Frequently Asked Questions
Customer Service Questions
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You can easily request a digital sample of most textbooks, which will come with all of the online resources that you would find if you were to purchase a subscription. Start here!
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There are several ways to purchase our products. For smaller orders, purchasing via www.waysidepublishing.com/titles is a great option. Simply browse and add the titles and products you require to your shopping cart. If you need help with a larger order or a multi-year order, contact us for assistance.
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Email your PO to [email protected] and please include the following:
- Tax-Exempt Certificate
- Accounts Payable email
- Digital Access Contact email when ordering digital material (The digital access codes will be sent to this contact. This is typically a teacher, Department Chair or IT/Media contact)
- PO’s need to be addressed to:
- Wayside Publishing
- 2 Stonewood Drive
- Freeport, ME 04032
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Of course! Simply email or call and we can put together a quote based on your specific needs.
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If you are expecting an email from Wayside but have not received it, please check your junk and spam folders. If you still cannot locate it, feel free to give us a call. To ensure you receive all emails, make sure to subscribe to our mailing list at the bottom of the page and add [email protected] to your email contact and/or safe senders list.
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Because each textbook's Explorer® online resources are essential components of each program, access to the Learning Site® is necessary.
Pedagogy and Implementation Questions
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The approach of EntreCulturas is not technically unique, as it follows recommendations of ACTFL and NCSSFL that are accepted by teachers nationwide. Recent years have seen a pedagogical pantheon of blogs and seminars that support educators in creating curriculum from scratch that is truly proficiency-based. These formerly textbook-free classrooms often become EntreCulturas' biggest advocates after they review.
EntreCulturas is the only Spanish series that doesn't just align with all ACTFL recommendations - but that was literally designed around them. Its first edition was printed less than three years ago, with its most recent level printing this past summer. Other textbooks have edited older programs to stay in alignment with evolving standards - with copyright dates reflecting the last time that a resource or appendix was refreshed.
As a result of using the only truly proficiency-based Spanish series, EntreCulturas students learn language "naturally", and feel more comfortable taking risks in the target language - the same way all humans do as we learn our native language.
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Wayside educator authors combined leading research in neuroscience and educational pedagogy with decades of classroom-tested strategies so teachers don't have to start from scratch in order to foster intercultural competency and align with biliteracy standards.
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Formative - Focused formative checks are provided throughout every unit, and can be can be delivered in the context of a lesson. There are 1-2 formative tasks per unit (depending on level) with more structure for educators. These engage learners in one of the three modes, are performance-based, and in EntreCultures they provide for differentiation.
Summative - Summative IPA's that ask students to demonstrate what they can do in the language while reflecting on the essential questions of the unit. Assessments simulate AP® task types starting from level one, adjusted for the proficiency level of the learner.
Midterm and Final - These assessments are also summative IPA's. These are provided in the teacher edition, with audio and video scripts included.
Assessment supports - Assessment guidelines, rubrics for IPAs, analytic and holistic rubrics for performance-based tasks that align to targeted proficiency-levels.
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The learner's experience in an Wayside classroom is uniquely intercultural. Our hallmark EntreCulturas and EntreCultures programs are about making connections to local, national and international cultures, exploring self and community identities, and understanding other cultures as different vs foreign. Learning language thus becomes a practice of expressing and exploring humanity. Authentic resources are a key component of that practice.
Unit-aligned resources include podcasts, news stations, video bloggers and more. Our authors and students who vlog for us directly compiled most of these resources, vs a photography company. Vloggers are real teen native speakers without scripts who address unit essential questions and themes.
Audio and video scripts as well as a full authentic resources index can be found in Explorer®. Audio and video scripts are also in the print Teacher Edition and FlexText® Teacher Edition.
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Where competitors have broken heritage and native speaker inclusion into "add-on" products for an extra charge, EntreCulturas and EntreCultures creators (with heritage learning and teaching experience) integrated strategies for differentiation and strength-based inclusion of heritage and native speakers directly into the resources.
All four levels of both programs present a content-based approach rather than second language acquisition approach. Levels 3-4 have been successfully used with heritage and native speakers who have been evaluated at the appropriate proficiency level.
Both series offer supports for students who may not have strong literacy skills, which teachers can choose to incorporate or not. Supports for heritage learners and native speakers include (a) breaking activities down into steps, (b) a focus on pre- and during-reading/viewing tasks that build comprehension, (c) the use of graphic organizers to gather ideas for speaking or writing tasks (as well as reading/viewing processing), (d) progressively more complex texts to build reading stamina, (e) small group and paired activities to build on community, (f) project-based learning, (g) use of authentic resources, (h) a discovery approach to grammar, but not a focus on grammar as the curriculum, (i) exploration of global topics versus a Eurocentric approach.
