Distance Education/Flexible Learning Registration

The Canadian Rockies Public Schools (CRPS) place students at the core of all of its decision making. We believe that offering students choice, not only course offerings, but also in the method of delivery is important. We believe that while in-person learning creates optimal learning for students in most cases, there are times when in-person learning does not meet the needs of the student at that particular point in time. To this end, CRPS has put in place options of course delivery to meet the needs of students when in-person learning may not be the best method of course delivery.

Please review the information contained in this handbook. To obtain further information or if you have additional questions that are not answered in the following pages, please contact CPRS Distance and  Flexible Learning by emailing distance.education@crps.ca or calling 403-678-0859. 

Another resource that may be helpful in supporting the completion of online courses is available through Alberta Education and is called  the Online Learning: Student and Family Guide.

Note:  Definitions below are contingent upon the student’s situation, NOT the course they are taking.

Students who are enrolled in our online courses can fall into one of these categories:

A Primary Student is:  

• A student who lives within or outside the division’s catchment area (Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, and Kananaskis) but within Alberta. 
• A student who takes a majority of their courses through the CRPS Distance Learning and Flexible Learning Program and who is not also registered as a student in a Parent or Teacher-Led Home Education program with an Alberta school division.
• This student must be registered by September 29, 2025.

A Non-Primary Student is:  

• A student who lives outside the catchment area of the CRPS (Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, and Kananaskis) and who is registered at “priority” or home school in Alberta where they are taking most of their classes.
• This student must be registered by September 29, 2025 for the Fall semester or by April 06, 2026 for Winter semester courses.
• Students living in Alberta can take up to 10 credits with our school while being registered as a primary student at a school outside our school division.

Flexible Learning Student:  

• Takes time-tabled in-person courses at their “priority” or home school within the CRPS.
• Registers, with permission from their school administrator, for one or more courses offered through CRPS Distance Education and Flexible Learning.

Please follow this link to check out all the courses that are available through CRPS. Check back regularly for new course offerings.

Students who intend to take classes full time with CRPS Distance Education and Flexible Learning (Primary students) must register before September 29, 2025.

Please note for students who are currently enrolled in another school for a majority of their courses (Non-Primary students), courses must be taken one-at-a-time and the course credit limit for Distance Education courses is 10 credits per school year. 

If students only intend to register for courses through Canadian Rockies Distance Education and Flexible Learning and no other school within Alberta, on the Registration form under the heading “Current School Information”, please answer Yes to the question “Is the Canadian Rockies Distance Education and Flexible Learning the only school you intend to register in this year?”

Students will be responsible for acquiring their own course resource material. This may result in extra costs depending upon the resources that are required for course completion.

Students who currently attend a school within the Canadian Rockies Public Schools should:

• Speak with their school administrator regarding their request to enroll in a Flexible Learning course. That administrator will then connect with CRPS Distance Learning and Flexible Learning to confirm their approval of the courses to be taken. 

Students who currently attend a school in another school division should:

• Inform their school counselor/administration that they want to take a Distance Education course offered by CRPS.
• Get approval from their school administration to take the course(s).
• Should confirm that their priority school will proctor mid-assessments and course-end assessments. The priority school will be asked to register students for Grade 12 Diploma Examinations. Students should write diploma examinations at their “priority” or home school. 

Students who do not attend a school currently and live outside CRPS catchment area should:

• Review information about courses by contacting CRPS by phone (403-678-0859) or email (distance.education@crps.ca). 
• Demonstrate ability to have cumulative exams proctored by an individual who meet the following criteria:
• Not a relative of the student
• An accredited K-12 teacher or adult education teacher, or a person of similar qualifications.
• Have to provide a suitable public location, not their home or a home of a relative, in which to complete cumulative assessments (e.g. nearby school, public library or post-secondary institution)
• Set up their Diploma Exam Examination writing center. Start by contacting your previous school(s) and any other institutions in your area that may be offering Diploma sittings. 
• Provincial Writing Centers.
• Register for a diploma exam online using MyPass.
• CRPS Distance Education and Flexible Learning students can always travel to a CRPS High School (the Banff Community High School or the Canmore Collegiate High School) for January or June Diploma Exams, if these have been arranged ahead of time with the schools respective administrators and confirmed through registration via MyPass. August, November, or April Diploma exam sittings are not available.

