Fossil Distance Learning Program
Fossil Distance Learning Program
Grades 1-8
All home-taught except if you use stipend for outside classes
Stipend: $1,500
Curriculum is parent choice
Meetings: 3 in-person meetings per year, once a month video chat, twice a week work samples
Sponsoring district: Fossil
Office location: Fossil, serving students statewide
Size: 1,270 students
In operation since 2010
Web site: https://www.fossildlp.com/
$1,500 per student. New families have additional $400 to buy technology (laptop, tablet etc)
Parents choose curriculum and supplies, subject to approval by the school. Purchases are made by the parent on a debit card, with certain restrictions. All receipts must be uploaded to the school within 24 hours of the purchase using their web site platform, and then approved. Curriculum does not need to be returned to the school if you finish the year in good standing. Parents are encouraged to buy curriculum for the next year with any remaining allotment.
Stipend may also be used for in-person classes not provided by the school, such as Village Home, OMSI, etc, subject to approval.
No online classes are offered by the school, but you may use any amount of the stipend to pay for third-party online classes, as long as they fulfill requirements of your education plan. Fossil also provides access to Moby Max, Studies Weekly, Duolingo, and Tales To Go online platforms.
There are on-site classes (usually monthly) and workshops at certain locations around the state, such as art, writing, math. Springfield, near Eugene, has a dedicated Fossil center. Near Portland, students may sign up for classes at several locations around the metro area.
Fossil provides many field trip and social opportunities every term, such as science workshops, swim parties, concerts. In the Portland area these include OMSI labs, shows at NW Children's Theater, Oregon Children's Theater, ballet, etc. Opportunities are located all over the state. Most are for all grades but some are oriented towards older students, 3rd - 8th grade.
No high school, Fossil goes through 8th grade.
Evaluations for special education are performed online and through video sent in from parents. Therapy such as speech therapy is provided online via video chat.
Students meet with a learning specialist in person three times a year, and once a month via video chat. They will record your progress, discuss deadlines, upcoming events, give feedback, and help with any questions. Attending a field trip can count as your monthly check in.
In addition, submit two electronic work samples each week, which can include graded work samples in Math or Language Arts, lessons done from an online class, etc.
Parents fill out a learning plan including the core subjects, and submit report cards twice a year.
SBAC annually, plus progress monitoring assessments three times per year.
Apply on the Fossil web site by April 1. A lottery for openings is held in April, with remaining applicants added to a wait list. Families remain on the wait list indefinitely unless removed. Typical wait list times are from 1 to 2 years.