Support for heritage language learners
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Wayside titles undergo a unit-by-unit bias review using the Washington Models for the Evaluation of Bias Content® in Instructional Materials to examine representation of: Body shape/size, Physical disability, Occupation, Geographic setting, Age, Family Structure, Socio-economic status, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual orientation, Gender expression and identity, Culture, Native language, and Religion
Inclusivity is normalized, constant, and modeled through a strength-based lens. In authentic resources and activities/assessments, diverse perspectives connect to themes and topics. Where opportunities arise to address bias, units provide historical and cultural context where appropriate, and use language as a catalyst to inform behaviors that reflect interculturality and respect.
Space is created for different perspectives and paths of participation. Teacher editions include notes within activities to support educators in adapting so that every learner can contribute, particularly around sensitive issues. Inquiry based approaches offer learners choices to contribute their own perspective, communicate around resources provided in the unit, or make connections to an external reference point.
Materials evolve alongside the learners of today and tomorrow. We talk to language teachers and incorporate their feedback from the classroom. Any member of the Wayside community is encouraged to connect if they see an opportunity to expand their inclusivity, at [email protected]. Learners may also submit their feedback directly and securely through Learning Site®.
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Wayside titles foster SEL by including healthy and balanced lifestyle themes in content - relationships (friends, family), emotional health, fitness, foods - all explored through an intercultural lens and the 3 P's in Explorer®.
Communicative tasks provide opportunities for learners to work through misunderstandings and differences of opinion, handling environments where unfamiliar language or cultural concepts are present, and more.
Units develop citizenship with topics like civic participation, ecological sustainability, global immigration, the contributions of diverse community members to economies and societies, and connections to learners' roles in the global shift 21st century from an industrial society to a global information society.
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AP® global themes and subthemes are integrated throughout all four levels of EntreCulturas and EntreCultures. AP® style tasks are included in every level, right from the beginning of level 1. Midterm and final include AP® style tasks, and in level 4 there are additional free-response AP® type tasks, as well as preparation for persuasive essays by writing emails or letters that cite an authentic resource. These tasks scaffold learners to perform tasks in timed environments with the same audio cues and pre-recorded instructions and prompts that learners will encounter on the AP®.
All AP® tasks are unit-embedded, communicative and thematic, so that prep contributes to unit language and culture objectives.
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In addition to IB® theme correlation with units, IB® educators also appreciate the following connections to IB® priorities: Authentic resources foster global mindedness and build intercultural competency by exposing students to different text types and providing meaningful context for grammar and vocabulary learning. Performance Assessments promote inquiry, cultivate cross-curricular and real-world connections, develop communication skills in all three modes. Assessment mirrors instruction as students acquire language through performance-based real-world tasks that are carefully sequenced and rooted in the five IB® themes. Students build proficiency through performance in an inductive approach that uses authentic resources to introduce, practice and refine understandings of grammar concepts and vocabulary. Ongoing opportunities for reflection encourage self-management skills, metacognition, conceptual understandings, interculturality.
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Every student deserves a well-supported and empowered teacher. Our professional development is tightly focused on individual district needs, and therefore fully customized. We work with districts to understand needs and wants and then create a custom training package in terms of content, method of delivery, frequency, and duration.
As former language teachers, members of our Instructional Development team are happy to partner with you to support teachers adopting Wayside programs. Our passion is providing high-quality, customized professional development to support teaching for proficiency and language acquisition for your students. We’re committed to ensuring that teachers using Wayside programs are 100 percent comfortable with all texts and digital resources.
Learning Site® Questions
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Learning Site® bridges gaps between technology, pedagogy, content, and training. It is the home of FlexText®, an online textbook that connects seamlessly to your Explorer® course. Explorer® contains digital tools like flexible assigning and grading, student portfolios, authentic resources, and more.
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No. Learning Site® does not require Java or Adobe Flash! It can be used across laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, desktops, and smartphones, using the latest version of Chrome.
For iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, make sure you have the latest updates installed, then download the Learning Site® app.
For Android devices, you do not need the app and can experience the best Learning Site® performance through Chrome.
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FlexText® is an online textbook that connects seamlessly to the authentic resources, activities and assessments hosted within Explorer®.
- Streamlined - Click FlexText® page icons to navigate back and forth from FlexText® content to authentic resource links, activities and assessments in Explorer®.
- Responsive - Across PCs, tablets, and smartphones, the display adjusts to whatever screen you’re using for an optimal experience.
- Markable - It's easy to use the FlexText® note taking tool on any page, or to identify what's important with the multi-color highlighter.
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Explorer® is the online home of your courses, containing online activities and authentic resources, gradebooks, student portfolios, online classroom forums, and more.