Please note: All students wishing to register in the current school year must be 19 years of age or younger as of September 1st of the current school year.

Students who plan to register as full-time students with CRPS Distance Education (Primary Students) can register for up to four courses each semester. 

Students registering for Distance Education and Flexible Learning courses will complete the online registration form. 

Please Note: All students will receive a CRPS email account (@edu.crps.ca) upon registration and are expected to use their CRPS account for all course work and communication with staff.

Five (5) credit courses must be started within the first six (6) weeks of each semester (by September 30, 2025 for the Fall semester and by March 11, 2026 for the Winter semester)

Three (3) credit a course must be started within the first ten (10) weeks of the semester (by November 04, 2025 for the Fall semester or by April 06, 2026 for the Winter semester).

A one (1) credit must be started at least two (2) weeks prior to the end of the semester (by December 19, 2026 for the Fall semester and by May 22, 2026 for the Winter semester).

All course work must be completed by the end of the semester in which they are started (by January 09, 2026 for the Fall Semester or by June 08, 2026 for the Winter semester).

Each semester has a course withdrawal deadline before which a student can withdraw from the course without penalty: The Fall Semester deadline is Oct 1, 2025 and the Winter Semester deadline is April 03, 2025. After these dates, there is a $225 withdrawal feel that will be charged for every course you drop.

Courses undertaken by students through an online format require the same dedication and attention as courses taken in an in-person environment. For students to become successful, they must pay attention to time lines for assigned learning and assessment tasks. 

Effort required for online learning: Depending on a student's work habits, online learning can be an easier format in which to learn as students can learn at their own pace and at times that are usually more convenient for them. However, online learning does require personal commitment to be successful, particularly if you are studying full time elsewhere or working full-time or part-time. Please make an intentional decision to commit to online learning prior to registration. A five credit course usually requires a minimum of 10 hours of work per week. A full course load of four courses per semester would require 40 hours of study time per week.

Upon registering for a course, the student must begin the course within two weeks of the registration date, unless there are extenuating circumstances. If students do not, they can be withdrawn from the course with written notice (if before the withdrawal deadline discussed in the previous section). Once past the withdrawal deadline, students must complete the course or be charged a withdrawal fee of $225.

At the beginning of a course, and periodically throughout, the teacher and student will agree upon a course completion plan. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor the plan and ensure that deadlines are met. In the event that a student is unable to adhere to the course completion plan, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher of the course to discuss the situation and adjust the course completion plan as required. 

A student will be removed from the Distance Education and Flexible Learning courses (and a potential withdrawal fee charged) if the student fails to: 

• meet the deadlines within the course completion plan,
• does not begin the course within two weeks of registration, or
• does not contact the teacher of the course for a period of one month.

Every student taking courses through Canadian Rockies Distance Education and Flexible Learning, has the right to a fair, just and accurate evaluation. Assessment should be constructive in nature, promoting continued effort by the student to achieve to the best of their abilities.

All assessment materials shall be returned to the student or shall be readily available to the student. Questions concerning assessment should be made first to the subject teacher and then to the school administration if the question cannot be resolved satisfactorily. 

Course assessment will comprise of three different types of assessments: 1) student products (such as quizzes, tests, essays, projects, or assignments), 2) conversations with teacher via video conferencing (such as Google Meets) or phone calls, and 3) observations of student work and processes (such as reviews of google doc’s version histories, progress through written drafts to a final version, observations during proctored exams, or observations of students working through example problems). No final course mark will be assigned if there has not been extensive contact with students throughout the course of the semester. Please know that contact with teachers will be expected during course completion and will form part of the course assessment.

