Montessori Live Policies

Montessori Live is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation and accepts charitable donations. “A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-HELP-FLA OR ONLINE AT www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com, and REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.” REGISTRATION #: CH53972.

Montessori Live maintains the privacy of students by following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as FERPA. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights concerning his or her education records.

These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day Montessori Live receives a request for access.
A student should submit to the registrar, Director of Montessori Live, or another appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Montessori Live official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be examined. If the Montessori Live official to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the matter should be addressed.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
A student who wishes to ask Montessori Live to amend a record should write the Montessori Live official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the history the student wants to be changed, and specify why it should be altered.

If Montessori Live decides not to amend the record as requested, the official(s) will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to provide written consent before Montessori Live discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
Montessori Live may disclose education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by Montessori Live in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit as its agent to provide a service instead of using Montessori Live and Island Village Montessori Charter School employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the training program. Upon request, Montessori live also discloses education records to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

With fewer restraints, Montessori Live can foster adults into qualified practitioners who embrace Montessori philosophy, pursue excellence in their professional activities, and exemplify maturity, honesty, empathy, and dedication towards helping our youth create a better future.

Student Rights

1. The right to access complete and accurate information about requirements, protocol, and policies of the training program(s).
2. The right to work with an experienced, competent faculty of Montessori educators who provide wisdom, guidance, and good counsel throughout the study.
3. The right to benefit from our commitment towards maintaining integrity in all aspects of its operation.
4. The right to pursue grievances through a committee review process.

Overall Student Responsibilities

1. To comply with all Montessori Live policies and procedures.
2. To represent oneself (abilities, accomplishments, philosophy) accurately, while maintaining personal integrity.
3. Montessori Live requires students to complete their program of study within three years. Exceptions to this policy are solely at the discretion of Montessori Live.

In order to protect the rights of students, Montessori Live will fulfill the following responsibilities to:

1. Admissions
   1. Provide written policies on admission
   2. Provide prospective students with adequate and complete information on all aspects of the program, including personal contact with staff, access to sample courses facilitated by the program, and visits to the Montessori Live physical
   3. Montessori Live does not guarantee job
2. Advertising and Marketing
   1. Maintain advertising and marketing policies that portray Montessori Live reliably, truthfully, and accurately.

3. Academic Programming
   1. Maintain a level of quality consistent with our Mission Statement as well as the purposes and objectives of our
   2. Award credit where it is due, maintain clear written policies on acceptance of credit from other institutions, and provide transcript information to other institutions when requested by individual
   3. Provide fair and reasonable academic evaluation, with grades and assessments that are meaningful, timely, and based on quality of student performance; to maintain transcripts and records; to guarantee confidentiality and student access to
   4. Award certificates when they are merited; to inform students regularly of their academic progress, and award certifications after all stated requirements and tuition payments are
   5. Provide adequate facilities (both physical plant and electronic networking infrastructure) to support academic goals for residency
   6. Offer quality instruction by means of faculty members possessing appropriate credentials and/or experience, who are well-prepared and current in their fields, meet class schedules on time, and are available to students upon reasonable notice outside of posted course
   7. Describe course requirements in clear, specific, and accurate terms; to ensure that requirements are educationally meaningful and relevant to our stated purposes and
   8. Offer courses compatible with published descriptions on our website, in our marketing material, and our Student
   9. Embrace and respect the principle of academic honesty and professional
   10. Maintain written policies for dismissal, to publish causes for dismissal in clear and specific form, and to dismiss a student only for appropriate causes with due

4. Financial Arrangements
   1. Provide complete and accurate information on the full cost of the training
   2. Maintain and employ fair and accurate refund policies and to provide written information on such policies.
   3. Charge fair and reasonable fees for damage to equipment or non-return of
   4. Maintain complete and accurate financial records for each
   5. Make reasonable tuition increases and provide notice of increases; to inform students about financial instability in the event such a condition should

5. Recordkeeping
   1. Maintain a cumulative record of a participant’s assessments.

Residency Attendance

Montessori Live meets MACTE’s attendance policy of 90% attendance for all residencies. If a student misses more than 8 hours of the EL I or EL II residency, or 12 hours of the EL I-II residency, the days must be made up during a future residency.

Practicum Attendance

The educator and administrator practicum courses require the completion of all assignments and a final score of at least 85%, meaning each assignment can earn less than full points. If a participant fails to complete all assignments, they must either complete them the following school year or re-enroll in the next practicum course, depending on the number of outstanding assignments. They also need to meet MACTE’s minimum practicum teaching-hour requirements.

Online Course Attendance

Participants must demonstrate 85% mastery to satisfactorily complete a course.

