Northern Star Online

A public school partnership leading the way in online education

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ALC Independent Study

For credit recovery beyond a full load.

Independent Study (IS) is a state certified program for students who are at-risk of not graduating from high school and are self-motivated to complete high school graduation requirements. Many districts have local ALC-IS programs that offer credit recovery at a local site. Students are encouraged to check those programs first for credit recovery, as they are aligned more closely with district graduation requirements.

Enrolling through independent study is only an option for students who can meet the parameters established below.

  • Students must be age 16-21 to enroll in Independent Study.
  • Qualified students may make up 2 semester credits per year through IS.
  • Students must meet one of the state-specified Graduation Incentives.
  • Students taking a course through Independent Study are required to meet the state requirement of 20% contact attendance time.
  • Contact Time can be conducted through virtual methods.

How does the required 20% contact time work through NSO?

Students now have the option of  Virtual Contact.

What are the NSO Expectations of an Independent Study student?

  • Log in and participate in their online class on a daily basis.
  • Meet the required 20% contact time.
  • Complete assignments on a weekly basis.
  • Work hard to complete their credit within the scheduled time frame (an extension may be requested if you have been active throughout the term).
  • Students will be dropped for lack of attendance (limited/no log in activity) or incomplete work within a two week time period.

 Independent Study arrangements

Please contact NSO to discuss arrangements for Independent Study before enrolling.

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What’s New?

Check out our new courses!


  • American Sign Language Register now, course starts Jan 25
  • EmpowerU: Resilience Skills Available now
  • Criminal Justice Internship Register now, course starts Jan 25

Quick Links

See Our Course Catalog

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Questions about Funding & Tuition?

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Register for a Class

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Key NSO Links

Log in to Genius SIS:

Create a New Account in Genius SIS



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Intermediate District 287

Intermediate District 287 is proud to provide Northern Star Online to Minnesota students on behalf of our consortium members:


Eden Prairie Public Schools | Edina Public Schools | Hopkins Online Academy
Minnetonka Public Schools | ISD 361 International Falls Public Schools | Northeast Metro 916
Richfield Public Schools | Saint Paul Public School | School District 112
SOCRATES (South Central Regional Area Telecommunications System) | TIES | Wayzata Public Schools


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