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From First Click to Graduation with Amber Rhodes: Enrollment & Records in a Virtual School · GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to GCA Unmuted, the podcast where we share the stories and strategies that show how Georgia Cyber Academy makes online learning work.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Every student's journey at GCA starts with a decision and a click.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: But behind that moment is a complex system that ensures students are enrolled correctly, supported consistently, and set up for success all the way through graduation.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm joined today by Amber Rhodes, GCA's district registrar.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: She oversees enrollment and records, helping ensure that every student's path from first application to diploma is accurate, smooth, and supported.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: We'll explore how enrollment works in a virtual school, why records matter more than most people realize, and how behind the scenes systems support students at every stage.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, Amber, thanks for coming on.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: The first question would be can you share a moment or a situation where you think the enrollment or records process made a real difference for a student or a family?
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, and thank you so much for having me.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um so there are several moments in enrollments or records that makes differences.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: We get them all the time.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, thank you for this.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: But um one moment that I constantly see, I should say, is families are so eager for students to immediately start after their application is approved.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: And there is normally a short gap in between um their application being approved and when they start.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so what they do not see behind the scenes is several of our departments working and eagerly working for their student to start.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um, once a family knows what actually went in on behind the scenes of their student maybe starting a week after they are approved, they kind of get grateful or glad because they have to receive their computer on time for the student to start, or they have to make sure that their testing results come in before their students start.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: They may have to make sure that they have records in from their students' previous school.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so once a family understands it that they know that this made a difference and that that short gap really set their student up for their first day of school.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: And um, a lot of parents at first they're frustrated, but they see at the end, like this is why.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we couldn't start immediately, but it does give them a fresh start to start where they need in their grade levels.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: So basically there's a lot of moving pieces, a lot of moving parts, it sounds like.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And once once they find out how many moving pieces, they're like, oh wow, okay.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I understand now.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: What what do you think that moment really reveals then about the importance of what you do and what your team does and all those pieces that go into it?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: They so a virtual school is kind of c still hard to comprehend um for you know families all over Georgia, and they want to know what this virtual piece is.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I share with families, you know, sometimes like because we are totally virtual, like there are things that they can't do when they come into like they would come into a brick and mortar.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So for instance, they can come into a brick and mortar, hand their stuff in that same date and start the next day.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: GCA doesn't work that way because we're virtual, we have to ship out things and get things going and moving.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And because we enroll in masses, I think that's another um point I make to families, like we enroll about 200 to 300 students each week.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we enroll in masses, it's almost like we have to do things kind of in bulk so that everything sinks over.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: But um, once they realize, like, hey, like I'm thankful that you know we waited because I didn't get my computer until that, you know, Thursday, or because I missed the email that I was supposed to do the previous day.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: So it gives them time and it gives really, in my opinion, um, that window of human error as well.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because some families don't check their email every day, and I think that gives them some leeway in setting up their testing schedule for their student or checking their emails at the end of the day, and it just sets them up in our processes, and our processes I've seen have worked.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: No, that's great.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's huge.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um lots going on, and the fact that you're like, wow, things going on in masses.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you kind of had to like systemize your stuff.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think then for people unfamiliar that it well how would you even describe the role of a district registrar at a virtual school?
