Virginia Virtual AcademyA program of Carroll County, King and Queen, and Buena Vista City Public Schools

SuperintendentCarroll County Public Schools (CCPS)

Dr. James (Greg) Smith, Superintendent

Virginia Virtual Academy Timeline• 2008-09 Carroll County implements a district-only online

program option

• Mid September 2009 Carroll County implements a state-wide online program option – VAVA is born (81 students K-8)

• Winter 2010 Governor McDonnell approves virtual school bill

• SY 2010-2011 Carroll County expands state-wide enrollment – VAVA grows (400 students K-9)

• August 2011 Buena Vista City Public School adds state-wide enrollment VAVA program (170 students)

• January 2012 King and Queen County Public Schools allow state wide enrollment of 32 students

Who Chooses Virtual Schooling?• Students on homebound instruction with medical needs• Students with special education needs (autism, ADHD)• Students with gifted education needs – want to be

challenged and move at their own pace• Military families – who move frequently• Competitive athletes who have conflicts with the traditional

school day hours• Students who are falling further behind with grade level

skills and have been unsuccessful with state testing• Any student who is dissatisfied with their current traditional

public school (overcrowding, bullying, lack of rigor, etc.)

VAVA uses the Award Winning K12 Curriculum

• Students are enrolled in a full day program that includes 6 courses (Math, L/A, Science, History, and two electives, art and music)

• Curriculum alignment meets or exceeds state standards (including Virginia’s most current Standards of Learning frameworks)

• All courses required for grades K-8 were approved by the VADOE in the Multi-Division Online Provider approval process in spring 2011 including health/PE.

• AdvancED-accredited (formerly called CITA)

• Materials shipped to family’s home (books, materials, manipulative objects, rocks!) – offline work and online lessons

Middle School Students Taking High School Courses for Credit

With district superintendent approval, VAVA middle school students in grades 7-8 may take high school level courses and receive HS verified credit, if they have:

• Completed pre-requisite courses

• Passed the course with a C or better

• Passed the EOC SOL test in the spring of the year the test was administered (if available)

With more than 105 online high school courses from which to choose, we offer multiple levels of core subjects, up to four years of a World Language, and a variety of electives including anthropology, CTE courses, Web design and digital photography.

AdministrationSuzanne Sloane, Head of School

Traditional School

A Team of Support to Surround the VAVA Student

Learning Coach

Virginia Certified Teacher

Student

King and Queen

Total VAVA as of 3/16/12 = 484

Google Earth Map VAVA students

Virginia School Districts of Residence – VAVA – our students represent more than 80 districts across the Commonwealth! Accomack County Public Schools (2)

Accomack County Public Schools 4

Albemarle County Public Schools 2

Alexandria City Public Schools 4

Amherst County Public Schools 4

Appomattox County Public Schools 2

Arlington County Public Schools 2

Augusta County Public Schools 2

Bedford County Public Schools 7

Bland County Public Schools 3

Botetourt County Public Schools 3

Brunswick County Public Schools 4

Buckingham County Public Schools 2

Buena Vista City Public Schools 2

Campbell County Public Schools 1

Caroline County Public Schools 5

Carroll County Public Schools 9

Charles City County Public Schools 1

Charlotte County Public Schools 10

Charlottesville City Public Schools 1

Chesapeake City Public Schools 17Chesterfield County Public Schools 24Clarke County Public Schools 1

Colonial Beach Public Schools 1

Craig County Public Schools 1

Culpeper County Public Schools 1

Dickenson County Public Schools 1

Dinwiddie County Public Schools 2

Fairfax County Public Schools 66Floyd County Public Schools 3

Fluvanna County Public Schools 2

Frederick County Public Schools 5

Fredericksburg City Public Schools 7

Giles County Public Schools 2

Greene County Public Schools 4

Greensville County Public Schools 1

CONTINUED: Virginia School Districts of Residence – VAVA

Hampton City Public Schools 6

Halifax County Public Schools 2

Hanover County Public Schools 3

Henrico County Public Schools 8

Henry County Public Schools 1

Hopewell City Public Schools 1

Isle Of Wight County Public Schools 5

James City County 2

Loudoun County Public Schools 26Louisa County Public Schools 6

Lynchburg City Public Schools 3

Manassas City Public Schools 3

Martinsville City Public Schools 1

Mecklenburg County Public Schools 4

Montgomery County Public Schools 14

Nelson County Public Schools 4

New Kent County Public Schools 2

 

 

