In the face of recent criticism of online schools in the media, Jefferson Public Schools stands behind the fact that the district has a great system in place.
Students in Jeffco have the option to pursue their education online with the 21st Century Virtual Academy. With system changes to the school this year, Principal Christie Frost believes the online school is better than ever.
The biggest change is the academy’s new system to manage classes. The district has replaced a program called Blackboard with the Schoology program. While Blackboard is the most widely used online education source, many reviews state it’s difficult to operate.
Frost said Schoology has a social-networking interface, similar to Facebook, and is more user friendly.
“It has an interactive approach,” she said. “Kids can have conversations with each other and with their teachers.”
The online teachers offer one live online session per week for their classes, and the rest of their lessons are posted for the students to complete in their own time.
Frost said teachers are enjoying the new system more because they believe the interaction encourages more student participation. Students are able to chat with each other online and with teachers to ask questions.
The virtual academy offers students three different enrollment options, including full-time enrollment, part-time enrollment and credit-recovery courses for adult learners or students who need only a few more courses to graduate.
The academy’s curriculum is aligned with state standards and is part of the Jeffco Public Schools District, so it can offer tuition-free enrollment to middle school and high school students.
All students who wish to enroll in the academy are required to take an introductory course to see if they will be successful in an online learning environment.
Among the students who thrive in the virtual academy are students who do not do well in a classroom setting, who travel because they are involved in competitive sports, students who work full time, and those who are gifted and want to take more challenging courses that aren’t offered in a traditional classroom.
Frost said that with recent budget cuts more students are enrolling in online courses to take classes that have been cut from the curriculum. Several middle school students are taking their electives online, including students at West Jefferson Middle School who are taking digital photography through the virtual academy.
“Because it’s virtual, they can still be at their home school, but take another class through us,” Frost said. “We’ve certainly seen a bigger number of kids coming to us in those situations.”