VHHS finds new home for virtual, alternative programs

Students who have difficulty learning in a traditional classroom have a few new options this school year.

Over the summer, Vestavia Hills City Schools announced that the VISION (Vesting In Students’ Interests, Opportunities and Needs) School, located near the high school on Lime Rock Road, is expanding its services in 2017-18. 

In addition to the existing alternative school for students who have violated the school code of conduct, VISION now offers a short-term program for students who are struggling academically or have personal or environmental issues getting in the way of their schoolwork.

“The focus of this program is to provide a temporary, short-term, supportive environment in which students can successfully work towards earning academic credits,” a July 6 release on the Vestavia board of education website said.

VISION Principal Kacy Pierce said the VHHS virtual school program, which began last school year, will also now be run out of the VISION building. Though virtual students will handle most of their coursework online, they will come to the VISION school once a week to take tests.

The virtual school was created in response to a state law requiring school districts to create a virtual high school option by 2016-17. Pierce said the program uses ACCESS courses provided by the Alabama Department of Education, which includes roughly 50 courses in math, science, English, foreign languages and more.

“This is a new, exciting component for our school system to be able to have a place for students who are taking online courses,” Pierce said.

Vestavia curriculum and instruction specialist Jennifer Bailey said certified teachers developed the ACCESS curriculum and work with students in the virtual program, though they are not Vestavia Hills teachers.

Students are recommended for the VISION school’s short-term program by administrators or teacher problem-solving teams (PSTs) at their base schools. On the other hand, Pierce said any Vestavia high school student can apply to participate in virtual school, but a PST from their base school will evaluate the student before they’re accepted.

“While it’s open to any student to apply, not every student would be accepted,” Pierce said.

Virtual school students are still considered part of their base school. Pierce said they show up to their zoned school on the first day of the year and can still participate in sports, clubs and other school events and extracurriculars.

VHHS junior Lindley Lawrence participated in the virtual program last year. Her mother, Kathleen Lawrence, said she was concerned that the courses wouldn’t challenge her daughter but “was really amazed at how creative some of the activities were.”

Lindley was able to set her own schedule to complete her work, and Kathleen Lawrence said Lindley especially enjoyed the chance to focus on one subject for hours at a time rather than regular class periods.

“Basically you can do it anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection,” Kathleen Lawrence said.

Being able to avoid the distractions and “wasted time” that comes with a classroom full of kids was a good thing, she said, but it also meant Lindley had to be accountable and make sure her work wasn’t forgotten without the school environment.

“It’s not easy to be disciplined to do it,” Kathleen Lawrence said.

The ACCESS program does send alertsto administrators if a student hasn’t loggedinto a course in several days, she said. Pierce said the state program also keeps up with making sure requirements are met, so virtual students are on-par with their classroom counterparts.

Though virtual students can participate in regular school activities, Kathleen Lawrence said it was easy for her daughter to become isolated. 

Lindley chose to return to regular classes this year, and Kathleen Lawrence said she’s eager to see if the new testing requirement at the VISION School makes it easier for students to socialize. She would like to see more efforts to incorporate virtual students into the school system as the program grows.

Pierce said potential reasons for choosing online courses could include illness, credit recovery, homeschoolers wanting to participate in extracurriculars or students competing at a high level in certain sports, where required travel might not fit with a standard school schedule. 

Bailey said students can also use the virtual program to add extra courses they couldn’t fit into their class schedule, rather than take the class during the summer.

To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit vestavia.k12.al.us and search “virtual school.”