FAQ

District’s-Choice online learning is a new program of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis. District’s-Choice is not an online school, but rather a menu of course options that school districts can choose from to create their own online learning program. The program helps school districts provide a valuable learning option to students looking for alternatives to the traditional classroom.

Q. Which of our district’s students can benefit from District’s-Choice online learning?
A. The courses available through District’s-Choice will benefit all types of students, from those who need an extra challenge added to their coursework, to those who are struggling and need to find an educational option outside the normal school day.
   District’s-Choice is currently offering courses for students in 6th-12th   grade.
   Consider how offering online courses through your school could benefit the following types of students:
        • Those at risk of dropping out
        • Alternative school students
        • Those who want to take AP courses your school doesn’t offer
        • Independent learners
        • Middle school students who need a high school level course
        • Credit recovery students
        • Home-bound students

Q. Who teaches the courses in District’s-Choice?
A. Classes can either be taught by Missouri certified online teachers who are employed by one of our course vendors, or they can be supervised by your district’s teachers who receive facilitator/teacher training.

Q. In what scenarios would our students benefit from online courses?
A. Consider these scenarios:
   • A student is at risk of dropping out, but will stay enrolled if she can take classes that better fit her schedule and lifestyle.
   • An honors student wants to take a class in 3D animation, but your school does not offer that. You would like to make this class and other AP/advanced classes available to students like her.
   • A middle school student is struggling and could benefit from taking two specialized classes as part of his regular school day.
   • A small group of students wants to take Green Design and Technology, but your district doesn’t have the funds to hire a teacher for that course.
   Each of these scenarios is quite different, so how these students and their schools use District’s-Choice will likely be different. In the first and second scenarios, the student will likely be taking the District’s-Choice courses outside of the regular school day on her own time. The student who is at risk of dropping out may need to work during the day, leaving her time for online courses only at night. The honors student may have a full schedule of classes during the regular school day, but might seek out an extra challenge on her own time in the evenings.
   In the third and fourth scenario, it makes more sense for the students to take their courses at school during the regular day. The middle school student may be able to take his online classes to help him catch up to his classmates with the help of a resource teacher or aide. Similarly, the Green Design students could all take their online courses through District’s-Choice at the same time in the same room during the school day.

Q. How can these online courses be used in regular classroom instruction?
A. District’s-Choice will provide tools that will transform the way your teachers teach and your students learn. Teachers will be able to personalize their lessons and assignments more than ever before, utilizing video instruction, online discussion forums, innovative lesson planning and other advanced learning tools that are easy to learn and use for students.

Q. My district already has an online learning program through e2020 or another vendor, why should I change?
A. CSD has worked hard to ensure that the courses offered through District’s-Choice are high in quality. An extensive RFP process guaranteed that we would be working with only the best online course providers, including e2020.
Through District’s-Choice your district will get the lowest prices on e2020 courses in the state. All courses in District’s-Choice are taught by Missouri certified teachers and are aligned to Missouri state curriculum standards. A limited student-to-teacher ratio has been established for each course as well.
If your district is happy with its current online learning program, use District’s-Choice to supplement any gaps you may have.

Q. Can a student receive his or her high school diploma through District’s-Choice online learning?
A. No, District’s-Choice is not an online school and does not grant diplomas. Instead, District’s-Choice is an online course provider that schools and students can use to supplement current coursework. Districts accept the online course as a district class that goes on the student’s transcript.

Q. How does a school or district get started in District’s-Choice?
A. Getting started in District’s-Choice is easy:
   • Identify some of the greatest needs your school or district could fill with online courses by thinking about your various student populations. Consider those who are “slipping through the cracks” and how an online course might better fit their needs.
   • Check out the courses available through District’s-Choice and identify course offerings that could be a good fit.
   • Consider when you may want your program to begin. Because District’s-Choice has rolling enrollment dates students can sign up for courses at any time, including the summer.
   • Contact us, and we’ll help you fit the pieces together to create a “course catalog” of online classes that you can begin offering your students.

Q. Who do I contact for more information?
A. To find out more about how you can get started in District’s-Choice online learning, contact Ruth Litman-Block at or
(314) 692-1272.