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The following guidelines and resources are designed to assist state leaders in developing policies to ensure that distance learning within each state delivers quality results for participating students. This set of guidelines can be used as a checklist for reviewing specific courses or providers. They address the following subtopics:

1. Course content and Implementation
2. Staffing and Certification
3. Management, Administration and Infrastructure
4. Evaluation

• The content of the course is aligned with local, state, and/or national standards.
• The content of the course is equivalent in rigor, depth, and breadth to traditionally delivered courses.
• The course makes the best use of available technologies, instructional strategies and resources to enrich the content.
• The course provides frequent and timely interactions between the students and the distance learning teacher, as well as interactions among the students.
• The course provides ways to assess student participation and achievement of learning goals.
• The credit for the course is awarded by the local school district responsible for a specific student's education or other credit-granting institution.
• The learning environment and course materials are universally designed, making them accessible to diverse learners.
• The technology is easy to use, allowing learners to focus on the course content.

• The distance learning teacher is fully qualified in the content area being taught.
• The teacher has been trained and is skilled in distance learning pedagogy.
• The school designates an onsite coordinator, who manages technical and administrative issues and serves as the primary contact person between the school, the students, and the course provider.

• The course provider has adequate services necessary to deliver the program of instruction.
• Student rights and responsibilities are recognized and upheld within the course structure.
• The course provider and distance learning teachers adhere to and communicate copyright, as well as other laws and guidelines, pertaining to the distribution and ethical use of all resources.
• School personnel, parents, and students are notified, in advance, of course requirements (including time and participation requirements), technical requirements and the skills needed to be successful in distance learning.

• Courses are evaluated on a regular basis to determine whether they are achieving their objectives. Improvements to the courses are made based on these evaluations.
• Teacher performance evaluation is conducted no less frequently than once a year.
• Student assessments are aligned with local, state, and national standards.