(1) This rule establishes requirements for distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs and/or courses that fulfill elementary or middle grades basic education programs and/or high school graduation requirements.

(2) School districts may receive and/or provide distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs.

(a) School districts receiving distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs to supplement instruction may utilize distance, online, and technology delivered learning as they would other supplementary resources without restriction.

(b) Distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs and/or courses shall meet the learner expectations adopted by the school district and be aligned with state content and performance standards.

(c) A school district shall provide a report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction documenting how it is meeting the needs of students under the accreditation standards who are taking a majority of courses during each grading period via distance, online, and/or technology-delivered programs.

(3) Except as provided in (3)(a), teachers of distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs shall be licensed and endorsed in Montana or elsewhere in the area of instruction taught with such license granted as a result of the completion of an accredited professional educator preparation program as defined in ARM 10.57.102(3). School districts receiving distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs described in this rule shall have a distance learning facilitator for each course and available to the students.

(a) When a teacher of distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs and/or courses does not possess the qualifications specified in (3), the facilitator must be licensed and endorsed in Montana or elsewhere in the area of instruction facilitated with such license granted as a result of the completion of an accredited professional educator preparation program as defined in ARM 10.57.102(3).

(i) The provisions of (3) and (3)(a) shall not be effective until July 1, 2009.

(b) When a teacher of distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs is qualified as provided in (3), the receiving school district's facilitator shall be a licensed teacher or a para-educator.

(c) School districts receiving distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs and/or courses must provide qualified facilitators for synchronous delivery to students in schools accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education, requiring physical presence of a facilitator, and for asynchronous delivery, requiring facilitators be available to students.

(d) The school district must ensure that the distance, online, and technology delivered learning facilitators receive in-service training on technology delivered instruction pertaining to:

(i) the course organization;

(ii) classroom management;

(iii) technical aspects of the delivery method;

(iv) strategies for use of distance learning;

(v) monitoring of student testing;

(vi) and securing other services as needed.

(4) Montana school districts providing distance, online and technology delivered learning shall comply with the teacher load requirements of ARM 10.55.713(3).  

(5) All providers or coordinating entities of distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs shall annually, no later than October 1:

(a) register with the Office of Public Instruction;

(b) identify all Montana school districts to whom they are providing distance, online, and technology delivered programs and/or courses;

(c) document the professional qualifications, including Montana teacher licensure and endorsement, of their teachers of distance, online, and technology delivered programs and/or courses;

(d) provide the course description including the content and delivery model for each distance, online, and technology delivered program and/or course provided to Montana schools; and

(e) demonstrate that the students they serve have ongoing contact with their teachers of distance, online, and technology delivered learning programs and/or courses.