Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY › Chapter 70 - TECHNOLOGY-BASED INSTRUCTION › Subchapter AA - COMMISSIONER'S RULES CONCERNING THE TEXAS VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK (TxVSN) › Section 70.1011 - Texas Virtual School Network Online School Program Requirements

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) A Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN)
				  online school may serve students in Grades 3-12, but may not serve students in
				  Kindergarten-Grade 2.
(b) A school
				  district or charter school that operates a TxVSN online school that serves
				  students in full-time virtual instruction shall, prior to the start of each
				  academic year, notify the Texas Education Agency (TEA) of grade levels to be
				  served and the total number of students to be served during that academic year.
				  A school district or charter school may not add grade levels after the start of
				  the school year.
(c) A TxVSN online
				  school or a school district or charter school wishing to add additional grade
				  levels to its online program shall certify that the online school has courses
				  sufficient to comprise a full instructional program for each additional grade
				  level to be served by the online school prior to serving that grade
				  level.
(d) School districts or
				  charter schools approved to serve as TxVSN online schools shall follow the TEA
				  procedures related to obtaining a campus number for the virtual campus through
				  which they serve their TxVSN online school students.
(e) School districts and charter schools
				  serving as TxVSN online schools shall:
(1)
				  follow the same laws and rules that apply to traditional schools unless
				  otherwise indicated in this chapter;
(2) verify the identity and eligibility of
				  each student seeking to enroll full time in TxVSN online courses;
(3) notify parents and students of the option
				  to enroll in the TxVSN online school at the time and in the manner that the
				  school district or charter school informs students and parents about
				  instructional programs or courses offered in the district's or school's
				  traditional classroom setting;
(4)
				  notify students in writing upon acceptance to participate in the TxVSN online
				  school with specific dates and details regarding enrollment;
(5) document actual dates each student begins
				  and ends enrollment in student data records for local recordkeeping purposes
				  and for state funding reporting purposes;
(6) ensure that each student enrolled in the
				  TxVSN online school takes any applicable assessment instrument required under
				  the Texas Education Code, §
											39.023,
				  according to the standard administration schedule and that each assessment is
				  supervised by a proctor;
(7) allow
				  access to proctored test administrations by any personnel or agent of the
				  TEA;
(8) adopt an instructional
				  calendar for the TxVSN online school and keep an instructional calendar for
				  each TxVSN online school student on file and make these records available to
				  the TEA, upon request in the requested electronic format;
(9) meet all reporting requirements
				  established by TxVSN central operations, including timely submission of data
				  required to verify instructor qualifications and complete student and parent
				  surveys and all data necessary for the TxVSN Informed Choice Report required
				  under §
											70.1031
				  of this title (relating to Informed Choice Reports);
(10) assign each teacher that provides
				  instruction in a TxVSN online school a Texas Student Data System Unique Staff
				  Identifier;
(11) meet all federal
				  and state requirements for educating students with disabilities;
(12) publish in a prominent location on the
				  Internet website for the school district's or charter school's TxVSN online
				  school:
(A) a link to the TxVSN Informed
				  Choice Report that includes all of the components required under §
												70.1031
				  of this title; and
(B) any
				  applicable criteria for enrollment and any enrollment deadlines for each TxVSN
				  online school campus;
(13) provide a contingency plan for the
				  continuation of instructional services to all TxVSN Online School (OLS) program
				  students allowing them to complete their TxVSN OLS program subject areas or
				  courses in the event that the contract or agreement through which the TxVSN OLS
				  program instructional services are provided is terminated or a TxVSN OLS
				  program subject area or course becomes unavailable to the student;
(14) ensure a maximum class size limit of 40
				  students in a single section of a Grades 5-12 course and ensure that the class
				  size does not exceed the maximum allowed by law and a charter school's charter,
				  as applicable, whichever is less;
(15) organize, retain in a centralized unit
				  or office within the organizational structure of the TxVSN online school, and
				  make available to the TEA, upon request in the requested electronic format, the
				  following:
(A) the same financial
				  documentation that is required of a traditional campus and documentation
				  sufficient to demonstrate successful course completion;
(B) detailed records that support the program
				  of instruction; and
(C) detailed
				  records that document student participation in the TxVSN online school and
				  grades earned;
(16)
				  require contractors to retain and make available to the TEA, upon request in
				  the requested electronic format, any and all financial and programmatic
				  records, including books, documents, papers, and records, which are directly
				  pertinent to that specific contract for a minimum of seven years from the day
				  the final state funding payment is made and all other pending matters are
				  closed, including resolution of any audits that started within the seven-year
				  retention period, in accordance with the record retention requirements for
				  federal and state programs as mandated by the Texas State Library and Archives
				  Commission;
(17) ensure the ongoing
				  security of all data and its accessibility to the TEA in the requested
				  electronic format; and
(18) make
				  decisions regarding serving students with disabilities in accordance with
				  §
											89.1050
				  of this title (relating to The Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee) and
				  regarding English language learners in accordance with §
											89.1220
				  of this title (relating to Language Proficiency Assessment
				  Committee).