Minnesota Online School FAQs

No. IQMN is an online public school program of Independent School District 544 (Fergus Falls Public Schools) serving grades K–12.

IQMN is a public school, so there is no tuition. We provide Minnesota-licensed teachers and instructional materials. Eligible families receive a loaner computer and printer. Students and families will be responsible for providing some common household materials (such as printer ink and paper). Our enrollment consultants can help address your technological and computer questions and needs.

No. IQMN is not the same as homeschooling. Students enrolled in IQMN do their learning at home, but they are participating in a public school program of Independent School District 544. The curriculum is approved by the district for earning K–12 school credits. Unlike homeschooling, there are licensed teachers to assign work and guide student learning, daily lesson plans, and an entire support system—including administrators, guidance counselors, assessments, and a progress-tracking system.

Because every homeschool curriculum can be different, we will need to review any documentation you have of your child’s grade or middle school work, so we can compare it with IQMN’s requirements. Contact us by phone or email for more information. 

Students who successfully complete all the graduation requirements will receive an IQMN high school diploma from Independent School District 544.

Your child’s teachers are available by phone and email. They provide live instruction throughout the week, when students and staff can interact in a virtual classroom. Teachers also will provide feedback on any completed assignments or projects.

The elementary school program is mastery-based, which means your child won’t move on to the next lesson until they’ve mastered the current one. We measure proficiency through lesson, unit, and semester assessments. In middle school and high school, progress is measured through quizzes, exams, written essays, assignments, projects, and semester exams. Every course contains specific information on how a student’s work will be evaluated. We encourage parents and students to contact teachers at any time to discuss the evaluation process.

Pace Charts and planning/progress tools are provided to help you plan your child’s work, so they’ll complete the course by the end of the school year. For grades K–6, Planning and Progress Tools are found within the online school (OLS). For grades 6–12, Pace Charts are typically found in the Course Information tab.

IQMN runs on a school-year calendar, and all coursework should be completed by the last day of the school year. A one-credit course is designed to take 36 weeks or about 180 hours. As a general guideline, in addition to the time you spend online, you should also count on spending time reading, completing assignments, and studying for tests and exams. Therefore, you may need to spend approximately 180 hours to complete a course. This time is a guideline and will vary according to course, study habits, etc. Half-credit courses generally require half as much time as full-credit courses.

Teachers meet the learning needs of the students enrolled in their courses or as assigned to them. Teachers hold live online sessions throughout the week when students can work virtually with their teacher and classmates. Teachers are also available by phone and email, and we encourage parents and students to contact their teachers with questions.

Parents are assigned a secure login to enter the K12 Online School (grades K–5) or the IQMN site (grades 6–12) and to monitor their child’s progress and online activity. Using this account, parents can go directly to their child’s classes and see what assignments have been completed and what their child’s grades are at any time. A progress report is also emailed weekly to parents’ IQMN email accounts.

Students spend time with classmates online and through school outings, field trips, and other activities. Students can also participate in school and K12 online national clubs to connect with peers of like interests.

Some of the characteristics we have seen in our most successful students include:

• The ability to work independently.
• A willingness to seek out answers to their questions, or to move on to a different subject until the necessary help is available.
• The willingness to ask for help when needed. There are many opportunities to get help from teachers, from other students, or from technical support. Students have to be willing to make use of those resources and let someone know if they don’t understand something.
• Some personal motivation to succeed in the program. Students who are forced into an online learning environment are less likely to be successful.

To help your child succeed at IQMN:

• Set up a school schedule for your child to follow every day. Students should plan on spending approximately one hour per day for every class, plus some extra time for outside reading or writing papers. Bear in mind, children in grades K–5 can expect to spend less than half of their school day online with the rest of their time working in workbooks, on printed lessons, and other activities. Middle and high school students spend an increasing amount of their time online.
• Create a student work area with limited distractions that has all materials easily available.
• Encourage your student to discuss his or her work with you. Discussions can give you clues as to whether your student understands the materials and assignments. Early detection can help you catch potential problems before they grow into large difficulties.

The amount of time a Learning Coach spends working on lessons with a student will vary based on the student’s age and specific needs. Learning Coaches spend more time in the early elementary years with their student but as students learn to read and gain more independence, the amount of time a student needs their Learning Coach will decrease.

This depends on your child’s age and specific needs. Typically, being at home full-time is important for the Learning Coach of younger children but is not required for students in the higher grades. However, it is important for your older student to know you are interested in how they’re doing in school. As in all educational endeavors, students with an active and interested parent are at a distinct advantage for success. Most students need a certain amount of structure, at least initially, in order to flourish in the flexible online environment.

The main content of all IQMN courses is available directly through our secure, online student classroom area. In some cases, teacher-provided links direct students to other websites, where they can take advantage of educational information online. In addition to limiting the sites students must visit to do coursework, we have added software on all IQMN-provided computers that filters out inappropriate sites. Beyond that, good parental supervision and setting guidelines for internet use that match your family values will guide your children from unwanted information.

We invite you to contact us and learn all you can about what IQMN has to offer you and your child. Getting as much information as possible is the best way to make an informed choice.

Under the ESSA, beginning with information from the 2017–2018 school year, report cards must be posted annually on district websites. (ESEA section 1111(h) (1) (A), (B)(iii) and (h)(2)(A), (B)(iii)). At the core of the Minnesota school report cards is the belief that all students can grow, and all schools can improve. While no student report card tells the full story of a child, no school report card tells the full story of a school. Education is far more than a single score or letter grade, but it is important that families and communities can see both strengths and areas that need support and improvement. Please search the state dashboard to see IQMN’s most recent report card.