For Counselors, Administrators, and Site Facilitators

Updated 2/27/2026

New for Summer 2026: Guided Core Program

MTDA is replacing our summer FlexCAP model for high school with the Guided Core Program to better support the needs of our partner districts. This new model eliminates the requirement for local proctoring by using Respondus LockDown Browser for test security, which significantly reduces the administrative and staffing burden for your school. While students can work remotely, they still receive high-quality instruction through flexible pacing and a weekly video call with a Montana-certified teacher to guide their progress

How This Change Benefits Your School

• Reduced Required Local Staffing: One of the most significant changes is the move to remote accessibility. Students are no longer be required to work on-site at your school daily. This allows your district to implement summer programming with limited on-site staffing. You are welcome to continue to provide a site-based program as additional support. You will still need to appoint a local person to be available to monitor student progress and to provide support to students as needed throughout the summer. 
• Automated Proctoring: We replaced traditional school-based proctoring with the use of the Respondus LockDown Browser, a feature built into each test. This move ensures academic integrity while freeing your staff from the requirement of monitoring high-stakes testing in person.
• Increased Student Accountability: We know that students in FlexCAP courses often require extra support. The Guided Core Program model introduces weekly 15-minute virtual check-ins between the student and their MTDA teacher. These meetings ensure students stay on track without requiring constant intervention from your local facilitators.
• Rigor and Flexibility: By utilizing our Original Credit course content, we ensure students receive rigorous instruction. Additionally, students can move forward in their content immediately rather than waiting for specific grades to be released. This program will offer all of the course titles we have previously offered in the summer FlexCAP program. 

Important Notes

• Summer Guided Core Program will open for enrollment on June 12th and will remain open for schools to enroll as needed until the last week of July. Please wait to enroll students until they are ready to start their course.
• New to FlexCAP? Check out the program page to learn more.
• Summer Guided Core is open to students who have previously failed a course, need additional support or need a more flexible timeline.
• The MTDA Guided Core Program Courses have not been approved by the NCAA. If the student requires an NCAA-approved course, all MTDA Original Program courses are NCAA approved.
• While these courses can be completed remotely we recommend that schools have a designated local adult to monitor student success throughout the summer. No proctoring is required. 
• Please download a copy of our academic calendar
• Students who participate in the Guided Core Program over the summer will need to finish their course during the summer session or transition to the IPC model to finish the course in September.
• 2026-2027 Course List

Orientation

• All students in the Guided Core program must complete the mandatory Guided Core Program Orientation. The short course is called “GCP Orientation” in GeniusSIS and must receive a “pass” to be able to enroll in content-specific courses.  Once a student takes and completes the orientation, they do not need to complete it again.  There is no cost-share associated with the orientation.
• The orientation requires approximately 1-2 hours of engagement, though actual time depends on a student’s skills, reading level, and motivation. Schools should identify students who struggle to finish the orientation promptly as high-need enrollments and provide them with direct local support.
• The orientation course is approximately 1-2 hours of engagement time, dependent on student skill, reading level, and motivation.  Identify students who fail to finish the orientation course in a resonable amount of time as high-need enrollments and provide them with extra local support.
• The GCP Orientation is located under the “short course” term. There is no cost-share for any short courses.  Please see important details on the Short Course description page.
• The MTDA GCP Courses have not been approved by the NCAA due to the flexible nature of the courses. If students need an NCAA-approved course, all MTDA’s Original Program courses have been approved.

Cost-Sharing Statement

In 2021, the MTDA Governing Board exercised its authority granted by MCA 20-7-1202 to begin cost-sharing with districts in 2022.  This applies to the MTDA original credit program.  Before enrolling for the upcoming term, please review our information page regarding cost-sharing.

• A PO number is requested upon enrollment for billing.

Registration

• Please review our Site Facilitator handbook for information on data collection, entrance counseling, and student registration.

Notice to students and parents: This information is intended for distribution to public school districts and may contain details that do not apply to your local district’s program.  If you are interested in utilizing GCP(Guided Core Program) courses with Montana Digital Academy, your first contact should be to the counseling department and/or school administration of your local public school to discuss what is available.

Questions?