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like what what is it that what's your role?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: How would you define it?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I well I I still would define it as what people view as a registrar.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: I j we just oversee um all enrollment with GCA compared to um a registrar maybe at a brick and mortar school, they're only responsible for that particular school.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: GCA is its own district and its own school at the same time.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so we oversee all enrolling primary, elementary, middle, and high school.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And on average, that is about nine to ten thousand students a year that we overlook their enrollment in records, even re-registration or you know, during open enrollment or mid-year enrollment.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, in a virtual setting at GCA, it's sort of a tedious task because um families do not come in like in a brick and mortar, they can hand paperwork.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: We receive our documents electronically majority of the time.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes, you know, the document may be blurry, it may be illegible, it's not the document that we need.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's a lot of um back and forth electronically and virtually with the parent.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so it kind of makes it a little teeth more tedious than um, I would say, uh a registrar and a brick and mortar, but we have to continue to look at these documents and verify the validity.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's what me and my team do.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: We, you know, we have human eyes looking at these documents every day, all day, and we know what we're looking for.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it is sort of um I would just say more tedious, but um it is doable um because we have, you know, experienced um registrars and and specialists that came from you know different schools to know what we're doing and to know um how it works.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's interesting to me, the the fact that because it sounds like one of the big differences you're saying is brick and mortar versus online is we are virtual documents, how they submit them versus just going in and being able to hand them in.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I'm thinking in my head, like I would rather submit everything electronically, even if I could go down the street to hand the stuff in.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I am always trying to like figure out a digital process for any of this stuff.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um for me.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we do have families that they're like, can I just come in and just hand it to you?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I wish.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, there there are families we have those.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Would you say then the enrollment process, the main difference between GCA and then this brick and mortar traditional, the main difference between that is the online document submission, or would you say there's even a bigger difference in the enrollment process at GCA versus a brick and mortar?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's more detailed.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I just to be totally transparent here, um, GCA, since GCA is a virtual school, like I tell parents, like, I know that this is Mrs.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Jones that I'm talking to, but I don't know, like virtually, you know, where you are, where you're located, what you know, where are the things because we are virtual.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: So even though that I'm talking to you, it's so different from somebody coming in and just saying, hey, you know, I live up the street, here's my proof of residence, versus someone online saying, hey, up the street, here's my proof of residence.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And so our job at GCA is probably more tedious because we have to verify um, you know, residency in Georgia.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: And we um one of the biggest um challenges in the application, I would just say it is a proof of residence, and we accept our documents that we accept because that kind of verifies that you have a residence in Georgia.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I think one of the challenges with families is that we are so detailed in this process and we are knowing what we're looking for, like service dates and all of the things, and if it's in the name, because I think families think, oh, I'll just submit whatever in the application, and we don't verify and we just approve it.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And we are we have to be detailed in that situation.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, one, I would share that yes, it's more tedious with the electronic documents, and of course, you know, like sometimes, you know, things can be altered.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to not say that we're investigators, but we have to have a keen eye for certain documents, and so our process is a little bit more tedious, but it's um the reason why we have to do and just to be compliant with you know Georgia DOE and and policy, we have to do these things.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: So what systems are or checks are in place then, Amber, that help y'all like make sure that you keep everything accurate, you keep the student records accurate over time.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like what what sort of things do y'all have in place then?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so um once, you know, um because the application is electronic, once it's approved, it automatically goes into um our SIS, our infinite campus system, where the documents are housed for each student.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: So that is a plus for GCA um because that is automated.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: And what we have throughout the year, I think that I've created and streamlined a flow of how the year would go in enrollment records.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: And we our first audit is actually in the application, and our second one is after they are approved, and then throughout the year, we go through each student's documents and um kind of see where we are because you know, maybe a day or two after a family was approved, they submitted a missing a document.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Then um we kind of audit those records and then we kind of communicate, you know, early part of second semester, hey, you know, just reminding you we don't have these particular documents for the student.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so we just make sure that once we receive them, it's what we need.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's you know, um it has all the information um that the document needs, just for instance, like a 3300, we need all four screenings on that, and um we upload it and it is stored there um for our record keeping.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: And if a student just so happens to go to their next school, we have those documents there for the school um for our school to supply to the next school and transfer those records over.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: So they are housed confidentially in our um SIS, and um, we just update uh the student record and document once we get you know new documents in for a student.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's super helpful, Infinity Campus, even though I feel like every other Sunday they change their the way you navigate inside it, and I'm like, cool, here's the new user experience.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just kidding, Infinite Campus.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so what are some common misconceptions?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: I know that you mentioned uh when people are first starting the process, families are like, oh, I didn't realize everything that went into this.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm a little grateful that I couldn't start right away.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So are are there any other like misconceptions you think um that families have about enrollment?
