Virtual High School
March 3, 2008 Presentation
to the
Watertown School
Committee
Virtual High School Website
All information used in this
presentation can be found on the
VHS website
www.govhs.org
Virtual High School
Background Information
Established in 1997
Non-profit organization
providing online
courses to high school students around the
world
Provides teacher training to current and
future VHS teachers
VHS Member Profile
Size
of member schools is between 4 and
4,286
Total number of students enrolled per year
in netcourses - 9,111
Breakdown of VHS students by gender
57%female, 43% male
457 member schools currently
Location of Member Schools
VHS
member schools in the U.S. are
located in 28 different states
35 international schools in countries
including Canada, Italy, England, France,
Australia, Brazil, China and Japan
VHS Member Schools in Mass.
118 schools in Massachusetts
Most are public high schools, including
those in Cambridge, Chelsea, Littleton,
Reading. Peabody and Woburn
Some public middle schools and private
middle and high schools are also VHS
members, including Bishop Feehan, Mt. St.
Joseph Academy
Types of VHS Memberships
Student-only
member ( Watertown High
School currently falls in this category )
Individual school member
Consortium member
Home-schooled students may also apply for
participation
VHS Courses
241 courses
Courses are
currently offered
offered at either a standard,
honors, AP or duel credit level
Most classes are semester-long, running
for a total of 15 weeks
AP courses are two-semester courses,
running for 33 weeks
Maximum class size is 25
Average class size is approximately 19
VHS Summer Courses
Credit
recovery courses in a few
subjects ( e.g., Algebra, English, U.S.
History, Health ) are offered during
the summer
Enrichment courses are also available
during the summer on a limited basis
If You Could Take a VHS
Course, You Might Like…
Science
- DNA Technology
Social Studies - Criminology
Social Studies - Gods of CNN: The
Power of the Media
How About Taking…?
Language
Arts - Contemporary Irish
Literature
Language Arts - Ghoulies, Ghosties
and Beasties: Why We Like to be
Scared
You Might Consider…
Mathematics
- Number Theory:
Patterns, Puzzles and Cryptography
Life Skills/Health - Career
Awareness for the New Millennium
Arts - 20th Century History and
American Pop Music
More possibilities…
Foreign
Language - Basic Mandarin
Business - Investing in the Stock
Market
Technology/Tech Ed - Animation
Effects: Flash MX Basics
The Site Coordinator
Student-only and individual member
schools must have a site coordinator
WHS Site Coordinator
Alan Epstein is Watertown High
School’s Site Coordinator
Role of the Site Coordinator
Acts
as administrative liaison
between the VHS teachers, the
students, the VHS organization and
the students’ school
Tracks students’ progress
Handles media distribution and
shipment
The Site Coordinator also..
Checks
in with students and monitors
students’ progress throughout their
courses
Troubleshoots problems
Encourages students when they need
a boost
2007 - 2008 School Year
Ten
seats for Watertown High School
students were available in VHS courses
each semester
Courses students took included AP Biology,
AP Art History, Basic Mandarin, Creative
Writing, Spanish Literature,
Oceanography, Bioethics and
Biotechnology
WHS Student Feedback
Feedback from Students Enrolled in
Virtual High School Courses during
the 2007-2008 school year
VHS Students
Judy Choy and Hong Van Phan
Class of 2008
Some Advantages of Taking A
VHS Course
Students
have the opportunity to
take classes with students and
teachers from around the world
Online classes provide an excellent
opportunity for motivated students
who work well independently
Additional Advantages
Students
can select courses from a wide
range of offerings
A VHS course provides students a more
flexible work schedule during a school week
which runs from Wednesday through
Tuesday
Some Challenges To Taking An
Online Course
Students
have no face to face contact
with their classmates or their teacher
Students with questions on assignments or
technical issues must wait for their
questions to be answered, which can take,
at times, up to 24 hours, as opposed to
receiving immediate responses
Demo VHS Courses
The VHS website has three student
demo courses, providing students and
teachers the opportunity to
experience a VHS course.
Teacher Training Provided by
Virtual High School
Site Coordinator Orientation ( SCO )
NetCourse Instructional Methodology
( NIM )
Teachers Learning Conference ( TLC )
Site Coordinator Orientation
Four week online professional
development NetCourse
NetCourse Instructional
Methodology ( NIM )
Ten-week
course designed to train
instructors to teach an existing VHS
course