West Virginia Virtual School:
Course Options for Students
PowerPoint Developed by
Sharon Gainer, WVVS Registrar
Office of Technology and
Information Systems
West Virginia Department of Education
Presented by:
29 April 2011
Why Distance Learning
Courses?
A significant share of West Virginia’s
students live in rural areas, and attend
small schools.
WV has a decreasing population base,
and this has resulted in public school staff
cuts.
WVVS was created “to offer high quality
educational courses via Internet
technology to all students.”
In this setting, technological solutions are
a key to assuring equitable access to
education.
Created by legislation July 1, 2000 (House
Bill 4319)
WV Legislature based the bill on findings of
need and capacity, addressing the primary
need to provide instruction to students who
are “geographically disadvantaged.”
West Virginia State Board Policy 2450 was
revised October 18, 2000, to support new DL
initiatives.
Policy sets forth directives for course
approval, course management, course
materials, evaluation of pupil progress,
technology access, and funding.
WVVS Model
WV does not currently have the resources to
create and deliver web-based courses (the
current exception to this is Spanish).
WVVS delivery model involves:
identifying providers that offer both high-quality
courses and course delivery options.
identifying quality courses that align with
corresponding state content standards.
WVVS model requires that the course
provider make available an online teacher to
direct and guide the student through the
learning process.
Content + Electronic Delivery + Online
Teacher = Tuition Model currently used by
WVVS
Role of WVVS
WVVS operates as a broker for state’s
public schools and facilitates operational
areas of delivery.
WVVS evaluates and selects providers.
WVVS evaluates and approves courses.
WVDE negotiates statewide prices for
services.
WVVS currently provides 100% of tuition
through a grant funded by the WV Legislature
and awarded through a joint partnership of the
WV Educational Broadcasting Authority and
the WV Department of Education.*
Tuitions can be funded until the funds have
been expended.*
Course Evaluations
Course and provider quality are the keys that
will determine student success.
Teams of content specialists receive training
in the pedagogy of online teaching and
learning.
Teams are trained on evaluation procedures
and documents.
Courses are evaluated by alignment with
state content standards and objectives and
by the SREB’s “Essential Principles of
Quality” checklist.
This process results in the course approval
catalog posted on web site.
What you need to know…
All courses meet WV State Curriculum
Goals and Objectives
Counselors insure that courses fit
students’ educational programs and are
appropriate
Some courses are electives—must be
approved by county
AP courses come from course provider,
not WVVS (College Board Requirements)
Student must be in WVEIS
One Size Does NOT Fit All
Learning style
Technology expertise
Computer availability
Independence
Motivation
Extracurricular commitments
Family commitments
Time of year
Which Students are a
Good Fit for Virtual
Courses?
Student seeking
higher level challenges
extra credits
class not offered at his school
career exploration
addition to home schooling or homebound instruction
credit recovery
How are Classes
Scheduled?
In a class period in the lab called
virtual learning—random courses
Full group instruction
Sit-in student
Independently at home
Before or after school
In the summer
What Kinds of Courses
are Available?
Fine Arts—15 courses
Foreign Language—65 courses
Health—4 courses
Math—54 courses
Physical Education—3 courses
Reading and Lang. Arts—49 courses
Science—30 courses
Social Studies—72 courses
Tech. and Career—19 courses
Middle School—9 courses
Core Classes
Health—full credit
Reading and Language Arts—4 credits
Math—4 credits
Science—4 credits (? Physical
Science ?)
Social Studies—1 credit (4 AP Options)
Physical Education—full credit
Other Graduation
Requirements
Fine Arts credit
Foreign Language—2 years(of the
same language) of six languages
Many elective choices
WVVS Additions for
2010-11
Physical Education
Drivers’ Education (classroom instruction)
Trigonometry
Cisco Academy
Social Studies TBA
WVVS Registration
Procedures
Registration Procedure –
Pre-registration
Student pre-registers request for
course(s) at:
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us (Enroll in
a Course link)
Pre-registration is mandatory. This step is
how all necessary student information for
enrollment is gathered.
Contacts can register (this replaces
student pre-registration) and approve
students at the same time.
Next Steps After
Enrollment Approval
Contact’s approval of request is automatically
forwarded to WVVS Registrar.
Registrar reviews and evaluates the school
contact’s approval.
Automatic emails detailing provider-specific
registration instructions are sent to the student,
parent and the school contact.
Registration leading to course start is NOT complete
until provider-specific registration requirements are
met and a communication is sent to all parties
noting completed registration.
Course Providers and
Effective Mentoring and
Monitoring of Students
WVVS Course Providers
BYU
K-12*
APEX Learning
Carone Fitness*
Aventa Learning
Florida Virtual School
Lincoln Interactive (Mountaineer Virtual)
Virtual Greenbush
University of Nebraska*
West Virginia Virtual School
http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us
Tips for Successful Facilitation
Good Practice is Good Practice
Select Students with Care
Set Expectations for Students and Parents
Conference with Students to Monitor
Progress
Check Reports Weekly
Report Grades
Bring Issues to Registrar in Timely Manner
And now…
What are your questions?
What are your concerns?
What are your comments?
Contact Information
Sharon Gainer, Registrar,
West Virginia Virtual School
sgainer@access.k12.wv.us
toll-free at 866-593-8065
Sarah Lyons, WVVS Director,
WVDE Office of Technology
slyons@access.k12.wv.us
304.558.7880