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then how do you kind of clear those up?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so um I think one of the biggest misconceptions, I would I would just say in GCA General is that we are a traditional homeschool.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: As it relates to enrollment, I think families think that they don't have to submit approval residence or they don't have to submit these documents because um they don't understand that we are a public charter school.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so we are not the traditional homeschool, we're just the public school done virtually.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's one of the misconceptions.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And once um families realize that piece, once we, you know, share over the phone, hey, you know, we need these documents because, you know, we are a public school, we have to have these records on file.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, oh, okay, well, let me send those over.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, another misconception I think is that um applications are just automatically approved without verifying the application contents or the documents.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that um families believe we just, you know, approve without verifying the documents, but we do have humans over here that looks at applications and it's really tedious, then it sounds because we have to open the application, compare the documents from the application to the contents in the application.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: We have to change the things, just say if a parent submitted an application in all caps, we have to now rewrite the whole application in non-caps, and so it is very tedious um to do, and then we have to kind of see did it have what it takes to be approved?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: And um, families kind of recognize that if they are denied to to resubmit a document, um, so I think that's one um misconception, um, another one I would say.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I have one more that I think um families share and they share in peak enrollment times that you know there's no one on the phone, no one's there to, you know, answer the calls.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I know that we're answering calls for a fact.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I do want to, you know, set the record straight.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's the volume of so many families that are so interested.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: And we're grateful for that.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we do have specialists that are in a queue for a certain amount of time.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: So just say we have an eight-hour workday, the specialist is in the queue about three to four hours each day.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they're doing nothing but answering the calls, and then they have the rest of the day to work on what they need to work, like applications or emails.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so, um, but any given month, we kind of have about, I would say on average, like a 3,000 calls that we do, and I've seen the data on it.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's just a thing to be patient and just understand when high enrollment season happens, it's that's what it is.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I believe that other brick and mortar schools, they they have that as well.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: I talked to several registrars, and everyone is in that in that in that window of high enrollment season.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we just you know ask for everyone's patience during that time.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: No, that's that's huge.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Tons of calls.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you mean y'all aren't just hanging out back there playing Monopoly?
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Not just hanging out.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think other schools, uh, Amber could learn uh from how GCA manage enrollment records at scale?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, you said, you know, y'all have a huge school, the entire district, so over nine, ten thousand students.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: So you're juggling a lot of things, right?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: But are there is there anything that you think that like whether they're virtual or traditional that could that could they could learn from how GCA manages their enrollment records?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would definitely share that the um we have built-in processes, and that's really the best way I can describe it.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: So um, for instance, you know, like a traditional brick and mortar school and registrar, they would, you know, ask for um a record and then, you know, maybe um a student record, and then the next day they may be like, hey, just checking in.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And um I think that there is a misconception among like just regular public schools in general that you know, we have maybe maybe one or two uh record requests per day.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: And to be honest, we have about a hundred or so that may come in on any given day, and we need that time and capacity to really release the records in the order that it was received.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe um, and I share that with schools all the time.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: I say we we process just like applications in the order that they were received, not saying that yours is important isn't important, but everyone is having the same request at the same time.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so just we put in processes.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I ensure with my team that, hey, we start from the bottom up.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: So we go from oldest to newest, um, just so that we're fair to every school and every district.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, some districts are very um, I would say accommodating and they understand, but there are just some ways that um other districts can kind of understand the the GCA way.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: And even when we share, you know, sometimes especially during high season, uh, we were like, well, yeah, like yours came in today, but you got about 200 in front of you.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, oh wow, you got that many of them?
