Indiana School District Announces Virtual Academy

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) has officially opened its Virtual Academy, which enables students to take online for-credit classes for advancement, or for credit recovery through the accredited Apex Learning System the EVSC has purchased. Teachers, too, can use this curriculum in their classes, integrating virtual elements into their regular classes, furthering initiatives of the 1-to-1 computing efforts begun in fall 2009.

“This is another important option to help meet the diverse learning needs of all students,” said Superintendent Vince Bertram. “Students may work at their own pace, recover credits when necessary, and work in an engaging, interactive atmosphere. Teachers may also integrate sections of the online courses to supplement the classroom experience or courses may be taken entirely online.” He added that the EVSC Virtual Academy is not just an offering for EVSC students, but for high school students anywhere.

The EVSC Virtual Academy is designed to provide flexibility to students to earn credits on their own time, or as part of a high school class. Courses will be facilitated by EVSC teachers utilizing the Apex Learning content. There are several pathways that students can take courses in, including Literacy Advantage, Core, Honors and Advanced Placement. Another avenue for online courses for students is Indiana University (IU) High School, a distance education program through IU, which has been a provider of high school distance education courses since 1925.

Jason Bailey, director of eLearning and instructional technology, said online courses like EVSC’s and IU High School, will help students be in control of their future and allow teachers to reach kids where they are most engaged – using technology. “Our plan for this school year is to help teachers think of ways to use the curriculum in Apex in their classrooms, extending the use of the one-to-one netbook initiative, to create a more robust, engaging class,” Bailey said. “We also want to encourage students to think how this curriculum could help them get where they want to be.”

Bailey explained that teachers have been attending Tech Tuesdays at the EVSC’s new Technology and Innovation Center, where they can get one-on-one help with the various kinds of applications offered in classrooms today. An eLearning conference with more than 250 high school teachers is planned later in July, as well. “All of this has a singular goal,” Bailey explained. “Student success, whether in a traditional classroom or through accredited online courses, is our focus.”

This summer, the EVSC has had approximately 300 junior and senior students taking courses in summer school, where the Apex Learning credit recovery classes were being used. “In just three weeks, 144 students have already earned 212 credits (as of yesterday) that they need for graduation, and more students are completing each day,” Bailey said. The EVSC has also had numerous calls regarding IU High School online courses.

Courses offered through Apex for full year, or for one semester at a time include various English, science, math, history and geography classes, to name a few.

Apex Learning courses offered by the EVSC Virtual Academy are accredited through the North Central Association. Courses in both Apex and IU High School meet the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) standards for instruction. In addition, the courses have been approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as meeting the requirements for establishing the initial-eligibility certification status for high school student athletes wishing to compete in college.

Students may enroll in the EVSC Virtual Academy at any time and work at their own pace. The enrollment application form for the EVSC Virtual Academy and IU High School can be found on the EVSC Virtual Academy website at www.evscschools.com/evscva.
For students who are enrolled with the EVSC, there will be no fee for virtual academy courses delivered via Apex Learning. Some supplemental materials will be required in Apex courses. Fees for those not enrolled in the EVSC are currently being discussed. IU High School courses are discounted 30 percent for EVSC students.
 

“Digital learning takes the power of technology and creates active learning experiences that engage students as they read, watch, listen, inquire, write, discuss, and manipulate. Information is presented in “chunks” consistent with the way students read successfully on the Web,” said Janet Leistner, director of the EVSC Virtual Academy. “We have been so excited this summer watching students in summer school work and master classes that they needed for credit.”