Apex Courses Back-to-School Planning Guide

Whether you’re implementing Apex Courses’ standards-aligned digital curricula for the first time or picking up where you left off at the end of last year, we want you to have the resources you need to start the new academic year strong. 

We’ve put together a guide to point you in the right direction for successful implementation and spotlight customer testimonials and research to give you confidence that Apex Courses can keep your students engaged and on track to graduate. 

Reimagine Secondary Education

Edmentum’s first-time credit, credit recovery, and CTE programs prepare graduates for a future economy with learning opportunities that prioritize engagement, real-world experiences, personalization, and flexibility. 

Ever-evolving graduation requirements vary across the country, and school and district administrators need curricula aligned to their state’s standards. We’re expanding our catalog of standards-aligned courses—both at the national level and through state-specific investments—to provide opportunities for students to fulfill graduation requirements. 

Get on the Road to Success Day One 

Make sure your staff and students have what they need once the school year begins. A great place to start is by reviewing our Getting Started Resources to ensure your account is organized and up to date. Here you’ll find info on: 

• Exploring dashboards 
• Creating classrooms 
• Managing users 
• Planning curriculum 
• Monitoring student progress 

When in doubt, you can also visit the Help Center. Once you log onto the platform, click “Help” at the top right of your screen for simple, self-service resources like user guides, short, step-by-step instructions, and best-practice videos. 

Employ Best Practices for Implementation Success 

Scaffold Learning with Embedded Supports 

When students struggle with knowledge gaps, literacy skills, or language skills, make sure you’re leveraging the context-rich supports available in all Apex core courses. This includes such things as carefully chunked content, reading supports, video transcripts, and more. When students learn to use available tools, they’re also developing strategies for internalizing new content. 

Empower Competency-Based Learning 

Apex Courses can be configured for performance- or competency-based models. With mastery-based learning, students experience content in a prescribed sequence and move forward only when they’ve demonstrated grasp of the topic at hand. Consider this option for flexible, student-driven implementations that still put checks and balances so teachers can intervene when students need targeted support.  

Expand Course Options and Flexibility 

Our robust course offerings can be employed for first-time credit, credit recovery, and expanding course options, but what if you don’t have a teacher to cover the course you’re hoping to offer? Online school options, like Edmentum’s EdOptions Academy, provide a personalized and flexible path to course access, while offering the same caliber of quality instruction using Apex Courses curriculum. Consider five different student needs to listen for to decide if this option is right for your district. 

Get Inspired by Fellow Educators Making an Impact 

Propel Student Achievement 

We know that meeting students with program options that stand up to the highest standards for quality and effectiveness is your priority. Our efficacy research found that students completing Apex Courses performed as well as or better than students participating in traditional classroom instruction on the spring administration of NWEA® MAP® Growth™ assessments. 

Create Paths to Graduation 

“The success of our virtual program and quality of the curriculum has given us confidence to tell our classroom teachers, ‘Use this—it’s such a complement to your classroom instruction.’”

— Kyra Rhyne, Catoosa County Public Schools, Georgia

With Apex Courses, Catoosa County Public Schools, Georgia, students achieved an 80 percent course completion rate and a passing rate of 70 percent on state end-of-course exams. Many students who would otherwise have dropped out were provided with the flexibility they needed to stay in school. 

To find success with your own Apex Courses implementation, check out our planning and success toolkits: 

• Digital Curriculum Toolkit: Revolutionize classroom learning, offer more challenging courses, or prepare your students for college and career success. 
• Credit Recovery Toolkit: Build a credit recovery program with our top tools and resources to help get your students back on track. 

Remember, as the year ramps up, we’re here to support you each step of the way. Visit our back-to-school page to learn more about what’s new, register for a webinar, and make the most of all of your Edmentum programs.