#start asl school options

Start ASL for Teachers, Homeschoolers, Schools, and Organizations

The New Start ASL Online Course Video
Play Video about The New Start ASL Online Course Video

Teacher Created, School Approved ASL Curriculum

Hundreds of schools use our ASL curriculum in their classrooms and offer enrollment into our Complete Online ASL Course to their students for foreign language learning.

At Start ASL, we have brought together a fantastic team to create a comprehensive online resource that offers:

Schools Partnered with Start ASL

Hundreds of schools use our curriculum in their classrooms and offer enrollment into our complete Online ASL Course to their students for foreign language learning. All of our options for schools and organizations can be found on our Teach American Sign Language page.

Our 4-Level ASL Curriculum:

Our ASL curriculum includes all four of our course levels so you can fully customize the course for your needs!

ASL 1

Our ASL 1 course is the best class for beginners and will get your students conversing right away, learning:

  • Fingerspelling and numbers,
  • The five sign parameters,
  • Word order,
  • Sentence types,
  • Pronouns and indexing,
  • Classifiers,
  • Verbs,
  • Identifying people,
  • Deaf culture, and Deaf history!

ASL 2

Our ASL 2 course is full of advanced lessons that will target your students' grammar skills and help them to be more confident signers, learning:

  • Sentence types,
  • Time, Duration, and Regularity,
  • Temporal aspect,
  • Classifiers,
  • Pluralization,
  • Distance,
  • Inflection,
  • And describing rooms, objects, and locations!

ASL 3

Our ASL 3 course is an advanced course and will teach your students how to sign more abstract ideas including:

  • Role shifting,
  • Narratives,
  • Vehicles and accidents,
  • Giving information,
  • Sign language games,
  • Literature,
  • Storytelling,
  • And interpreting music!

ASL 4

Our ASL 4 course is our most advanced course and will teach your students how to communicate in detailed, more native signing including presentations on:

  • Facts and myths,
  • Health and hearing science,
  • History, government, and world events,
  • Science, religion, and business,
  • Opinions and debate,
  • Storytelling with classifiers,
  • Regional sign variations and idioms,
  • And interpreting and sign systems!

Including:

“I am a homeschooling mom… I would highly recommend this ASL curriculum and program to anyone interested in learning to sign. Although we had some challenges we have also had much success. My daughter loves that we can have private conversations without other family members understanding. I am pleased to tell you that this course gave me the knowledge to sign a song at our church Christmas Eve Service.”
Kris
LAKE MILLS, IA
“I am a high school ASL teacher in Ohio and just discovered your site. This is absolutely awesome!! It is so comprehensive and organized. I am using it for supplemental assignments in my classes. Thank you thank you!”
Nancy
“I’m a Deaf and Hard of hearing specialist that works in Ceres, CA and I just found your website on Sunday night. I must say, you have put a ton of hours and heart into this site! I apprecitate all the time you have invested into your site. It will be a true asset to anyone who finds you. Well Done!”
Julia A.
CERES, CA
“Your website is so impressive! I am an RID certified freelance interpreter seeking resources to help improve and expand signing skills in our communities. A signer in Florida sent your information and raved about how it has helped her in her area. You are to be commended. I am sharing your information with our ITP and other interpreter organizations. I pray for your continued success.”
Gina H.

The Start ASL Online Course

Best For:

  • Online Independent Study
  • Students who need Start ASL Instructor Support and Feedback
  • Students who need a Start ASL Completion Certificate

 

With the Online Course, Your Student(s) Would:

  • Each need to have their own account and subscription (Group Purchase option available).
  • Gain access to all four course levels.
  • Sign up and learn independently online.
  • Receive a completion certificate after completing each course level.
  • Receive Start ASL instructor support and feedback.
  • Receive a verified completion certificate with the Gold level if required for credit.
  • Be able to have a Mentor or Group Leader linked to their account for viewing grades and progress.