Newport News City Public Schools 12

Norfolk City Public Schools 23Northampton County Public Schools 1

Nottoway County Public Schools 1

Orange County Public Schools 1

Petersburg City Public Schools 2

Poquoson City Public Schools 3

Portsmouth City Public Schools 11

Powhatan County Public Schools 2

Prince Edward County Public Schools 10

Prince George County Public Schools 2

Prince William County Public Schools 33Pulaski County Public Schools 2

Richmond City Public Schools 5

Richmond County Public Schools 2

Roanoke City Public Schools 6

CONTINUED: Virginia School Districts of Residence – VAVA

Roanoke County Public Schools 4

Rockingham County Public Schools 3

Russell County Public Schools 1

Shenandoah County Public Schools 4

Spotsylvania County Public Schools 10

Stafford County Public Schools 24Staunton City Public Schools 2

Suffolk City Public Schools 13

Surry County Public Schools 1

Sussex County Public Schools 1

Tazewell County Public Schools 2

 

 

Virginia Beach City Public Schools 37Warren County Public Schools 7

Waynesboro City Public Schools 2

Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools 1

Winchester City Public Schools 2

Wise County Public Schools 5

Wythe County Public Schools 3

York County Public Schools 10

Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments

• Virginia Virtual Academy Students Are Accountable• Participation in Standards of Learning Assessments is Mandatory

• Grades 3-8

CARROLL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISION

CCPSD Virginia Virtual Academy Program SOL TESTING & ACCOUNTABILITY

Beverly A. ParkerDirector of School Improvement, Accountability & Testing

Challenges

Partnerships

Cooperation

Flexibility

Opportunities

SOL/EOC Testing

Standards of Learning TestsWhat SOL Tests Do Our Children Take?

All VAVA students in grades 3 – 8 participate in the SOL/EOC testing, according to tests given to their CCPSD brick & mortar peers

Grade 3: Reading, math, science, history/ssGrade 4: Reading, math, history/ssGrade 5: Reading, writing, math, history/ss (US History 1),scienceGrade 6: Reading, math, history/ss (US History 2)

Grade 7: Reading, math, history/ss (Civics/Economics)

Grade 8: Reading, writing, “math,” scienceGrade 8: End of Course (EOC) Tests• Algebra I Algebra II Geometry • Earth Science World History I WH2 World Geography

SOL/EOC Testing ProtocolAll VAVA students in grades 3 – 8 participate in the SOL/EOC testing program,

according to tests given to CCPSD peers

Testing is administered under the direction and supervision of the CCPSD Division Director of Testing (DDOT) – B. Parker

2 VAVA personnel are designated as VAVA School Testing Coordinators (STCs)

CCPSD DDOT trains the STCs. The STCs train the Examiners & Proctors who administer the tests under standardized testing conditions

All “irregularities” are handled through the STCs & DDOT, following traditional protocol

SOL/EOC Testing Protocol

Secure, off-site testing “centers” or sites are set up throughout various regions of Virginia by the DDOT in cooperation with other DDOTs across Virginia

• Priority 1 – ONLINE TESTING, grades 3 – 8 (using public schools)• Priority 2 – Paper/pencil back-up in alternative sites

Spring 2011 – 7 testing sites• Carroll County Public Schools Division, Herndon VAVA Offices• VA Beach Div, Chesterfield County Div, Lynchburg City Div, • Greene County Div, Fredericksburg City Div

Spring 2012 – 11 testing sites (tentative)• Carroll County, Herndon, Charlottesville Div, Chesterfield Co Division, Fredericksburg City Div,

Henrico Co Div, Shenandoah Co Div, Spotsylvania Div, Staunton City Div, Va Beach Div, Williamsburg-James City Co Div

How are the SOL Tests and Other Assessments Used?Public School Accountability• Federal (AYP)• State (Virginia Accreditation)

Promotion & Retention (one of the multiple factors)Diagnosis & PrescriptionRemediation & InterventionAlignment of Curriculum, Instruction & AssessmentInstruction & Curriculum ImprovementProfessional DevelopmentProgram Impact

Beverly A. Parker

Academic Accountability

Accountability of Public SchoolsApplies to CCPSD Virginia Virtual Academy (VAVA)

Federal Accountability Standards (NCLB)

• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)— “Made AYP” or “Did not Make AYP”

State Accountability Standards (SOA)• Virginia Accreditation

— “Fully Accredited,” “Accredited with Warning in ___,” or “Accreditation Denied”--------------------------------------------------

Local Accountability Standards (AdvancEd/SACS)

School Improvement Process & Quality Assurance)

Local Accountability Standards (AdvancEd/SACS)

School Improvement Process & Quality Assurance)

Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Model• Standards (NCLB, VA Accreditation, AdvancEd, Research)• Continuous Improvement Cycle• Quality Assurance – External Review

• Each school has an “Annual School Plan”• Annual School Plan• School Improvement Plan• Academic Improvement Plan

Linked with the Division Comprehensive Plan

VAVA is included in these expectations

What are the challenges with accountability?

