Virginia Department of Education will pilot a full-time virtual high school

Virginia Department of Education’s “Virtual Virginia” program will pilot a full-time, online high school for 100 students during the 2015-2016 school year. The pilot will offer all required core academic courses and electives necessary to earn a Standard or Advanced Studies diploma, according to a VDOE news release.

“We are excited to offer this opportunity to high school students, especially those with the potential for thriving in a non-traditional instructional setting,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples was quoted as saying in the press release.

Students in the full-time pilot also will be enrolled in their local public school but will receive instruction through Virtual Virginia. As with all Virtual Virginia courses, instruction will be provided by teachers with Virginia certification. Local schools will ensure that students in the pilot have access to technology, textbooks, special services and other necessary materials at no cost.

Courses are delivered through Virtual Virginia’s secure, web-based environment, and, like traditional classroom instruction, will include readings, discussion forums, written assignments, media, student presentations and projects, case studies, simulations, lab assignments, models and opportunities for student collaboration.

Local schools will award letter grades and credit for courses completed based on percentage grades — provided by Virtual Virginia instructors — that reflect coursework done in the online program.

Students will be required to register for Virtual Virginia through their local school and have approval of their parents and school administration. The students will matriculate through their local school and will receive credit toward and upon completion of graduation requirements — including Standards of Learning assessments — will be awarded a diploma by their local school.

Students interested in participating in the pilot must register through their local public school counselor.

Virtual Virginia will offer 14 new courses and 54 Advanced Placement (AP), academic electives and world language courses.

According to the news release,  Virtual Virginia been providing “access to high quality and rigorous courses” to more than 40,000 students since 2002.