100% of the virtual chats must be either attended during the synchronous lecture or submitted as a summary of the discussion and uploaded to the chat attendance assignment, where completion points are awarded. Courses are left open for a reasonable time period (one to three weeks) to allow for extra opportunities to finish up course requirements. Participants are asked to contact the course instructor regarding their progress. At the end of three weeks, if the 85% mastery level has not been reached, the student must repeat a course for no additional charge one time only.

Chat and Forum Attendance

The nature of web-based distance education programs introduces new paradigms of learning. Our students interact directly with their instructors and classmates through a variety of online venues. Students are expected to participate in regularly scheduled chat sessions during a course of study. The chat session takes on a similar tone to a regular classroom session. Instructors make announcements, provide supplementary information on the videotaped lectures, and engage in discussion.

Throughout the course, students must also participate in discussion forums that are a component of the learning management system (LMS). Every week, the instructor posts a question about lecture content and course readings. Points for these activities include posting a reflection and commenting on others’ postings. Forum reflections allow participants to exchange ideas that may not have been discussed during a live chat. Breakout group sessions in traditional classrooms could be considered an equivalent practice.

Students are required to review the lecture and presentation videos each week. Student progress is tracked electronically for administrative purposes. Assignments are generally based on practicing with materials or material-making based on a review of course videos and lesson plans. Points are given for completing assignments.

Chat and forum participation are essential evaluation criteria for course completion. Assignments are the third component. 85% is the minimum requirement to pass each course, but 100% chat participation is required.

Montessori Live has a pay-as-you-go policy that requires payment for each course at the time of enrollment to that course. There is no requirement to prepay the entire cost of the program. The program cost varies depending on the level of participation and prior training in Montessori pedagogy. If your employer sponsors your educational expenses, please have the School Sponsor Verification form completed and signed. Funds must be cleared before a student will be admitted into a course. The Montessori Live refund policy applies when applicable.

Montessori Live does NOT provide Financial Aid and is not eligible for FAFSA or State Financial Aid programs. For institutions/districts paying for participant tuition, see this handbook’s Registration Procedures & Information section.

Payment Option Within the United States of America

• Credit Cards – Montessori Live only accepts credit card payments through PayPal via our website during registration. All payments must be issued in US dollars.

Personal Checks: Montessori Live accepts personal checks. One method of receiving these funds is also through PayPal.com. 

• Students will not be permitted to enter the course until the check has cleared. 

International Payment Options

• Wire Transfers – For incoming wire transfers: Request information from Registrar
• Montessori Live only accepts funds in US dollars.
• Montessori Live accepts certified checks and money orders from all international banks, Western Union, and American Express.

Extension Policy

The student has four years to complete the program from the date the application has been approved and registered with MACTE. The extension must be approved by the Registrar or Program Director. It must be shown that the student has made a reasonable effort to complete the program and that circumstances have arisen that seem justifiable to grant said extension (death, loss of job, etc.). Montessori Live may require that some courses be repeated. In the case of extenuating circumstances, an adult learner has up to five (5) years to finish their program for teachers and three (3) years for administrators. If a student requests an extension, they may be required to pay an additional $295 registration fee to Montessori Live.

Course Cancellation Policy

Montessori Live reserves the right to cancel courses with low enrollment. If a cancellation does occur, a student will be granted a full refund for the course. The student may also register for a different class to transfer the original charge toward that enrollment. If the program cancels a course, the student will be placed in a similar course for no additional charge.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

• The program application and registration fees are non-refundable. 
• This refund policy covers only courses offered by Montessori Live. If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, s/he will contact the Registrar. The Registrar’s Office will issue eligible refunds within 30 days. 
• The last day to withdraw from an online course with a full refund is the 7^th day after the course begins.
• The last day to withdraw with a 75% refund is the 14^th day after the course begins.
• A notified or unnotified withdrawal after two weeks will not be refunded.
• If a student completes more than 50% of the course requirements and then requests to drop the course, they are ineligible to repeat it for no additional charge.
• We make every effort to give participants sufficient time to complete courses as long as they communicate with either the registrar or the course instructor.
• If a participant drops or withdraws from the program entirely, refunds will only be disbursed for prepaid coursework where the participant has not yet been enrolled.
• Montessori Live is organized in a pay-as-you-go structure, so participants pay only for the course in which they are currently enrolled rather than the entire program at once.
• Students who do not complete practicum requirements by June 30th will be enrolled into the next practicum course for a reduced fee. Students will not receive a final grade and credit for the practicum until all requirements are completed.
• Montessori Live withholds all course and program completion certificates, diplomas, and transcripts until the tuition is paid in full.

The Montessori Live administration may place participants on probationary status or dismiss them from the training program for cause. The ultimate decision rests with the executive director. At our discretion, Montessori Live reserves the right to withdraw a student for consistent absenteeism, insufficient communication with course instructors over time, academic integrity issues, or a pattern of withdrawing or repeatedly failing to complete courses.