VAVA students are randomly assigned to the various brick & mortar schools in Carroll County Public School Division, based on the population of each school

SOL test results for each VAVA student go back to the brick & mortar school to which they have been randomly assigned

Scores of VAVA students impact the division’s and each brick & mortar school’s accountability rating for AYP and Virginia Accreditation

The impact on each school, as well as the division, may be positive, negative, or “no-impact,” depending on the test and/or content area

VAVA performance is embedded within the School Report Card for each individual school and is not reported separately

Feedback from a VAVA Parent Regarding SOL Testing &

Accountability“One of the reasons I chose for my children to

participate in the VAVA Program is because it IS part of a public school system and it does include SOL Testing. The SOL Testing allows me, as a parent, to see if my children are meeting the same rigorous standards as those a public school in Virginia is required to meet.”

Remedial Instruction and tutoring IS CRITICAL

• 62% of students came to VAVA one or more years behind grade level in reading and/or math

• 40% of prior public students in grades 3-8 did not pass SOL tests in year prior to enrollment

Virtual Special EducationCarroll County Public Schools (CCPS)

Laura Goad, Director of Special Education

Students and Teachers34 students

Grades K-8

Categories of disability for currently served students:

• Specific Learning Disability• Speech Language Impairment• Autism• Emotional Disability• Intellectual Disability• Other Health Impairment

3 K¹² Special Education Teachers

• Sarah Stephens• Erin Rubinstein• Kristy Drum

K¹² Contractor - Speech Language Pathologist – Jackie Taylor

Related Services contractors – Speech, OT, PT, and as needed

Transfer IEPsK¹² requests records which both CCPS and K¹² staff

can review via email or in the online IEP program

Meetings are by phone conference

IEP meeting is held to review current IEP/determine if placement in VAVA would be appropriate

IEP team includes CCPS Director of Special Education, parent, student (age 14 or older), K¹² general education teacher, K¹² special education teacher/speech language pathologist , K¹² administrator, and others as needed

Child Study/ReferralChild Study teams are chaired by CCPS

Director of Special Education

Interventions and Strategies are discussed

Existing data is available in online IEP program

Same process and requirements as CCPS brick and mortar students

Evaluation and EligibilityK¹² contracts with evaluators

Evaluation reports are attached in online IEP program so that both CCPS staff and K¹² staff can view

Evaluation reports are sent electronically to parents prior to meeting

CCPS Director of Special Education or designee chairs Eligibility

Re-evaluationsCCPS staff participate in determination of

assessments and chair eligibility meetings

All regulations/requirements are followed

IEPsCCPS staff participate in all initial or transfer

IEP meetings

CCPS staff participate in annual IEP reviews as requested

Draft of IEP document sent to parent electronically before the meeting

Special Education and Related Services

Erin Rubinstein

Special Education Teacher,

Virginia Virtual Academy, K¹² , Inc.

Chart reflects the breakdown of current VAVA students receiving special education services. Students may also qualify for services under other categories not listed on this chart.

Current Population of Students Receiving Special Education Services at VAVA (by eligibility category)

Chart reflects the breakdown of current VAVA Carroll County students receiving special education services. Students may also qualify for services under other categories not listed on this chart.

Current Population of CCPS Students Receiving Special Education Services at VAVA (by eligibility category)

The Support Team Surrounding a VAVA Student

Learning CoachVA Certified General

Education and Special Education Teacher

Student

Special Education Services Provided by VAVA

Survey Results: Parent Satisfaction with Special Education Services

• 96% feel their concerns are being addressed

• 93% feel their student is making progress on IEP goals

• 93% feel the special education teacher understands their student’s needs

• 99% feel the teacher provides sufficient support

• 86% feel their student will be successful on state tests

How are special education services provided to VAVA students?

One-to-one virtual classroom sessions: A certified special educator works one-to-one instructing and assessing the student on individual goals.

Small-group virtual classroom sessions: A certified special educator instructs and assesses a small group (about 2-5 students) on individual goals.

General education classes with support: A certified special educator supports students in a course taught primarily by a general education teacher (either through co-teaching or individualized instruction as needed).

How do VAVA students access related services and therapies?

As part of their individualized education programs, students may qualify for related services, including:

• Behavior and psychological services• Occupational therapy• Physical therapy• Speech/language services

Contract providers meet face-to-face or virtually with students to provide related services according to the student’s individualized education program.

Virtual Education TeacherLindsay Woods, Virginia Virtual Academy

ELL Certified Teacher

What is it like to be a VAVA Teacher?

Responsibilities and tasks that we all complete:

• Teaching – synchronous sessions for entire classes, small groups, and individuals

• Communicating - with students, learning coaches, and VAVA staff and administrators

• Evaluating – formal and informal assessment of student progress and attendance

• Reporting – compiling progress and attendance data and sending report cards to families

• Learning – weekly professional development sessions and other extensive training

How do we manage all of this?!

