Our mission is to provide you with answers to all your questions, regarding your online learning needs. We have compiled answers to questions that our students have come across in the past, to help you find answers at the tip of your fingers (literally!). However, we are always available, if you need to talk to someone in person, to get your questions answered.
If you plan on working on the courses at home, you need to have access to a computer at home.
We realize that online learning can raise fears about online predators. This is why we make our courses password-protected and secure. We encourage parental involvement and partner with both students and parents to keep and maintain a safe online learning experience. Strong parenting coupled with educating students of the risks of online predators remains vital and essential.
We take online bullying very seriously. The best way to protect against online bullying is to NOT share the student password with ANYONE other than parent or guardian. If you suspect your account is being hacked, then immediately change the password. If this does not solve the problem, then please contact Red Comet immediately to report the problem.
In order for students to complete a Red Comet course, we expect them to spend at least 80 to 90 percent of their time on the computer. The rest of the time may be spent reading outside literature that is readily available at local libraries and schools. Computers help us provide you with effective assessment, planning, and time-management tools. Computers also act as powerful teaching tools that can motivate, stimulate, and inform students about the world around them. This is why we use a unique multimedia approach that also includes reading books as well as going through various educational websites and pertinent videos on the internet.
Some basic skills are required. Use of the computer is an important part of the program. The program is user-friendly.
Red Comet courses are not specifically designed for ESL (English as Second Language) learners. However, students work at their own pace on the courses. Red Comet works for students who need extra time to master a subject, as well as those who learn quickly.
Red Comet teachers can make accommodations for students with special needs and will work with the students’ case manager at their resident school. Students / Parents / Schools must submit proof of IEP documentation in order to be eligible for any type of accommodations.
Gifted students can access higher grade courses or Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Red Comet offers the following subjects:
Any student in grades kindergarten to grade 12 may take courses at Red Comet. Home schooled students take Red Comet courses as well. If you are attending a public / private school, please ensure your school approves your taking courses at Red Comet.
Yes, students earn credits for Red Comet courses upon successful completion of all course requirements.
If you are a student enrolled in a private high school in WA State or are a homeschooled student in WA State, then you may be eligible for tuition-free Red Comet courses. If you are a student enrolled in a public high school in WA State, then you may have to pay to take Red Comet courses (unless they are paid through separate school / district funds).
For students in ALL other states (except WA State) – Yes – students will have to pay for Red Comet courses.
Please go to our Course Catalog to choose the courses that you need. At check-out time, you will be informed about the prices for the various courses that you have chosen. At that point, you can decide if you want to go ahead with your order or not.
Red Comet offers core, AP and elective courses year-round. For a full listing, please Click Here to view our course catalog.
Yes. Red Comet will continue to offer all courses even in summer.
Once enrolled, typically, you will have 120 days to complete the course.
Virtually all PCs will run Red Comet courses, but we have listed system requirements just in case.
Red Comet uses Agilix Buzz® which supports the following browsers:
Students may study course material on iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices. However, when it is time to take the final tests / submit final essays & assignments, we require that the students log in from a regular computer / laptop (Recommended browser – Chrome).
Dialup Internet Connections – (not recommended)
Red Comet does not support dialup connections and strongly recommends DSL or cable Internet connections.
Headsets – (highly recommended)
To provide the best online learning experience for the student, it is recommended that noise-cancelling headsets be used. Red Comet recommends the LogicTech ClearChat Comfort USB headset. These headsets can be found at various stores or Online for under $30.
Be involved with their learning! Encourage them to develop a schedule for working on their courses. Help them set aside a specific time each day when they can focus on Red Comet courses. If this time slot is the same every day, it helps set the routine for your student and you will see good progress. Make a list of assignments / essays / modules that must be completed by certain specific dates – this will give your student a timeline that he/she can follow. Discuss assignments with your students. Share in their learning. Celebrate their success. Each week, log into the Red Comet site as a parent and check your student’s progress in each enrolled course. Contact teachers if you have questions. Contact Red Comet staff if you have concerns.
Red Comet staff and teachers encourage and appreciate parent communication. The Red Comet issued login id is the best vehicle for communicating regarding your concerns / questions. Phone calls are also effective means of communication when you have a question.
Parents can monitor student progress by checking online and seeing what portion of the course the student has completed. Parents may also communicate with their student’s teacher(s) / Red Comet staff to check the student’s progress.
