Virtual High School

1. Virtual High School

2. VHS History • Founded in 1996 • Concord Consortium & Hudson Public Schools, Hudson, Massachusetts • $7.4M funding 1996-2001: US Dept of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant • Purpose • Develop Internet-based online courses for high school students • Research and evaluation by SRI (Stanford Research International) • Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools (MSCSS)

3. VHS Mission and Beliefs Any school’s instructional process can include a high quality collaborative learning environment Education should not be limited by barriers of time, place, or lack of qualified faculty Online learning should augment (not replace) traditional teaching A collaborative network provides an abundant and generous community to share resources

4. Benefits to Students • Extensive selection of courses • AP • Honors • G&T • Middle School • Classes of 25 student-participants from: • 717 schools • 33 states • 43 countries • 459 Teachers • >13,000 students • 21st Century Skills • Learning with Technology

5. 20 Advanced Placement Courses • Art History • Biology • Calculus AB • Calculus BC • Computer Science A • Economics: Micro & Macro • English Language and Composition • English Literature and Composition • Environmental Science • European History • French Language • Government and Politics • Music Theory • Physics B • Physics C • Psychology • Spanish Language/ Spanish V • Statistics • US History • World History VHS is qualified through AP Course Audit to label their courses “AP”

6. 38 Honors Courses • 101 Ways to Write a Short Story • Advanced Topics in Chemistry • Algebra 2 • Anatomy and Physiology • Animal Behavior and Zoology • Art History • Arts and Ideas • Astronomy Basics • Bioethics Symposium • Computational Science and Engineering Using Java • Criminology • Cultural Identity through Literature • Eastern and Western Thought • Environmental Chemistry • Folklore and Literature of Myth, Magic and Ritual • Genes and Diseases • History of Photography • Introduction to: • Calculus AB • Chemistry • Computer Science • Economics • English Literature • Environmental Science • Government • Physics B • Psychology • Statistics • U.S. History • Modern Middle East • Oceanography • Philosophy • Preveterinary Medicine • Psychology of Crime • Shakespeare in Films • Spanish Culture • The Glory of Ancient Rome • The Golden Age of Classical Greece • Twentieth Century Women Authors

7. Select Standard Courses • Academic Writing • Advanced Web Design • Algebra 1 • American Foreign Policy • American Popular Music • Animation and Effects • Bad Boys in Literature • Basic Mandarin • Biotechnology • Blogs, Wikis and Web Tools • Business and Personal Law • Career Awareness • Caribbean Art History • Contemporary Irish Literature • DNA Technology • Entrepreneurship • Epidemics • Forensic Science • German Language and Culture • Heroes • History and American Pop Music • Investing in the Stock Market • Journalism in the Digital Age • Kindergarten Apprentice Teacher • Latin 1 and 2 • Literacy Skills for the 21st Century • Maritime History • Math You Can Use in College • Meteorology • Music Composition • Mythology • Nuclear Physics • Peacemaking • Personal Finance • Perspectives in Health • Poetry Writing • Portuguese 1 • Screenwriting Fundamentals • Sports and American Society • The Human Body • The Holocaust • World Religions

8. Chickering and Ehrman Seven Best Practicesfor Technology-Based Education* Emphasizes time on task High Expectations Rich, Rapid Feedback Active Learning Interaction with Faculty Interaction with Peers Respect for diversity of learning styles and worldviews *postsecondary Benefits to Schools • Affordable sharing of professional resources • Average years teaching: 16 • 85% hold Master’s Degree • Quality Benchmarks (QBI history – 12 years) • National and global community • Expands scope and depth of teacher instructional skills • Teachers: 10-Week Netcourse Instructional Methodologies • Extensive delivery tools

9. Why VHS? • Access to hundreds of courses to fill resource gap • Flexibility for scheduling • Computer Lab • Library • Cost effectiveness (non-profit consortium) • VHS leadership in high school distance learning

10. Roles & Responsibilities • To Ensure: • Quality of Courses • Quality of Professional Development • Quality of Services & Program • Instruction (Requires 10-week NIM course) • Communication • Regular Assessment • Course Design • New Course Development • Recruitment • Registration • Technical Support • Represents the Instructor “on the ground” • Communication with parents, VHS, instructor • Monitor and report progress

11. Course Delivery • Asynchronous Mode • Desire2Learn platform • Classes follow a semester (15-wk) schedule • Most courses semester length • AP, language, and some core courses are full-year • Assignments due at specified intervals • Students complete work, including discussions, anytime during the week

12. 21st Century Learning www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/skills.htm Digital-Age Literacy Includes: Basic Language Scientific Economic Technological Visual Information Multicultural Global Awareness

13. 21st Century Partnership • Skills for life and work in the 21st Century • Founded by industry leaders, including Apple, Cisco, Dell, and Microsoft in partnership with NEA • Students not prepared for demands of 21st century • In addition to curriculum’s rigorous content, it must have real worldrelevance • Employability and enterprise skills

14. Why VHS • VHS sets the standard for excellence in online education • United States Distance Learning Association Awards: • Best Practices in Distance Learning • Best Practices in Online Technology and K-12 Education • Online Programming Excellence – Gold Recipient

15. Additional VHS Awards 2001 Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology American School Board Journal’s Magna 2000 Award for exemplary use of technology in Education Model for National Education Association online learning standards

16. Student Success Factors

17. 2008 University of Tennessee Study Active Learning VHS teachers surveyed to determine factors for course success • Major factors: • Time management • Organization skills • Frequent participation • Learning style • Reading (visual) • Listening (auditory) • Seeing (visual) • Speaking (auditory) • Doing (tactile/kinesthetic) • Minor factors: • Technology skills • Record of academic success

18. Student Survey Findings… • Students developed independent learning skills (43 percent). • [I valued] the independence we are given to complete our assignments on time without a teacher physically reminding us every day. The flexible schedule is also awesome as a senior to help prepare us for college. • Students appreciated the quality, content, and structure of their courses (34 percent). • VHS courses let me learn, the way I want and need to, and not just memorize data for standardized tests. • Students valued the opportunity to interact with new people (17 percent). • You get to meet many different people from all different backgrounds which provides a very interesting learning atmosphere.

19. …Continued • Students liked the expanded access to courses (14 percent). • The online courses that are available were not part of my in-school curriculum so I decide[d] to expand my learning and prepare for college. • Students felt they had quality instructors (8 percent). • My instructor gave us problems that are related to real things in life and other problems that made us think.