How do I enroll in ALAW if I am out of district?

ALAW has a Wisconsin public school program which offers BYU-Independent Study and Connections Education online courses that are administered by Wisconsin-certified instructors. Connections Education courses are offered for students in grades K-6 and BYU-IS courses are offered for students in grades 7-12. In order to enroll in ALAW, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires Wisconsin residents not living in the Barron Area School District to file an online open enrollment for the 2013-14 school year; in order to take BYU Independent Study or Connections Learning courses full-time.  Open enrollment must be filed before April 30, 2014.  This allows students to take BYU Independent Study or Connections Learning online courses free of charge for credit in Wisconsin.  Students will need to do the following:

Go to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website and complete the open enrollment application.

1. Select yes for “is this a virtual charter school” and choose Advanced Learning Academy of Wisconsin as your school of choice.
2. Complete and return the required ALAW enrollment forms.
3. Enroll in your desired BYU Independent study course(s) through ALAW.
4. Receive a confirmation from ALAW once enrolled.

If it is after the end of the open enrollment period, please contact the ALAW office at (715) 537-5627 x.133 for instructions as to how to complete an open enrollment exception application.

What types of courses are offered through the BYU Independent Study Program?

The NEW! Teacher-Led courses provide students with instructor interaction, including live video conferencing, live lessons,  required checkpoints and active progress mentoring. Student-Guided courses are also available. 

How does my course work?

Each course is divided into multiple lessons with clearly defined objectives.  Many courses are designed with a variety of multimedia learning activities.  Lessons may include reading, watching videos, playing games, experiencing simulations and interactive labs, enjoying animations, browsing designated websites, writing assignments and completing multiple-choice and true/false quizzes.  BYU-IS lessons conclude with an instructor-guided or Speedback (computer-graded) assignment.  Courses may have midcourse and/or final exams that must be administered by an approved proctor.  Each course description includes the number of lessons, assignments and exams required.  Some courses will also include live lessons, weekly labs and live web-conferencing with the instructor.

What help is available to me as a student involved with BYU Independent Study?

Your Wisconsin certified course instructor is available through email or phone. Some courses provide additional options for interacting with your instructor.  BYU-IS has a technical support team that can assist you Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm on any problems with downloads, error messages, audio files, supplementary CDs, etc.  Live tutor support is also available through BYU-IS. 

Are tutors available to me for BYU-IS courses?

Most students need help from time to time with their courses.  BYU-IS offers friendly and experienced tutors to help at no additional costs.  These tutors have access to your grade and course information; they can see the areas where you need the most help.  For more information on how to contact tutors, please click here.

How do I take my BYU-IS exams?

Your course may have midcourse exams, final exams or both.  Final exams will be adminstered online, you will need to setup an appointment with your course instructor to take your final exam. All midterm and final exams will be proctored through the use of Adobe Connect, a webconferenceing program, and will utilize your students webcam and microphone. 

When can I see my BYU-IS grades?

Your grades for submitted assignments (Speedbacks), Self-check quizzes and exams can be viewed when you are logged in to your course through the “Grade Book” feature.

• Computer graded (Speedback) assignment and Self-check quiz grades will appear instantly.
• Instructor-graded assignment grades will be posted within two weeks.  Some instructors will provide you with written feedback on your returned assignment.
• Computer graded (Speedback) exam grades will be posted within 24 hours after receipt.
• Instructor-graded exam grades will be posted within two weeks after receipt.
• Your final course grade will be posted as soon as the exam is graded.

Keep in mind that regardless of your performance on assignments, you cannot pass a course without passing the final exam. 

What types of courses are offered through the Connections Learning Program?

Connections Learning offers one of the largest course selections available from any virtual school with a strong emphasis in the core subjects of Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  In addition to core courses there are also a variety of electives such as World Languages, Technology courses, Juilliard Music, Physical Education, Art, and Gifted and Talented options.  The possibilities are endless!

How does my Connections Learning course work?

All courses are accessed online, although there will still be some offline coursework such as reading, workbooks, and experiments/labs. You will receive a login and password to your courses. There are three people who will play a very important role in your education, they are you, your parent(s), and your teachers. You will be responsible to stay motivated to get your work done. As the student you will be able to lo into your courses, see daily assignments, access students forums, and contact your teachers.  Parents also play an integral in their child's education.  Some responsibilities of the parent include checking the schedule, taking attendance, oversight of most daily activities, and listening to reading and checking understanding.  Lastly, each course will have a teacher. Teachers will hold regular student meetings via phone, WebMail, and mailed portfolios, teachers will also hold live lessons weekly and direct students to tutoring if needed. The scheduling of the courses themselves are very flexible, though students must keep on track with the lessons.

What help is available tome as a student involved with Connections Learning? Are tutors available to me?

Yes, there is weekly live tutoring available for all of our Connections students.  Tutors are available to help with any questions or concerns students might have about their courses.

How do I take my Connections Learning exams?

All Connections exams are online and the results will be available immediately. Manually graded assignments (portfolios) will be posted as soon as they are graded. 

When can I see my Connections Learning grades?

Access to your grades is available 24/7 and can be found on your homepage when you log into your classes.