Homework Policy

Most Rise Out classes operate similar to college classes: they meet once a week,* with the rest of the work done at home on your own schedule. Homework usually consists of short readings + videos, or one full-length movie. Everything is posted on a site called Canvas, a learning management system similar to Blackboard and Moodle. Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle are used widely in higher education, so getting familiar with this type of course organization will help you prepare for college.

*Self-paced classes do not meet with an instructor.

Rise Out’s policy is that homework completion is expected but not required. What does this mean?

Expected, because classes are structured around weekly themes. The homework module you are assigned each week will start with a list of discussion questions which are answered within the readings + videos. These are the questions we will be talking about in class. If you have done the homework, great! You will be well-prepared to participate in the conversation.
But not required, because we know that life gets in the way. If you didn’t get to the homework this week, just say so. No one will cold call on you in a gotcha! attempt to embarrass you for being unprepared. On the contrary; you should feel welcomed in every class without worrying that you will be singled out or shamed.

In practice, this means that in a normal class discussion there will always be some students who did all the homework and inevitably some who didn’t. We ask those who did the work to summarize the book, reading, or movie for those who didn’t get to it this week. Then we invite everyone into the conversation.

You are also allowed to make strategic choices about homework on a week-by-week basis. Examples: “I tried to get into this book, but I just couldn’t.” “I wasn’t ready to watch a movie that dealt with suicide.” “I’ll read anything but don’t like learning through videos” (or vice versa). This kind of negotiation with homework happens all the time in Rise Out classes, so you shouldn’t feel weird about it.

Advantages of this system:

It eliminates lying and cheating. Why would you say you did the homework when there are no penalties for admitting you didn’t? This creates an honest classroom.
It encourages “experts” to think about how to communicate their knowledge. When students are asked to summarize a book or movie to those who haven’t read or seen it, they must make choices about which factors are most salient and important in the eyes of an imagined audience. This involves a higher-level engagement with the material than if they’d been asked to answer five True/False questions about the work to get an A on a quiz.
It encourages school-averse kids to keep showing up. About half of Rise Out students are long-term homeschoolers. But some have recently left traditional school and do not want to replicate that environment. Creating a relaxed environment around homework lets students ease back into the academic part of learning without the stress of tests, grades, and quizzes, and most importantly the fear of being called on. We welcome their thoughts and contributions, on their own terms!

That said, please note: One of the advantages of taking classes at the high school level with someone other than a parent is that it confirms your progress to college admissions offices and to distance learning programs that offer credit to homeschooled high schoolers. (Parents can submit these reports, too, but they carry more weight when they come from someone outside the family.) Be aware that it’s hard for our teachers to certify your class participation if …. you haven’t really participated that much. We also can’t in good conscience write letters of recommendation or provide references for students with sporadic attendance, or who attend but don’t put any outside effort into the classes. But if getting an “official” report is not a concern for you, then no worries!

If you do want an official report, read on….

GRADING POLICY

In addition to the readings and video that form the main course content, every class posted to Canvas will include weekly discussion questions, quizzes, essays, project ideas, and other assignments. These are optional. Students who complete the optional assignments can have their work assessed by a parent, or by Rise Out staff for an additional fee.

Students who elect to take a course evaluated by Rise Out staff will receive one of four certificates:

"Completed with a grade of A" to students who earn 90% or higher in a class
"Completed with a grade of B" to students who earn 80-89% in a class
"Completed" to students who earn 70-79% in a class
"Ungraded" to students who earn less than 70% in a class

We do not give D's or F's because we feel these are not meaningful assessments. A student who finishes less than 70% of the homework cannot say they have completed the course as it was designed, but that doesn't mean they failed it, either. Learning for its own sake is one of the primary reasons parents decide to homeschool in the first place. We believe there is value in all our courses and that students can learn a lot from the assigned material even if they are not quizzed on it or writing essays about it. In fact, they can often learn MORE if they are not anxious about being tested or evaluated. (We have had students who didn't complete the work we assigned because they were too busy doing their own outside reading and research on one of the course topics. We wouldn't give a certificate of completion to that student, but it would be ridiculous to say they failed!)

NOTE: We charge more for graded classes because we are paying instructors to evaluate student work and provide individualized feedback. Since we set our budget at the beginning of each term, we cannot offer refunds to students who paid for Rise Out assessment but did not complete enough homework to actually earn a grade. On the flip side, if a student begins a course without electing the graded option, they cannot suddenly change their minds mid-semester and ask to take the class for a grade after all; by that point our staff and budget commitments will have been set.

For more information about the pros and cons of the graded vs. ungraded options, see our Accreditation Options page.