Red Comet will email the Final Grade Report to the Registrar or an authorized school official at the private/public school that your student is attending. For Homeschooled students, this will be emailed to the parent/guardian.
Students must work with academic counselors at their public or private school to decide on which courses they must enroll in.
Homeschool parents must help their students pick the right courses needed for their academic study. If a student does not attend a public or a private school, and is not homeschooled, then Red Comet will work with school districts to offer academic counseling services.
Yes, a student enrolled in your school can register for courses on Red Comet if your school will accept credits from Red Comet.
If your school is a private high school in WA State, then your student can enroll in Red Comet courses and may qualify for tuition-free courses.
Otherwise, the student/parent or your school/district will have to pay for the course.
Red Comet offers core, AP (Advanced Placement) and elective courses. For a full listing, please see our online Course Catalog.
Students may enroll in Red Comet courses for original credit, credit retrieval or to better their grades. However, please keep in mind that Red Comet does not offer a separate version of courses for credit recovery. Students needing credit recovery will have to enroll in the original credit version of the course and successfully complete the course to receive a transcript. For a full listing, please see our online Course Catalog.
Red Comet courses are written at the identified grade span reading level. Our program allows special needs students to work at their own pace and complete the course work. Red Comet teachers will make the necessary accommodations (those that are possible in an online environment) to assist students with special needs to successfully complete the coursework. These accommodations include extending timelines to complete the coursework, and providing tests on paper format (tests must be administered by a proctor). Some Red Comet courses have podcast audio files. For these select courses, students can access the Podcast file on site or download to listen to offline. In the past, students with special needs (autism, ADD, ADHD, visually-impaired, hearing-challenged, impairments due to substance abuse, etc.) have successfully completed their coursework on the Red Comet platform.
Please do bear in mind that Red Comet teachers are not endorsed in special education and students with an IEP must continue to work with their case manager at their resident school to meet the objectives of the IEP. Students / Parents / Schools must submit proof of IEP documentation in order to be eligible for any type of accommodations.
No, the course material is not available off-site; however, most courses allow you to print one page at a time.
When a student successfully completes a course, Red Comet will email a “Course Grade Report” to the school (usually to the Registrar.) The Report contains information regarding the final grade and credit earned. Only upon special request will the Grade Report be sent via US Mail to the school.
Please Contact Us so that we may address all your questions. You may also call us on the toll free number: 1-888-730-1101.
Yes - you definitely have the option. Please contact us so that we can understand all your requirements and deliver a solution that fully addresses your needs.
Red Comet may accept a student who has been expelled or has a long-term suspension. These students will be treated as home-schooled students.
No. Under no circumstance will Red Comet allow a student to re-take a test UNLESS there is undisputed proof that a technical error caused the test to shut down (resulting in lower scores.) All grades are final. Essays, assignments and other key course requirements will be excused only in the case of IEP Accommodations. Students without a formal IEP will NOT be excused from completing essays, assignments and other key course requirements.
As part of the course, students must study the material provided and complete all required tests, assignments and projects associated with the course. Based on the subject area, different courses may have different requirements with respect to assignments and projects. Please refer to the grading policy and the rubrics within each course to maximize your scores. To be successful, students must consistently track their progress on the platform and manage their work as recommended on the platform.
The school must approve the student to register in Red Comet courses.
We need a school contact, preferably a Registrar, to whom we can mail the Final Grade Report once the student completes the course successfully.
No - our platform is web-based. You do not need any special software to access our system. You just need a working computer and reliable high bandwidth connection.
Red Comet verifies all student submissions for plagiarism. We verify the student’s submissions against ALL content available on the internet + previous student submissions. If we detect plagiarism, then we will zero out the scores and send a warning to the student and the school contact. Upon repeat plagiarized submissions, student will be suspended from the course. Student may not resume work until s/he follows the intervention procedures.
Students may enroll in as many courses as your school approves. However, we strongly recommend that a student not exceed the total course load (total number of courses enrolled in your school + total number of courses enrolled in Red Comet) for their grade level. This is to ensure that the student has a higher chance of success in their academics.
Your students can get started as soon as we receive all necessary student information (student name, email id, DOB). We will also need to know how to invoice you/collect payment for the course. For students who are paying for the course (or if your school is paying for the course), then the student may start the course anytime during the calendar year. Red Comet will enroll the student and send an Orientation email within 24-48 hours of receiving the order. Students may start as soon as they receive the Orientation email with instructions.
Yes - our online system is available 24/7.