The Start ASL Offline Course

Best For:

  • Supervised Independent Study
  • Offline In-Classroom or At-Home Use
  • Students who do not need Start ASL Instructor Support and Feedback
  • Students who do not need a Start ASL Completion Certificate

 

With the Offline Course:

  • You will receive both the PDF Course and the Webpage Course materials in downloadable ZIP format immediately after purchase.
  • You will also get MP4 video files of all the vocabulary and lesson videos so you can watch them whenever/however you want. For example, you can view them together on your computer or, if your computer is capable, burn them to a DVD and watch them on a DVD player.
  • For Homeschoolers: You and your student(s) can learn together or your student(s) can learn independently without an internet connection. With the included PDF course, you can each print out a copy of the lessons and follow along together instead of trying to share and read a computer screen. You can also each complete your own workbook. With the included Webpage course, students can learn independently via self-study. With either option, you can also supervise and check your student’s workbook answers.
  • For Schools and Organizations: For more than 5 students, please see the Start ASL Offline Course Curriculum Licensing section below.
  • Note: Students from the same family can share one Offline Course purchase. Students from different families will each need their own Offline Course purchase.

The Start ASL Teacher's ASL Curriculum

Best For Schools and Organizations that:

  • Are teaching ASL in the classroom with their own ASL Teacher(s)
  • Do not need their students to receive Start ASL Instructor Support/Feedback
  • Do not need their students to receive a Start ASL Completion Certificate

 

With the Teacher’s Curriculum:

  • You will receive all of the following in downloadable ZIP format immediately after purchase: The Start ASL 1, 2, 3, and 4 Course Curriculum, Lesson Guides, Offline Webpage Course, Lesson Videos, Vocabulary Videos, Course Workbooks, and the Don’t Just “Sign”…Communicate! Student Guides for your own use in the classroom.
  • Your students can study independently with the Start ASL courses. They can take home handouts and complete them using the videos we have available on the Start ASL website.

Start ASL Curriculum Licensing

Online Course ASL Curriculum Licensing

Best For Schools and Organizations with:

  • Their own Learning Management System (LMS)
  • Their own ASL Teacher(s)

 

The Licensed Start ASL Online Course Curriculum includes:

  • An annual per-student cost with a minimum of 25 students.
  • Exports of our Online Course and Glossary to import into your own LMS.
  • Licensing of the Don’t Just “Sign”… Communicate! Student Guides for all of your students.

Offline Course ASL Curriculum Licensing

Best For Schools and Organizations that:

  • Need to install the Offline Course on school devices
  • Have their own ASL Teacher(s) or Class Facilitators

 

The Licensed Start ASL Offline Course Curriculum includes:

  • A per-student cost with a minimum of 15 students.
  • ZIP files of our Offline Course materials to be installed including: the Start ASL Offline Webpage Course, the Start ASL Offline PDF Course, lesson videos, course Workbooks, vocabulary videos, and the Don’t Just “Sign”… Communicate! Student Guides

The Don’t Just “Sign”… Communicate! Student Guides

All of our courses are meant to be used with the Don’t Just “Sign”… Communicate! Student Guide Series. They are your students’ key to success! They’re the perfect supplements for our ASL classes and are included with all of our course options!

DJSC!: A Student’s Guide to ASL and the Deaf Community – This guide will give your students insight into the ASL community and culture. It also provides a more comprehensive understanding of learning the language, which helps ensure success!

DJSC!: A Student’s Guide to Mastering ASL Grammar – This guide takes students through all the grammar rules of ASL so that they completely understand it. Too many people learn ASL without learning proper grammar rules, and become stuck in stubborn habits for the rest of their lives. This, the only ASL grammar guide on the market, is an essential part of your students’ success.

DJSC!: A Student’s Guide to the Deaf Experience – This one-of-a-kind collection of stories written by members of the deaf and hard of hearing community will give your students an exclusive and important glimpse into the unique world of the deaf that they will be joining.

