NHCS Virtual Academy

“Supporting ALL students taking NCVPS courses”

Desired Outcome: Provide a strategic system of support within each traditional high school and Mosley PLC to increase student achievement in e-learning coursework via NCVPS. The Virtual Academy will function as a program within the school, much like Lyceum functions as a program within NHHS. These academies would be referred to as Virtual Academy at Ashley High, Virtual Academy at Hoggard High,…

Target Audience:High school students enrolled in NHCS who are seeking virtual learning experiences in either on-campus or off-campus settings. *The Virtual Academy support model will expand to the middle school level for 2014-15.

On-Campus Setting: Students enrolled in NCVPS coursework during their academic day should be scheduled in the NCVPS lab for this block, to work with the support of the NCVPS Virtual Academy Coordinator. Students may access one or more courses in this model.

Off-Campus Setting:At the discretion of the school principal, students may be approved to participate in NCVPS coursework in an off-campus setting. Students will communicate regularly with the school NCVPS Virtual Academy Coordinator to ensure appropriate levels of support are provided. All End of Course assessments (EOC and VOCATs) must be administered on school campus. Students may access one or more courses in this model.

Virtual Academy Strategic Support System:

  • Students submita NCVPS course application to counselor.
  • Student should participate in advising meeting with their school counselor and prior to registering for NCVPS coursework each semester (can be virtual conference). The Virtual Academy Coordinator may be included in these conferences.
  • Students may be registered for NCVPS courses by the ELA (E-Learning Advisor).
  • A welcome letter is sent to parents and student which includes orientation, basic navigation, and Virtual Academy Coordinator contact information.
  • Extensive support is provided to ALL students enrolled in NCVPS coursework during the initial 2 weeks to ensure students are proficient with NCVPS course navigation and communication expectations.
  • Daily and weekly support, monitoring and feedback will be provided to students by the Virtual Academy Coordinator. Technology tools such as Skype, Face Time, join.me, etc may be utilized to support interactions between the Virtual Academy Coordinator and students accessing NCVPS coursework off campus.
  • Through the use of the weekly Virtual Academy Summary (sent to principal, ELA and Supervisor of Online Learning), student concerns can be addressed appropriately during the 10 day drop window. (If students opt to drop a course during the initial 10 days, the course does not appear on their transcript and does not count towards the district’s enrollment allotment).
  • Parental communication will be embedded into the course to support parental participation in their child’s online learning experience.
  • Intervention plans will be initiated by the ELA and Virtual Academy Coordinator to support students who are struggling in their NCVPS coursework. These plans may include specific support from the virtual teacher, school staff, parents, etc.

Benefits of the Virtual Academy support model:

  • Students:Provides a model in which studentsaccess rigorous coursework virtually in a setting that meets their individual needs and learning styles with strategic support systems to increase their likelihood of success. Students would maintain enrollment in a NHCS high school, therefore would have access to all resources and extra-curricular activities available to NHCS students.
  • Schools: Provides flexibility in planning for and meeting student’s unique needs in the high schools to support increased student achievement and graduation rates.
  • Sample of Scenarios:
  • 3 courses in traditional classrooms + 1 course via NCVPS
  • 2 courses in traditional classrooms + 2 courses via NCVPS
  • 1 course in traditional classroom + 3 courses via NCVPS
  • All 4 courses via NCVPS
  • Or…a combination of the above + additional course via NCVPS towards early graduation.
  • District:Provides ability to increase student enrollments that were previously lost to home-schooling, private schools and charter schools. This increase in student enrollments would produce an increase of FTE funds which could provide for additional computers, lab resources, and potential salary differential for Virtual Academy Coordinators. The Virtual Academy model will provide a strategic support system to ensure that ALL students enrolled in NCVPS coursework are receiving regular support, monitoring, and feedback.

Implementation Timeline: Full implementation at all traditional high schools and Mosley PLC for the 2013-14 year.

Monitoring:Weekly Summaries from Virtual Academy Coordinators, Monthly site visits, and annual program review.

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3/31/14