Virtual High School Summer School provides students with the opportunity for online learning. This summer, the Virginia Department of Education is offering a number of scholarships to students interested in taking online courses.

Content Management—Students use web-enhanced software through Blackboard.com. They are presented with basic course and personal information management tools through a user-friendly “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 Documents & Assignments – Content based on subject curriculum guide and Standards of Learning. Contains units and lessons with supporting documents, projects, discussions, labs, simulations and other learning activities

Communication—Students and instructors enjoy enhanced collaboration with asynchronous discussion boards and synchronous 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, comparisons, and printing
• Participation in live online text chats, draw in a shared whiteboard, and collaboratively browse and graphically mark up web pages in 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

For York County School Division Students:

Virtual High School Summer School academic course offerings are not intended for International Baccalaureate and Honors Program students. Tuition for a Virtual High School Summer School course is $525.00 for York County residents. Checks are to be made payable to York County School Division and sent to Valerie A. Taylor, Ed.D, at 302 Dare Road, Yorktown, VA 23692, FAX: 890-0771 . Tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration. If a course is cancelled or a student withdraws from Virtual High School Summer School prior to the start of classes, a refund of tuition will be made by July 3,2003. Courses with low enrollment may not be offered. The Summer Academic Programs Registration Form must be completed.

For Non-Resident Students:

Tuition for a Virtual High School Summer School course is $525.00.  Please make your Certified Checks or Money Orders payable to Grafton High School and mail to: Valerie A. Taylor, Ed.D, 302 Dare Road,Yorktown, VA 23692. FAX: 890-0771. Tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration. This is a non-refundable fee. The Summer Academic Programs Registration Form must be completed and mailed with the check or money order.

Dates/Location

• Dates: June 19 – August 14, 2003
• Location: Online (http://yorkcountyschools.blackboard.com)

Exam Schedule

• End-of-Course SOL Tests: English RRL/July 22; English Writing/July 23; all other SOL Tests/August 13
• Final Exams: August 14
• Non-Resident students:  SOL Tests will be administered at the student’s home school.  Final exams will be taken online at the student’s home school on August 14.  Login information will be sent to the school’s contact person.

Registration

• Students may take only one course for original credit and earn one (1) unit of credit.
• Students currently enrolled in the York County School Division may register for Virtual High School Summer School at their home school until June 13. Students who have not registered by June 13 must register at Grafton High School on Monday, June 16 no later than noon.  NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 16.
• Non-resident students may take up to two courses and earn one (1) unit of credit for each course.
• Non-resident students must follow the Application Process outlined on this webpage.  Non-resident students may register on a space available basis.
• No refund of tuition will be made if a student is dismissed for disciplinary reasons or for excessive login absences.

Technology

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

Training

• Students will be notified of date of online training
• Deadline for sign up for the August session is July 30, 2003.
• Non-resident students will be required to complete an online Training Orientation course prior to being enrolled in academic courses.

Attendance

• No online absences are permitted during the Virtual High School Summer School. Failure to login daily constitutes an online absence.
• Credit cannot be awarded to students unless all requirements of the Virtual High School Summer School course are fulfilled by August 14, 2003.

Consider the questions below to determine if Online Learning is right for you…

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, Internet, and e-mail 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?