Outside Learning Process

Outside Learning Approval

In some cases, students may be granted credit for learning experiences completed outside Bellevue School District (BSD), provided the learning experiences meet the criteria outlined within the district procedures. Approval for credit (not necessarily a grade) must be obtained prior to enrollment and/or participation in the outside learning experience in order to be eligible for consideration for high school credit on the BSD transcript. In order to receive credit for any approved outside learning experience, students must continue to be fully scheduled in a Bellevue School District high school, taking the minimum required credits during the regular school day (7 credits for students grades 6-11, and 6 credits for students in grades 11 and 12). Students may not drop a course and/or shorten their schedule in order to have a learning experience outside the regular program.

Students can submit up to a total of 2 credits (4 semesters) during their high school years for grade improvement. There is no limit to courses for credit recovery (grade and credit) or for original credit (credit, no grade) that students can add to their BSD transcript. All Outside Learning Courses must have prior approval before starting or completing the course.

Steps to Enroll in a Course Outside of Bellevue School District (Outside Learning)

Online course: Choose an OSPI Approved Online Provider from this list. OSPI Approved Online Course Providers.
In person course: Choose a provider that it is accredited in the State of Washington. This information is typically included on the provider website.

• Complete the approval form Outside Learning Request. The form is a fillable PDF. Type in the fillable boxes, do NOT click the “fill and sign” tool.
• Save the form with your Last Name, First Name, and Outside Learning (OL) Course Name like this example (LAST First-OL Algebra1).
• Email the form to your counselor and they will send it to the appropriate school administrator for their signature.

NOTE: When the Outside Learning Request is processed, it will be uploaded to the ‘Documents’ tab in Synergy StudentVue.

• Check that the request has been approved. If the request was not approved, check for a note with an explanation and resubmit with changes if appropriate.

• If the course has been approved, register for the course directly with the provider that was approved. Make sure that you are registering for the course that was approved. Bellevue School District does not register students for courses approved for Outside Learning.
• Complete the course.
• When finished, request an official transcript be emailed directly to the registrar at your school so that the course can be added to your BSD transcript.