DJSC!: A Student’s Guide to Deaf Community Terminology – This handy pocket guide ensures that students know all the proper terminology for the deaf community. When students encounter unfamiliar terms, they can quickly look them up no matter where they are.

Complete Homeschool ASL Program

Are you a homeschooling family? At Start ASL, we LOVE homeschoolers! 

We offer all the same options above for homeschoolers depending on your needs PLUS exclusive deep discounts just for you!

Check out this fabulous review we received from a fellow homeschooling mom: Start ASL – An Amazing Homeschool Sign Language Program. And she was even using our legacy courses! We have since completely updated our courses and now offer more than ever! 

Our courses are designed for independent students ages 13 and up or they can be adapted for younger ages if you will be actively learning and teaching your student. Each level of the Start ASL Curriculum is roughly equivalent to 3 credit hours or one year of a foreign language in high school, and/or one semester of a foreign language in college.

So, please choose your desired course option above and contact us to receive our special homeschooling discount! In order to get the discount, please send us proof of homeschooling. For example, proof of membership in a homeschooling organization (such as HSLDA, a charter school, PSP, or co-op) or a copy of a filed homeschooling affidavit.

We are also always happy to answer any questions you may have about our program, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help. 

“I am an ASL/Interpreter student at a Texas community college and I have to say that your new books in the series DJSC! are amazing! I actually told the staff there that these books are better than the ASL 4 textbooks we used last semester!”
Bree L.
“Thank you for your site and books! You have the resources all in one place. I’m teaching ASL to beginners and was trying to find a good book/site to direct them too. Your site is exactly what they need. I will direct them here and suggest they buy your books as I have. Keep up the great work!”
Alex

Frequently Asked Questions

It is up to your school’s discretion whether or not they will accept our classes for credit. You can find more information and our course syllabuses on this page. And please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like more information. 

Yes! You can view our full purchase order process here.

Yes! Our Online Course is completely mobile friendly. For the Offline Course and Teacher’s Curriculum, we do suggest downloading the files to your computer first, unzipping the files, and then transferring them to your device. You can also use an app like WinZip or iZip for Apple devices or WinZip or AndroZip for Android devices to unzip the zip folders directly on your device. Also, make sure you have programs available on your device to open HTML, PDF, and MP4 video files.

Feel free to post some videos and activities on your private school server for use by your students. However, posting the DJSC! Student Guides without your students purchasing their own copies or posting any of the materials on any public website would violate the copyright.

How long it takes to complete each level depends on the student since the courses are completely self-paced. On average, driven self-study students are able to complete one level in three to four months and students who are taking the course for credit are usually able to complete one level in nine to twelve months.

Have a question you need answered first?

“What sets you apart from others is not only that you keep your content (books/videos) relevant to the current culture of learners but also make them accessible and affordable and the reason is that attending college classes and/or purchasing textbooks are getting expensive, perhaps cost-prohibitive for most students. This is also why I make my classes/lessons affordable both online and in person for anyone who is interested in learning sign language, plus I find your curriculum design suitable for today’s generation of (signing) students who prefer an informal learning environment (Harkness Table/Method – for instance) with greater emphasis on collaboration by making them feel appreciated and valued on a personal level — case in point: your ringing endorsements from prominent educators in the signing community as seen in the front matter section of your books had signaled us readers the spirit of inclusion and collaboration or sharing a culture of intellectual responsibility in regard to sign language education.”
Damien Killbride
of ASL Pah!

Don’t wait another day to benefit from the amazing courses available from Start ASL!

With all the resources you need, plus the most comprehensive ASL courses available today, this is the perfect way to open up your students to a beautiful new language.

learn sign language - Start ASL Free ASL 1 Course

Take ASL 1 For Free!

Sign up today! Start learning American Sign Language with our Free Online ASL 1 Course. No credit card required.