The Online School - Homepage

TeachingClass Connect Sessions show up on the students’

Online School

We use Blackboard Collaborate to teach live classes to students!

This is our online classroom!

Communicating• We use a secure, integrated email

system, called K-Mail, to communicate with students and Learning Coaches

• Families receive a Weekly Newsletter• We also speak with each student &

family during monthly Parent Teacher Conferences over the telephone

• Learning Coaches meet with Grade Level Teams each month in Elluminate

Evaluating

• Scantron Adaptive Assessments• DIBELS Benchmark literacy assessments• Monthly Work Samples• Progress & Attendance expectations

ReportingMonitoring progress and attendance

Maintaining communication notes in Total View

Quarterly report cards

Learning

• Weekly professional development sessions and other extensive training through K12

• Attend conferences, symposiums• Membership in professional

organizations

K12 Training

AdministrationNancy Brosnahan, Academic Administrator

Access to all classrooms is available to the school administrators

A variety of ways to access information in the OLS

Tabs in the OLS allow teachers and administrators to view and monitor attendance, student plans, progress, etc. and links provide easy access to communication tools and student data management. All student data may be exported to a spreadsheet.

Up to date information in regard to lesson mastery and completion

Many opportunities to meet…We try to host 2 outings a month around the state and surrounding areas in order

to facilitate a strong community feeling to our school.Some of our Planned and attended VAVA Events:

• Apple School in Charlottesville and Pumpkin Patch Picking in Virginia Beach and Centreville• Governor’s Mansion – Classroom Demonstration LIVE with Governor and First Lady• Ice Skating and Gingerbread / Poetry Contests in December in nine cities across the state• Busch Gardens in Williamsburg; Riverside Theater in Fredericksburg• Opening Day at Nationals Park – Virginia Virtual Academy Students Recognized by Announcer• Amazement Square in Lynchburg with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf• Richmond: Science Museum of Virginia and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts• Splashdown in Manassas• Carroll County Holiday Parade and Visited Retirement Home with Gifts and Stories for the Residents• Natural Bridge Zoo• Virginia Air and Space Center; Virginia Aquarium, Jamestown• Guided Tour of The White House• Smithsonian, Natural and American History, Dinosaurs of Patagonia and Kennedy Center• Norfolk, Fredericksburg, VA Beach Food Banks– helped donate food and holiday goodies to needy families• Tour of the Virginia State Capitol Building –Virginia Virtual Academy Students Recognized from floor of VA Senate

and the House TWICE – once in Feb 2010 and once on VA Capitol Day as declared by Governor on 2/6/12.

 

The Role of the VAVA Learning Coach• Logs attendance daily• Checks Kmail daily and responds promptly • Works with student towards continuous, consistent progress with all

required K12 courses• Prepares for student’s school day using Advance Prep tools• Participates in regular teacher conference calls/Class Connect

sessions and parent online training offerings• Submits monthly work samples• Ensures student participation in Study Island • Ensures the student completes Scantron assessments• Ensure student participation in state testing program

— May 1-11(attendance required for students in grades 3-8)

The Role of the VAVA Student•Expected to login every school day using their own student account to complete school work in the core curricular subjects

•Attendance may be logged any day at any hour 24/7

990 hours per calendar year of instructional time required•Independently complete unit and lessons assessments to ensure true mastery

•80% mastery in four core subjects (math, reading, science, history) required for promotion by last day of school (grades K-8)

•Participates in test preparation program, Study Island, Class Connect sessions, Scantron assessments, and SOL testing (3rd-8th grade)

•Conferences regularly with teachers

4 PM Kindergarten Reading LessonLive session that is occurring now with VAVA

kindergarten students.

Kindergarten lesson:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/meeting.jnlp?sid=559&miuid=16629539A914D757C7A86C3D88985361

Recorded Virtual Classroom LinkHere is the recorded link

for the VA Math Class on National Pi Day

http://lms.k12.com/lms/go/classConnect/PJ3JAJCJMJVJAJ0-5JMJGJCJ2JHJD-P-R-D909I9N9N9G9T9NJ2JOJHJ4-HJU-KKUJCJ9-B-L-K-W-S-S-I-R92JGJSJIJQ-7KS-PJ7JTJ0JPJNJR-V-K-U989F9L-G9899-3-J-H9H9

Topic: National Pi Day

Geometry

Grade Level: middle school math

Recorded Virtual Classroom LinkHere is the recorded link

for the VA Studies class held on 2/6 at the capitol.

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2012-02-06.1133.M.A1695681994B5FDDD1B0D4E9944791.vcr&sid=559

Topic: Reasons for the American Revolution

Grade Level: 4th Grade

Questions?