News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. III No. 3 - February 27, 2008
In the past weeks, judges, legislators, parents and school district staff throughout Wisconsin have created a lot of buzz around virtual charter schools. Meanwhile, the Madison Metropolitan School District quietly, but proudly, launched a long-awaited and much-needed program named Madison Virtual Campus (MVC) that has avoided the virtual school controversy through careful and thoughtful planning.
MVC is not an online school, but rather is a group of online educational options that serve students and staff across the district. The district recognizes that high school students sometimes have learning needs that may not fit the typical school attendance model.
For example, high school students are now able to register for up to two online high school courses at any time during a school year. To assure success, online students are guided and supported by online teachers at each of the district's high schools.
Joan Peebles, the coordinator of Technology and Learning, says, "We want to be clear that MVC is not designed for high school students who wish to take a full-day of online courses, but MVC serves a valuable role for students who need more options. Students are approved for online courses upon demonstrating any of a number of compelling needs that can be met by online courses."
A district-based leadership team, which receives and approves course requests, is now accepting online course request for Fall 2008 from high school students during the months of February - April, 2008.
To learn more about MMSD's Madison Virtual Campus, please visit the informational web site at http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/mvc/.
Next month: Online Options for MMSD Staff
Last Updated: Wed Mar 19 08:29:38 2008
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