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Virtual High School March 3, 2008 Presentation to the Watertown School Committee

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

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Virtual High School March 3, 2008 Presentation to the Watertown School Committee

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  1. Virtual High School March 3, 2008 Presentation to the Watertown School Committee

  2. Virtual High School Website All information used in this presentation can be found on the VHS website www.govhs.org

  3. Virtual High SchoolBackground 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. VHS Courses • 241 courses currently offered • Courses are 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. How About Taking…? • Language Arts - Contemporary Irish Literature • Language Arts - Ghoulies, Ghosties and Beasties: Why We Like to be Scared

  12. 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

  13. More possibilities… • Foreign Language - Basic Mandarin • Business - Investing in the Stock Market • Technology/Tech Ed - Animation Effects: Flash MX Basics

  14. The Site Coordinator Student-only and individual member schools must have a site coordinator

  15. WHS Site Coordinator Alan Epstein is Watertown High School’s Site Coordinator

  16. 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

  17. The Site Coordinator also.. • Checks in with students and monitors students’ progress throughout their courses • Troubleshoots problems • Encourages students when they need a boost

  18. 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

  19. WHS Student Feedback Feedback from Students Enrolled in Virtual High School Courses during the 2007-2008 school year

  20. VHS Students Judy Choy and Hong Van Phan Class of 2008

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. Demo VHS Courses The VHS website has three student demo courses, providing students and teachers the opportunity to experience a VHS course.

  25. Teacher Training Provided by Virtual High School • Site Coordinator Orientation ( SCO ) • NetCourse Instructional Methodology ( NIM ) • Teachers Learning Conference ( TLC )

  26. Site Coordinator Orientation Four week online professional development NetCourse

  27. NetCourse Instructional Methodology ( NIM ) • Ten-week course designed to train instructors to teach an existing VHS course

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