Boston – Oct. 29, 2018– Schools in Rhode Island, Texas, Massachusetts and Alabama have joined more than 650 schools around the world in choosing The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.), as their online course solution for students in the upcoming academic year. Schools expand their local course offerings by incorporating the VHS catalog into their program of studies. The VHS catalog consists of more than 200 unique online courses, including 23 AP® offerings, innovative STEM programs, and a wide variety of unique electives, including computer science. Partnering with VHS enables schools to provide courses to students that would otherwise be unavailable.
Blackstone Valley Prep Academy, a network of public schools across four counties in Rhode Island, has chosen to expand course offerings with a new membership that provides 40 enrollments inVHS courses.Westbury Christian School in Houston also began a new membership with 32 seats to provide students access to Advanced Placement courses. Argosy Collegiate Charter School in Fall River, Massachusetts, joined the VHS collaborative with a purchase of 20 seats, and is also incorporating one teacher into the program. The teacher will receive graduate level professional development and will learn to teach an online course on behalf of the school’s membership. Mobile Christian School in Mobile, Alabama, has purchased 28 seats for students.
"As a small school, we are excited about the opportunities that VHS offers for our students to take classes that we couldn't otherwise offer,” said Nathan Wagner, Principal of Westbury Christian School. “This year, several students have had access to advanced math courses that, without VHS, wouldn't have been possible. We are excited about expanding our offerings in the future to engage even more students."
Students at participating schools enroll in VHS courses of their choice if the course has openings and students meet course prerequisites. Schools distribute their VHS course enrollments to their students as they see fit, with some schools providing enrollment opportunity to their entire student body, and others limiting enrollments to upper class students or students who have a particular course need.
“The number of VHS school partners around the world continues to grow because of the wide range of courses we offer to students and the level of support provided by our teachers and coordinators,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS. “Schools and districts want to give students academic options that are not always available locally. VHS courses help students discover college majors and career options, and are a great way for schools to give students additional learning opportunities within a supportive, teacher-led online classroom environment.”
VHS is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that has, for over 22 years, provided middle and high schools from 40 states and 36 countries with access to high-quality online and blended learning experiences. VHS also provides educators at local schools with graduate-level professional development and services. The average three-year membership retention rate for schools participating in the program (2015-2018) was 94 percent, indicating strong educator and student satisfaction with the quality of instruction being delivered.
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.
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