If a faculty member doubts a participant’s ability to adhere to the responsibilities listed in this handbook or deal positively and appropriately with other adults in their cohort, Montessori Live administration will be informed. If the cause for concern is sufficiently demonstrated, a written plan will be outlined and agreed upon to establish reasonable goals to remediate the concern. The executive director will determine the outcome. Every effort will be made to avoid withdrawing a participant from our programs.

Refunds will follow the guidelines published in this handbook.

Montessori Live strives to make the course enrollment process as simple as possible. To facilitate the successful navigation of our website, we have provided basic guidelines at this link: https://montessorilive.org/e-learning-technology/. If a participant is experiencing difficulty with any technical aspect of the online program, he/she may contact Technical Support. Please contact Technical Support at techsupport@montessorilive.org.

Technology Policies

Montessori Live utilizes the following technologies:

• MailChimp – Newsletter subscription
• MoodleRooms – Course management software
• Zoom – Course live chat management software
• WordPress – Website management software

Registration fees for our teacher certification programs are non-refundable.

Schools that sponsor faculty in our program must complete the School Sponsor Verification Form to verify agreement to pay either full or partial tuition for each participant.  This form requires the Head of School to provide a detailed plan for payment of tuition.  Montessori Live reserves the right to discontinue participation of any adult learner who has an outstanding balance by the end of the online course in which they are currently enrolled.  Adult learners will not receive a final grade or a completion certificate until their account is up to date.  All in-residence courses must be paid 10-days prior to the start of the residency.

Acceptance and acknowledgment of this handbook shall also constitute acceptance and consent to the following:

The unrestricted use, publication, display and reproduction by Montessori Live Educator Training Program, Inc., a Florida non-profit corporation, and its successors and assigns (“Montessori Live”), in perpetuity, of any and all video and/or audio recordings of any lecture or presentation which has been taken of me during my employment and/or engagement with Montessori Live.  Consent to and authorize the unrestricted use, publication, display and reproduction by Montessori Live Educator Training Program, Inc., a Florida non-profit corporation, and its successors and assigns (“Montessori Live”), in perpetuity, of any and all video and/or audio recordings of any lecture or presentation which has been taken of me during my employment and/or engagement with Montessori Live.  I hereby grant Montessori Live permission to use my likeness in photograph(s)/video(s) in any and all of its publications and in any and all other media, including, but not limited to, the Montessori Live Websites, social media, whether now known or hereafter existing, in perpetuity.

Consent to assign and transfer to Montessori Live all right, title, and interest in and to the copyright, including any registrations and copyright applications and any renewals and extensions, in all lectures, video(s) and/or audio recordings, supplemental materials and their underlying copyrights (“Works”).  The Works shall constitute Montessori Live’s property, solely and completely, and Montessori Live may alter, enhance or modify the Works at its sole discretion.  I hereby represent and warrant that I have the right and power to enter into this Lecture Release and Assignment. Montessori Live will use the Works to further the education and training of educators and school leaders in Montessori philosophy and pedagogy.

Permission to use my likeness in a photograph(s)/video(s) in any of its publications and any other media, including, but not limited to, the Montessori Live Websites, social media, whether now known or hereafter existing, in perpetuity.

Montessori Live has all right, title, and interest in and to the copyright, including any registrations and copyright applications and any renewals and extensions, in all lectures, video(s) and audio recordings, supplemental materials and their underlying copyrights (“Works”). The Works shall constitute Montessori Live’s property, wholly and solely, and Montessori Live may alter, enhance or modify the Works at its sole discretion.

By signing the handbook, the signer represents and warrants that (s)he has the right and power to enter into this Release. Montessori Live agrees to use the Works to further the education and training of educators and school leaders in Montessori philosophy and pedagogy.

Students agree that their legal rights shall be governed by Florida law. The courts of Sarasota County, Florida shall have exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any legal action or proceeding arising out of any dispute with Montessori Live, to which the student irrevocably consents.

Montessori Live is not subject to the reporting requirements of IRS Form 1098-T based on the following:

• Montessori Live does not offer courses for academic credit
• Montessori Live is not eligible to participate in the Department of Education’s student aid programs
• For tax reporting purposes use employer identification number 45-3362464

Requirements for Graduation:

1. Satisfactory completion of all online courses as required for each program
2. Satisfactory completion of the Summer Residency as required for each program
3. Satisfactory completion of teaching practicum online course as detailed in the course syllabus AND
– a minimum of 400 teaching hours for early childhood program (120 hours directly working with children)
– a minimum of 520 teaching hours for the elementary programs (240 hours directly working with children)
4. All tuition and registration fees paid