Boston – Oct. 4, 2018– Stacy Young, Associate Dean of Faculty at The Virtual High School(VHS Inc.),will be speaking at the CSforALL Summit 2018, being held October 8-11 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Young will be taking part in a panel discussion on cybersecurity education.
On October 9 at 1:30, Young will join four other presenters on a panel moderated by Kevin Nolten from the Cyber Innovation Center.“Stacy will be discussing our commitment to high school computer science (CS) education to prepare students for college and careers,” said Amy Michalowski, Dean of VHS. “We believe that introducing students to CS concepts, including cybersecurity, in a rigorous but not overwhelming manner, gives students a taste of the material so they can consider if the career is something they’ll pursue in the future.” Michalowski continued, “We hope to add industry credentialing to our CS courses over time and we want to be a strong part of the computer science career pipeline.”
The Virtual High School has embraced the CSforAll movement since its inception, and each year makes a commitment to improve computer science education for all students. This year, The Virtual High School will develop and launch a new 15-week online cybersecurity course for delivery in the 2019-2020 academic year. The course will be available to schools across the country and will also be available for individual student enrollment. A four-week companion module on cybersecurity will also be available in summer 2019. The companion module can be used as a summer enrichment or for-credit course, as a supplemental module for in-school use, and as part of a Boy’s and Girl’s club or other after-school program. “The goal is to get as many students as possible excited about computer science,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of The Virtual High School. “We want all students, regardless of their geographic location or economic circumstances, to understand they have choices.”
In addition to developing its new cybersecurity courses, VHS is offering its popular Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles course and 11 other online computer science courses this year. The VHS online AP Computer Science Principles course first ran in the 2016-2017 academic year, with VHS students earning a 94 percent pass rate on the AP exam. In the 2017-2018 academic year, VHS students achieved an even higher AP exam pass rate of 96 percent – far exceeding AP exam national averages.
Technology courses currently offered by VHS include CAD, Video Game Design, Java Programming, and Creative Programming with Scratch. VHS also offers a computer science certificate program. Students may enroll in any VHS course of their choosing, as long as they meet course prerequisites. Students have the option to enroll individually or as part of their school’s participation in the VHS program.
VHS is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that has, for over 22 years, provided middle and high schools from 40 states and 33 countries with access to high-quality online and blended learning experiences. More than 600 schools currently use the VHS program to supplement their school’s course offerings.
About The Virtual High School
The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the organization has set the standard for quality online education.The Virtual High School is accredited by both Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools(MSA-CESS), and AdvancED.Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information, visit www.vhslearning.org or call (978) 897-1900.
# # #
