MOCAP
Missouri Course Access Program

Senate Bill 603 At a Glance

In the spring of 2018, SB 603 was passed, thereby expanding the online learning opportunities for students in Missouri.  Highlights of this legislation are below.

• The school district must adopt a policy that creates a process for students to enroll in virtual courses and may include consulting with a school counselor.

• The school district must pay for eligible K-12 students to take virtual courses as long as the student:  

  • resides in the district; 

  • is currently enrolled in the district and, 

  • was enrolled full-time in a public school the previous semester.  **Exceptions for homeschool students who reside in the district is referenced below in the ‘homeschool student’ section of this document.

• School districts are not required to pay for courses beyond full-time enrollment.  Therefore, if a student is already enrolled in seven courses in a semester during the regular year (or two courses during the summer school session), the district will not be required to pay for additional courses.

• School districts are able to determine a student’s eligibility to enroll in an online course and can refuse enrollment based on ‘the best educational interest of the child’.  Should the parent disagree with the district’s determine, an appeal may be made to the local school board.

MOCAP allows Missouri to:

• Expand the range of courses and opportunities offered to students

• Offer courses for students where there are no qualified teachers to teach the course

• Offer students a course not offered by their school district

• Provide courses for students who have schedules that prevent them from taking a course when it is offered

• Present high quality instruction to students who are in alternative education settings or on home and hospital instruction

• Provides equity across programs and school in the quality of instruction MOCAP offers “any time, any place” learning for Missouri students

Student Skills Necessary for Success in Virtual Courses:

• Good Time Management
  Can the student create and maintain a study schedule throughout the semester without the face-to-face interaction with a teacher?

• Effective Communication
  Can the student ask for help, make contact with other students and/or instructors online and describe any problem he/she is having with the learning materials using email?

• Independent Study Habits

• Can the student study and complete assignments without direct supervision and maintain the self discipline necessary to stick to a schedule?

• Self-Motivation

Does the student have a strong desire to learn skills, acquire knowledge and fulfill assignments in online courses because of their educational goals?

• Academic Readiness

Does the student have the basic reading, writing, math and computer literacy skills to succeed in an online course?

• Technologically Prepared

Does the student know how to open, create and/or save a document, use various technology tools and identify file formats (e.g., doc, xls, pdf, jpg)?

 "About the Missouri Course Access Program - MOCAP - MO.gov." https://mocap.mo.gov/about.html.   Accessed 4 Aug. 2019.