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Learning Site® provides the pathway to all performance-based digital resources. With Learning Site®, continue teaching and learning without interruption. Set clear objectives and learning goals, explore all the differentiated activities for students, and give timely and effective feedback online!
Activities in Explorer® support learners in acquiring or reinforcing vocabulary and grammar in context. Explorer® offers tasks in all modes of communication, including additional interpersonal tasks via online writing and recorded speaking opportunities. Expansion activities can be assigned to your entire class or to specific learners, and the Instructional Strategy Toolkit offers 200+ ideas that you can filter by learner styles, proficiency level, and more.
Click here to review top tools and tips that virtual educators utilize within Learning Site®(PDF)
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Classroom Forum is a flexible feature that educators can use to pose lesson openers, polls, links to external resources, and more. Learners and teachers can use Classroom Forum anytime as their community "bulletin board". Teachers love posting lesson openers and more, and students can comment, exchange GIFS, upload audio/video/photos, etc.
Discussion Forum tasks are included in tasks themselves, providing educators an easy way to assign, monitor, and grade task-specific communications.
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Use the online calendar to remind students of upcoming assignments and deadlines, assign tasks to specific learners or an entire class, and more. Explorer® lets you know when your students complete their work and alerts students as soon as you’ve graded. Grade each quiz question response without opening each question in Explorer®. Automatic grading is available where appropriate. Click here for a 1 minute video overview!
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In the student portfolio found in Explorer®, students can upload evidence and reflect on progress related to ACTFL-aligned Can-do statements. In most our recent titles, Can-do's are located beside their related tasks and resources on the page, providing learners with a direct connection between what their progress in class and what they will be able to do in the real world as a result.
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Roster data integrations include Clever, OneRoster, and many others served by Kimono.
Learning Management System (LMS) integrations include Schoology, Google Classroom, and Canvas.
Single Sign-On integrations include ADFS, ClassLink, Clever, Encore, Google SSO, Identify Automation, Rapid Identity, and SAML
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We believe that all educators and learners should be able to access and use our textbook and digital offerings, Learning Site® application, and company website.
We are committed to making this website usable by all people, including those with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level A/AA (WCAG 2.1 A/AA). We strive to make our sites an equal experience for everyone. As of a January, 2024 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) assessment, Wayside Learning Site® has been verified as being in conformance with WCAG 2.1 A/AA. The full VPAT findings are available upon request at [email protected].
We continue to monitor our site and make sure that all content provided is accessible to all visitors. In order to help us in this process, we have engaged Level Access (https://www.levelaccess.com/ ), an accessibility consulting company, to conduct a full accessibility audit consisting of both automated and manual testing of our website. Level Access’s testing provides us with specific recommendations that will assist us in ensuring that our Web presence remains in conformance with the WCAG 2.1 A/AA.
Some of our specific initiatives include, but are not limited to the following:
- Creation of Accessible Products: Wayside Publishing is using the guidelines above to create user-friendly digital products that are accessible to all audiences.
- Creation of Accessible Content: Wayside Publishing has established a Diversity and Inclusion Rubric used in the development of all our titles, which aims to ensure that the authentic native speaker materials and resources and all other print and digital resources in all of our programs allow learners to feel comfortable and motivated. We strive to present the content in legible, easy-to-use formats catering to the needs of as many learners and instructors as we can reach.
Disclaimer: It is important to note that our efforts are ongoing as we work to implement the relevant improvements to meet WCAG 2.1 A/AA guidelines over time.
We are dedicated to meeting all of your accessibility needs. Should you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of this site or need assistance in using the processes found within this site, we have trained individuals here at Wayside Publishing to assist you.
Please contact us directly at [email protected]. We would be happy to assist in making your visits to our site as convenient as possible.
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Introduction
Wayside Publishing ("Company" or "We") respects your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our adoption of and compliance with this policy.
This policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the Wayside Publishing website or access our Learning Site® (collectively, our "Website") and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.
This policy applies to information we collect on the Website , u=in email, text, and other electronic messages between you and the Website, through mobile and desktop applications you download, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and the Website.
It does not apply to information collected by us offline or through any other means, including on any other website operated by Wayside Publishing or any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries); or any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries), including through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on the Website.
Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this privacy policy. This policy may change from time to time. Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.
Children Under the Age of 13
Except for use of our educational services for students which are covered by the Wayside Publishing Student Information Privacy Notice, our Website is generally not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any personal information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not register on the Website, use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features, make any purchases through the Website, use any of the interactive or public comment features of the Website or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at: Phone: (888) 302-2519; Email: [email protected]; or Postal Address: Wayside Publishing, 2 Stonewood Drive, Freeport, ME 04032.