Every student, either directly or through parents, has the right to appeal an assessment. Appeals should be first made to the teacher then to the Principal, if necessary. Appeals shall be made in writing and within two weeks of the issuing of the mark. Students will receive a written course outline containing a breakdown of course objectives, timelines and assessment criteria for each course at the beginning of the year or semester. All students must write all final examinations/final assessments. In the case of exams being missed due to serious illness, parents are asked to contact the administration, prior to the examination, to reschedule the writing of the final examination.

The Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) defines academic integrity as a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility – principles of behavior that enable academic communities to thrive and foster a passion for learning. 

At Canadian Rockies Distance Education and Flexible Learning, we hold students accountable for the principled use of their ideas and words and those of others, in respect for students’ development as lifelong learners. Therefore, we strive to teach students the ethic of responsibly documenting the ideas of others in all formats. 

Plagiarism is defined as stealing and passing off the ideas, images, data or words of another as one’s own, in any academic writing or other project, without crediting the source. 

Cheating is defined as using someone else’s words, work, test answers, or ideas, so as to give or gain an unfair advantage. 

Fraud is defined as deliberate deception practiced to secure unfair or unlawful gain. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI ) and Academic Integrity

The core value of Academic Integrity, is the idea that a student presents ideas that are their own, that are created by them and presented as such (please see UCalgary for an example). While it is acceptable to build on the work of others and integrate these ideas into your work, you must cite this work to acknowledge who authored these ideas. 

In recent years, technology has created useful tools to assist people in writing (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grammarly etc.) and in numeracy (Geogebra, WolfRam Alpha etc.). Working with their teachers, students have been using these tools to successfully help them in their learning.

The rapid development of AI has accelerated the power of these tools so that they not only aid in the creation and communication of ideas, but in some cases create the actual work. While it is acceptable to use AI tools to assist in the creation and communication of ideas, the work must still be your own and the use of AI tools in the process must be acknowledged. 

Students who would like to use AI tools in their course work, must discuss with the teacher how and to what extent the AI tool is being used and how the use of these tools will be acknowledged with transparency. Failure to have this conversation with your teacher, to agree upon how the AI tool is used, will be considered a breach in our Academic Integrity Policy. In plain English - this will be viewed as cheating and will be dealt with in accordance with our Academic Integrity Policy in this handbook.

Consequences and Opportunity for Learning: 

All instances of plagiarism/cheating/fraud will be handled on an individual basis, to determine what options, if any, will be accorded to the student to learn from his/her first error in judgment. Upon confirmation of plagiarism, consequences will include one or more of the following: 

• opportunity to redo the project/assignment 
• opportunity to redo the project/assignment from an earlier, satisfactorily met checkpoint 
• a requirement to add the appropriate documentation that is missing 
• no second opportunity 

Depending on the severity and/or frequency of plagiarism/cheating/fraud, a student will be required to speak to the Principal of CRPS Distance Education and Flexible Learning, the Principal of their primary school and/or parent (if applicable) and the teacher involved. In such situations, a student will have only one “second opportunity” before being removed from the course. If a student is removed from a course for lack of academic integrity they will not be allowed to register for any other distance education course offered by CRPS for the duration of their school career. 

Use of AI to prepare for Provincial Testing

Students will use a writing centre provided secure testing environment to complete all Provincial Testing. The use of any type of Artificial Intelligence or similar applications is prohibited during both the testing and the preparation stages (ex. studying using AI resources). 

Students are subject to the Provincial Testing regulations if they violate this policy. Students are responsible for knowing and being up to date on current directives from Alberta Education. This may include having an exam discounted which may affect postsecondary conditional acceptances among other consequences. 

All course work must be completed by the end of the semester in which they are started (by January 09, 2026 for the Fall Semester or by June 08, 2026 for the Winter semester). 

Upon completion of courses all necessary information will be entered into Powerschool to then be live in PASI. It is important to note that when students are removed from Powerschool they will lose access to their CRPS account within 24 hours following the system sync. Please ensure that all learning materials that students may require is transferred to another account prior to losing access.