In Fall 2007, the Madison Metropolitan School District will celebrate a "grand opening" of the Madison Virtual Campus which will be able to serve staff and students with opportunities to learn using online tools and methods. While the Madison Virtual Campus will provide online learning services across the entire district, students and teachers will benefit in particular.

Over the next nine months, staff from all divisions within the Teaching and Learning Department will be developing ways to deliver professional development to teachers in buildings across the district. Teachers will be able to receive training to support and improve their classroom instruction without the need for traveling to workshops across the district or planning for substitute teachers during their intermittent absences to receive instructional training.

Students who meet specific criteria will be able to access online coursework as one of the options available when their needs cannot be met through traditional classroom methods. High school students taking one or two courses will form the largest group using virtual learning options, but some middle school and elementary students may receive these services as well when circumstances dictate that online learning is a good option.

Over the next months, more articles will be released through MMSD Today to provide more details about the "roll out" of the Madison Virtual Campus.