A Note on Student Users and Education Records
Wayside has additional policies, protocols, and protections in place for the personal information and education records of K-12 student users of Wayside's educational services. Our use and disclosure of student information is more limited than described in this general Privacy Policy and certain provisions of this Privacy Policy do not apply to student information. Please see the Wayside Publishing Student Information Privacy Notice for more specific information on how Wayside collects, uses, maintains, protects, and discloses student information. To the extent that there is a conflict between the terms of this Privacy Policy and the Wayside Publishing Student Information Privacy Notice with regard to the personally identifiable information of a student user, the terms of the Student Information Privacy Notice shall control.
Information We Collect About You and How We Collect It
We collect several types of information from and about users of our Website, including information: that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or device or by which you may be personally identified, such as name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, or any other identifier by which you may be contacted online or offline ("personal information"); that is about you but does not identify you individually, such as anonymous demographic data; and/or about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details.
We collect this information: Directly from you when you provide it to us. Automatically as you navigate through the Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies. From third parties, for example, our business partners.
Information You Provide to Us
The information we collect on or through our Website may include: Information that you provide by filling in forms or placing orders on our Website. This includes information provided at the time of registering to use our Website, subscribing to our service, posting material, or requesting further products or services. We may also ask you for information when you interact with us or report a problem with our Website. Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us. Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes. Details of transactions you carry out through our Website and of the fulfillment of your orders. You may be required to provide financial information before placing an order through our Website. Your search queries on the Website.
You also may provide information to be published or displayed ("posted") on public areas of the Website, or transmitted to other users of the Website or third parties (collectively, "User Contributions"). Your User Contributions are posted on and transmitted to others at your own risk. Although we may limit access to certain pages or you may set certain privacy settings for such information by logging into your account profile, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. Additionally, we cannot control the actions of other users of the Website with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Therefore, we cannot and do not guarantee that your User Contributions will not be viewed by unauthorized persons.
Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies
As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including: Details of your visits to our Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website. Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.
We also may use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). Most web browsers have settings where you can adjust tracking settings. Please note that Wayside does not change its practices or procedures in response to a “Do Not Track” signal from a web browser or in the HTTP header from a browser or mobile application.
The information we collect automatically is statistical data and may include personal information, or we may maintain it or associate it with personal information we collect in other ways or received from third parties. It helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to:
Estimate our audience size and usage patterns. Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests. Speed up your searches. Recognize you when you return to our Website.
The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:
- Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website.
- Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies. For information about managing your privacy and security settings for Flash cookies, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.
- Web Beacons. Pages of our the Website and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).
How We Use Your Information
We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information: To present our Website and its contents to you. To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us. To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it. To provide you with notices about your account, including expiration and renewal notices. To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection. To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it. To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website. In any other way we may describe when you provide the information. For any other purpose with your consent.
We may also use your information to contact you about our own goods and services that may be of interest to you. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.
Disclosure of Your Information
We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.
We do not disclose information to third-party advertisers for their direct marketing purposes.
We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy: To our subsidiaries and affiliates. To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them. To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Wayside’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by Wayside about our Website users is among the assets transferred. To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information. With your consent.
We may also disclose your personal information: to comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request. To enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes. If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Wayside, our customers, users, employees, or others.
Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information
We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:
- Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. To learn how you can manage your Flash cookie settings, visit the Flash player settings page on Adobe's website. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this site may then be inaccessible or not function properly.
- Promotional Offers from the Company. If you do not wish to have your email address used by the Company to promote our own products or services, you can opt-out by sending us an email stating your request to [email protected]. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may send us a return email asking to be omitted from future email distributions. This opt out does not apply to information provided to the Company as a result of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience or other transactions.
Accessing and Correcting Your Information
You can review and change your personal information by logging into the Website and visiting your account profile page.
You may also send us an email at [email protected] to request access to, correct or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your personal information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.
If you delete your User Contributions from the Website, copies of your User Contributions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages, or might have been copied or stored by other Website users.
Data Security
We have implemented measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers behind firewalls. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology.
The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Website like message boards. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the Website.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website. To report suspected security issues with the Wayside Publishing Learning Site® , or to inquire about security concerns, email our Cybersecurity Response Team at [email protected].
Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at:
By email: [email protected] -
General
- Learning Site at a Glance
- Getting Started Guide
- Digital Access Tutorial: Using Your Access Code
- Language Portfolio Guide
Integrations and Rostering
- Canvas LTI Integration Guide
- Canvas TCC Integration Guide
- Canvas Instructor Guide provided by Canvas
- Clever Roster Integration Guide
- Google Classroom Integration Guide
- OneRoster Integration Guide
- Schoology LTI Integration Guide
- Schoology TCC Integration Guide
- Schoology Instructor Guide provided by Schoology