How Much Should Parents Help With Online School? A Grade-by-Grade Guide
It’s early fall and families are settling into new school year routines. In online school, students learn from home and often work more independently, leaving many parents wondering how much involvement in their child’s learning is expected of them.
At Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA), a tuition-free online public charter school, licensed teachers educate, and parents support. How much parents help with online school depends on the child’s age and independence level. In this post, we’ll talk about parent involvement in online learning by grade, and preview an ORCA student’s day at each level.
How Involved Do Parents Need to Be in Online School?
Supporting students in online school is a learning process for parents. They don’t teach. ORCA teachers lead live classes, assign the work, and grade it. Students can also contact them for one-on-one support whenever they have questions.
The parent’s role is to act as a learning coach. They handle structure (by setting aside daily school time), technology (by helping with the school-supplied Chromebook, internet access, and navigating Canvas, our online learning platform), and communication with teachers.
You could break online school parent responsibilities into three distinct phases:
Elementary school: parents and students work side by side.
Middle school: parents remain nearby, ready to step in when needed.
High school: parents check in regularly.
How Much Help Do Elementary Students Need?
Parent involvement in online learning for elementary students is more involved than in other grades. Learning coaches work with kindergarten through fifth-grade students every day, planning the day, assisting with logins, and reinforcing what they learned in live classes.
A Day in the Life of Mia, 1st Grade
8:30 a.m.: Mia and her learning coach (her dad) look over her course pages and make a to-do list.
10:00 and 11:00 a.m.: Mia attends two 30-minute live classes, Core and Math. Math uses Base 10 blocks from the materials kit ORCA sends home.
Lunch: Mia and her learning coach make lunch together and discuss some of the math concepts they just learned.
Afternoon: Mia goes outside to play and logs PE minutes. Later she joins a NASA club livestream.
3:00 p.m.: Mia and her learning coach check Canvas for any missing homework assignments before ending their school day.
How Does Parent Involvement Change in Middle School?
Supporting students in online school changes as they enter sixth grade. Students are now juggling more classes and schoolwork, but are also more independent. Parents should stay nearby while letting their students own more of the daily routine. For many families, that might look like a morning check-in, to-do lists, and time-blocking.
A Day in the Life of Alex, 7th Grade
Course load: Alex takes three core courses, one elective and two supplemental courses. Some meet live several times a week and others meet once per week.
Wednesday live sessions: Wednesday is Alex’s busiest day with live Math BOOST, Math, and Science classes in the morning. After lunch he has PE/Health and a Writing Club meeting.
Asynchronous time: Most weekday afternoons and every Friday is reserved for independent work he manages himself.
How Independent Should High School Students Be?
Most high school students require much less parent involvement in online learning than younger grades. By the time kids have reached ninth grade and beyond, they’re capable of managing their own schedules and assignments themselves, and reaching out to their teachers when necessary.
Parents still have an important role to play in supporting students in online school. They should still conduct daily check-ins with their students and teachers, and review Canvas via their Observer account to ensure all requirements are being met. That supervised freedom helps teens build the time-management and self-advocacy skills they’ll need in college or a career.
A Day in the Life of Dean, 11th Grade
Course load: Dean takes four core courses and two electives, including the ASCEND Computer Science pathway. He’s also a member of the Gamer’s Lounge club.
Wednesday: On a typical Wednesday, Dean’s day starts at 10:30 a.m. He has two live classes, Algebra 2 at noon and Cybersecurity at 2:00 p.m., and spends the rest of his day on independent work.
Support available: Dean is also enrolled in Counseling, Advisory, Career Ed, and the H.S. Principal’s Corner. These aren’t classes he attends, but resources he can use when he needs more support.
How Can Parents Gradually Build Independence?
If you’re wondering how to help your child with online school, one of the best ways to start is by fostering their independence.
Parents can begin this process by handing off one task at a time, starting with something small like logging in to their Canvas account. From there, they can pass off more challenging responsibilities like tracking due dates and work up to emailing teachers.
Whenever a student enters a new grade level, parents can check in frequently during the first couple of weeks to monitor progress and then pull back once their student has established solid routines.
Using the pattern from Mia’s day is a great model to start with. Plan a day together, let the student work independently, and then review the work together. Parents can repeat this process and gradually let their student take on more over time.
What if My Student Is Struggling to Stay Organized and Motivated?
Sometimes students struggle working independently. In these instances, online school parent responsibilities should naturally expand. Building a daily to-do list together from their course pages is a great place to start. Parents should check in every day to make sure those items get done.
If problems develop, it’s also important for parents to reach out to their student’s teachers and advisor right away. Waiting often compounds the problem. With the right support systems in place, students can overcome early struggles.
Join Us for a Virtual Information Session
How much parents should help with online school depends on the child. But at ORCA, parents never need to worry about replacing the teacher. There’s always a group of caring teachers ready to help our students meet their potential.
If you’d like to learn more about the student experience at ORCA, join us for a virtual information session. You'll connect with our staff, preview our learning platform, and discover whether ORCA is the right fit for your family.