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we do.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just, you know, we're every time one comes in, we process it immediately.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we we are fair to everyone, and we just want to make sure that everyone is delivered the same amount of time and respect.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: So making sure you process fairly, that's great.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think then sets GCA's enrollment records process apart from other districts?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: Our processes um are very streamlined, I I should say.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have I share earlier, like we have um specialists that came from other districts and they share how their processes work.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: And when they came to JDCA, like, oh, I see why you do that now.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: I see that makes sense.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: And because of the volume that we do, we have we have just certain checks and balances that we do every day to ensure that everyone does applications or everyone does records requests, everyone does emails in a fair amount of time.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so we may have like a specific day where um we we like we have our call queue, then I'm gonna work on emails, and then I'm gonna work on apps, and I'm gonna work on records requests.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe that that kind of that system works for the volume that we do.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like we don't have the luxury of you know doing everything as it comes in.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: We have to do it in bulk so that everyone is is um attended to in a fair amount of time.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe that that helps GCA with the large amount of and the mass amount of um applications that you know we do.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think last year, um, because I pulled our data from last year, we did about like 14,000 applications.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um several of those, of course, because we have about 10,000 enrollment, did not, you know, make it to enrollment, but we processed way more than what um we enroll.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so it is making sure that everyone is fair.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: We attend to every application like we are going to enroll them, and um we just do things in that that system way.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that's that's smart.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds like you know, making sure that you it's not not an assembly line, but just like it it sounds like it makes you all more efficient, you know, doing everything in different steps rather than just taking this one application all the way through.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because I imagine I imagine there's um I imagine sometimes there's like stopping points within the application process that like hang up a family and then you have to like reach out to them, right?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's things in the process that kind of like pause it and then you gotta wait and hear back.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so that's normally like for instance, we will get an application, they forgot to upload our certificate.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to, you know, share with the family hey, you know, we you you forgot your birth certificate, please upload it.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: And that application hangs out and we move on to the next.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so that helps every family get moved faster and quicker.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: And once that application comes back, or if they call or if they email and we attend.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: To that application, and that leads them to approval.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: But um but yeah, because of the volume, it's just um it's very important that we have these systems in place for a reason.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, Amber, leave us with this uh last question.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: What do you what do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned about uh being a district registrar at this uh big school?
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: About uh you could even maybe say supporting students from behind the scenes, because really, if it wasn't for you and for your team, there wouldn't be any students at GCA.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: You're the one that gets them in the door and like here, so it's like you you started the whole supporting the students process, but what would you say is like um the biggest lesson you've learned about uh leading leading your team, leading the enrollment records process at GCA?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think one of the biggest lessons that I teach my team and I actually teach myself is that every phone call, every email, like every interest, we have to treat them as you know, they want to be here.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: They reached out to us for a reason.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so helping that family with, you know, different, it may be different backgrounds, different circumstances, you know, we get calls and you know, families spill, you know, the circumstances surrounding why they're coming to GCA.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: And some of these are very heartfelt.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: They they they want another option.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: And helping families get through that process and then for them to be so grateful at the end of the day is rewarding in itself to know that I helped this student.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I may not see them until re-registration season or whatever, but to know that we helped this family, to know that we may have helped um a family who is not so tech savvy get through their application.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because as you said, we are the first like stop as enrolling for a suit a student at GCA.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes we are kind of helping them navigate the digital process, which they never did before.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's helping those families kind of get to the enrollment.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: And um personally, um during enrollment after the application has been approved, I work with our instructional support team principals because some students come in on different spectrums of andor on different grade levels than what they should be in based on age.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so we help that family and that student get the support that they need beyond enrollment.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: So if, you know, they share during a story during um enrollment that, you know, maybe their student was bullied, they had to pull her their student out for a moment in time.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like I reach out to the principals and the instructional support team and say, hey, this is what happened.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: They had a gap in education.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: How can we support this student in the seventh grade?
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: And they take this very seriously.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: I can share that, and they put a plan in place for these specific students that come in with different academic concerns, and they see that student in that moment.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I am so happy to be a part of that process.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's true, like every application, there's a story behind it.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's a great reminder.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's big idea.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: When enrollment and records are handled with care and precision, students can focus on learning, knowing their journey is supported from start to finish.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again to Amber for joining us and shedding light on this critical part of the student experience.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode gave you a new appreciation for the systems that support learning, be sure to subscribe and join us next time on GCA Unmuted Voices of Virtual Education.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again, Amber.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.