through open enrollment, or can we file with three new districts?

A.  You can file with three new districts.  Exception:  If your current school district requires you to file a new open enrollment form because your child is moving to another school (for instance, from middle school to high school), that will count as one of your three choices. 

Q.  Can my child be denied enrollment into a virtual school and, if so, can I appeal that decision? 

A.  A nonresident school district may deny an open enrollment application for a number of reasons that are specified in the state statutes, including a lack of space in the program a student wants to attend.  A parent may file an appeal of a school board’s denial of open enrollment with DPI.  In addition, if the overall enrollment cap for virtual school open enrollment is reached, the applications of students who are otherwise eligible will be denied at random.  For more specifics about denials of applications and appeals of denials, see the list of Frequently Asked Questions on the DPI web site.  

Q.  Does the sibling exemption from the cap apply if an applicant’s sibling has attended a virtual school but has left? 
A.  No.  Only siblings of students who are currently enrolled in virtual schools are exempt. 

Q.  Does the returning student exemption from the cap apply if a student leaves a virtual school for a year and then wants to return? 

A.  No.  If a family with children in virtual schools in the current year withdraws all their children from virtual schools before the end of the school year, the returning student exemption and the sibling exemption would not apply.  All the children in that family would then be treated as if they had never attended virtual schools when they applied to virtual schools in future years, and could be put on a waiting list.  They would no longer have guaranteed slots in the future.  

Q.  I’ve heard that the Department of Public Instruction operates a virtual school.  How does that compare with the virtual charter schools operated by individual districts?

A.  DPI has opened the Wisconsin Web Academy (WWA), a state-led, supplemental online education program.  It offers online courses to school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, charter schools and private schools in Wisconsin.  Students interested in taking courses through WWA can enroll through their local school districts.  Further information is available at the DPI web site.  The WWA differs from the full-time virtual charter schools that students can enroll in through the open enrollment program in that it just provides supplemental online courses rather than a full-time online education experience.