Virtual High School Summer Academy

Virtual High School (VHS) Academy is designed for rising 9 through current 12 grade students. VHS provides secondary students with the opportunity for online learning. Students may earn up to one (1) original credit and two (2) repeat credits. Each course is 140 online instructional class hours; credit cannot be awarded to students who fail to receive 140 hours of online instruction. Driver Education/Behind-the-Wheel instruction is not offered. There are no exam exemptions during Summer Academy. Courses with low enrollment may not be offered. Students participating in International Baccalaureate Program may not take courses in VHS Summer Academy except Health/Physical Education 9 or 10. Tuition for a Virtual High School Academy course is $550.00 for York County residents and non-residents. York County residents should make checks payable to the school where registration is completed. Non-residents should contact Reginald Fox (898-0454) for registration information. Tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration. If a course is cancelled or a student withdraws from Virtual High School Academy prior to the start of classes, a refund of tuition will be made by July 10. The Summer Academic Programs Registration Form must be completed online by school staff.

Content Management—Students use web-enhanced software through Blackboard.com. They are presented with basic course and personal information management tools through a userfriendly “My Institution” portal interface. A course consists of a navigation path, a button bar, and a content frame. The button bar links users to the course content as outlined.

• Announcements – Welcome, communication of current information
• Course Information – Syllabus, teacher expectations, student responsibilities, grading policy
• Staff Information – Instructor contact information
• Course Instruction and Assessments – Content based on subject curriculum guide and
• Standards of Learning contains units and lessons with supporting documents, projects, discussions, labs, simulations, quizzes, tests, and other learning activities

Communication—Students and instructors enjoy enhanced collaboration with discussion boards and real-time chat tools, including:

• Collaborative learning through discussion boards, real-time virtual classroom interaction, and group communication
• Participation in forums by sorting messages according to thread, author, date, or subject; track read and unread messages; and collect multiple messages onto one page for easy reading, comparison, and printing
• Participation in live online text chats, draw on a shared whiteboard, and collaboratively browse and graphically mark up web pages in an updated virtual classroom environment
• Submission of work and assignments through the digital dropbox
• Creation of student groups for collaborative work through discussion boards, virtual classroom activities, and file exchanges

• June 25 – August 6, 2008
• Location: Online (http://yorkcountyschools.blackboard.com; username and password provided at orientation)

• End-of-Course SOL Tests: English Writing-MC, July 15; English Writing, July 16; all other SOL Tests, August 5.
• Final Exams: August 6

• Students may take only one (1) course for original credit and earn one (1) unit of credit. Students may also take no more than two (2) courses for repeat credit. Credits must be verified on the registration form.
• Students must complete a separate registration form for each online course.
• Students currently enrolled in the York County School Division may register for Virtual High School Academy at their home school until June 12. Students who have not registered by June 11 must register at York High School on Tuesday, June 17, Wednesday, June 18, or Thursday, June 19, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Late registrations will be accepted at York High School on Monday, June 23, from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m., and a $25.00 late charge will apply. NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 23.
• Non-resident students may register on a space-available basis. Non-resident students must submit a completed Out-of-System Student Information Form signed by the principal of their home school.
• No refund of tuition will be made if a student is dismissed for disciplinary reasons or for excessive “virtual absences” (lack of daily login and participation).

• Students who enroll in Virtual High School Academy are required to have their own computer with Internet and e-mail access. Daily login and at least 4 hours of active participation is required. Access is provided at both of the York County public libraries.

• Training for students enrolled in Virtual High School Academy will be held Thursday, June 19, from 1-4 p.m., or Monday, June 23, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. OR 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at York High School in Room 201, 219, or 113. Students will be notified of the specific date and time to report. Parents are required to attend. Additional training will be provided for Driver Education students on-site on June 25 and 26.

• No online absences are permitted during the Virtual High School Academy. Failure to login daily constitutes an online absence.
• Credit cannot be awarded to students unless all requirements of the Virtual High School Academy course are fulfilled by August 6, 2008.

Courses offered in Virtual High School Academy include:

*For YCSD students, these courses include Parts A & B.

1. Do you feel that high-quality learning can take place in an online environment?
2. Do you have (or are you willing to obtain) access to a computer, the Internet, and email at home?
3. Are you a self-motivated and self-disciplined person?
4. Are you comfortable researching and communicating in writing?
5. Are class discussions helpful to you?

For more information, contact: Reginald Fox: rfox@ycsd.york.va.us
(757) 898-0454

YCSD Summer Academic Programs 2008

The York County School Division
302 Dare Road
Yorktown, VA 23692
757-898-0300