(1) This rule establishes requirements for distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs and/or courses that fulfill elementary or middle grades basic education programs and/or high school graduation requirements.

(2) School districts may receive and/or provide distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs.

(a) School districts receiving distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs to supplement instruction may utilize distance, online, and technology-delivered learning as they would other supplementary resources without restriction.

(b) Distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs and/or courses shall at a minimum be aligned with state content standards and content-specific grade-level learning progressions.

(c) Annually, by the first Monday in June, a school district shall provide a report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction documenting all distance, online and technology-delivered courses, student enrollments, and the digital content providers.

(3) Except as provided in (3)(a), teachers of distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs shall be licensed and endorsed in Montana or elsewhere in the area of instruction taught with such license granted as a result of the completion of an accredited professional educator preparation program as defined in ARM 10.57.102(3). School districts receiving distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs described in this rule shall have a distance learning facilitator for each course and available to the students.

(a) When a teacher of distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs and/or courses does not possess the qualifications specified in (3), the facilitator must be licensed and endorsed in Montana or elsewhere in the area of instruction facilitated with such license granted as a result of the completion of an accredited professional educator preparation program as defined in ARM 10.57.102(3).

(b) When a teacher of distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs is qualified as provided in (3), the receiving school district's facilitator shall be a licensed teacher or a para-educator.

(c) School districts receiving distance, online, and technology-delivered learning programs and/or courses must provide qualified facilitators for synchronous delivery to students in schools accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education, requiring physical presence of a facilitator, and for asynchronous delivery, requiring facilitators be available to students.

(d) The school district must ensure that the distance, online, and technology-delivered learning facilitators receive in-service training on technology-delivered instruction.

(4) Montana school districts providing distance, online and technology-delivered learning shall comply with the teacher load requirements of ARM 10.55.713(3).

(5) Digital content providers serving Montana schools accredited by the Board of Public Education shall:

(a) annually, by the first Monday in August, register with the Office of Public Instruction;

(b) annually, by the first Monday in June, identify the Montana school districts served in the current school year by the digital content provider, including the courses and student enrollments for each school district served; and

(c) document the professional qualifications, including Montana teacher licensure and endorsement, of their teachers of distance, online, and technology-delivered programs and/or courses by providing names and credentials of other licensing entities, when not licensed and endorsed in Montana.