Each course also has a navigation module, which provides details on course layout etc.
Teachers receive many emails each day so they strive to reply to students needing help and answering questions within 24 to 48 hours during the school week while correcting and returning assignments within 5 business days.
Students will use tools on the Red Comet platform to submit their work. Some assignments might require text-based responses while others may require them to upload a PDF document. Some courses also require students to create and submit audio or videos. Students can use the tools on the platform to create these submissions. Rarely, in some courses like Fine Arts, students may be required to take a picture of their work and upload the file to the platform.
No - students are not required to visit the Red Comet office. All questions can be answered via phone or email.
No - students can do most of their work at home or at another location as long as they have access to a working computer and high bandwidth connection.
The student can login from the school computer. When school is closed, the student can log in from a public library or a community center. Alternately, the student can also work from a friend / mentor’s home. All work will be saved on the Red Comet platform. The student can continue his/her work from different locations.
Students are responsible for contacting the Red Comet at 1-888-730-1101 for assistance. Computer problems do not excuse the student from required work so it is very important to seek solutions for technical problems immediately. If the problem cannot wait, the student can also call our toll-free number to seek assistance. Technical support will be available from 9:00 to 5:00 Mondays to Fridays (Pacific Standard Time).
Students will contact their Red Comet teacher using tools provided on the platform.
Students can get academic help from their teachers at school. However, if students have questions on the tests, essay prompts or submissions, then they must direct these questions to the Red Comet teacher.
Please note that this cannot be done on an individual student basis. If your teachers would like to grade student submissions, then Red Comet will provide you with different options. We can set up a separate sub-domain for your school and train your teachers on how to login and grade.
The best way for students to contact their Red Comet teacher is by using the communication tools on the platform. Teachers will respond to the students’ questions and clarify any academic concepts. If student is still struggling, the teachers will set up an appointment to clarify the academic topic.
Students can turn in their assignments as soon as they complete them. We do not put any time restrictions on the submission of assignments.
Students can turn in their essays / compositions as soon as they complete them. We do not put any time restrictions on the submission of essays.
NO - this is seriously discouraged. Students are encouraged to take tests as and when they finish studying the different Sections/Units.
Yes.
Student/parent/guardian must contact Red Comet regarding this request. Red Comet will zero out anything that has not been submitted.
All tests must be completed on the Red Comet platform. We recommend that students complete tests using a laptop/computer with a stable internet connection (and not a mobile phone or mobile devices).
Students will use the tools provided on the Red Comet platform to submit their assignments. They may even upload documents in accepted formats.
Students will have 120 days (about 4 months) to complete the course.
If the student/parent/guardian or the school/district is paying for the course, then students may enroll anytime during the calendar year. For the state-funded, tuition-free programs offered through school districts, specific enrollment periods apply.
No. A student needs to put in at least 75 hours of study and work time to complete a course. Please note that most students complete a Red Comet course in 3 to 4 month time.
Yes - there will be time extensions ONLY if there is a valid reason (illness, accident, family issues, unforeseen circumstances, etc.)
Please contact us with your request and we will get back to you.
A student has about 16 weeks to complete the course. It would be ideal if a student can devote 5 hours a week OR an hour each weekday on the course. This will ensure steady progress.
All our courses require about the same amount of work. It does not matter if the student registers for our courses during the school year or during the summer session.
The student can take as many courses as he can handle and as many as the school approves.
Not necessarily. The prices for our courses are published in our course catalog. Occasionally, we will run some special discounts which you can make use of.
We do not offer refunds. The student / parent must ensure that this is the right program for them before they enroll in a Red Comet course.
Red Comet AP courses, by design, have more academic rigor than a regular catalog subject area course. Expectations for student submission and responses to questions are significantly higher than an ordinary subject area course without the AP designation. Rubrics are embedded within the course to guide teachers and students toward the level of understanding expected to be successful on the College Board AP exam.
Completing an AP course through Red Comet does not of itself count towards advanced college credit. However, students can take it for high school credit or if they want to take the College Board AP test (that awards advanced college credit).
Ultimately, successfully passing a Red Comet AP course will improve students’ chances of successfully passing the College Board AP exam. However, enrolling in the Red Comet AP course cannot guarantee success in the College Board AP tests.
In conclusion, just like online courses in core areas are not for every student, we can say the same for online AP courses. Online AP courses are not for everyone, and students and parents must ultimately decide to enroll in one.
