The most popular subjects in the past five years have been Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Behavior and Zoology, Personal Finance and Psychology I.
SOUTH HADLEY – Students today have learning options that were undreamed of even a generation ago.
Among these is the on-site Virtual High School (VHS), a school-within-a school that operates online.
At a recent South Hadley School Committee meeting, high school principal Daniel T. Smith updated the group on enrollment and grades in the Virtual High School at South Hadley High.
South Hadley High has about 700 students, of whom 62 were approved to take virtual school courses this year.
The Virtual High School should not be confused with the Virtual Academy at Greenfield, an online school that opened in 2010 to serve kindergarten through 8th grade.
The Virtual High School has 770 member schools. At South Hadley, it has students with diverse levels of accomplishment, from advanced placement students to whose who are struggling.
Its main function, said Smith, is to provide students with courses that are not being taught in the classroom.
The most popular subjects in the past five years have been Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Behavior and Zoology, Personal Finance and Psychology I.
The students who take virtual courses at South Hadley are usually juniors and seniors, said Smith. They are usually limited to two virtual courses a year.
The rest of their day is spent in regular classes. They take tests and get grades like their classmates.
Student enrollment in the virtual school has increased from 34 in the 2005-6 school year to 62 this year. Withdrawal is low – three students out of 64 last year.
Students usually do well in the virtual classes, said Smith. At South Hadley, they get more A’s than all other grades combined. Last year there were also six failing grades.
The virtual courses are taught by professionals who are not only expert in their subjects, but have also been certified to teach online. Two of the courses, including Advanced Placement Calculus, are taught by South Hadley High teachers.
It costs South Hadley $5,000 for every 20 students they “seat” in the virtual school. They can seat up to 40.
They can also get extra seats free through their connection with the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, a consortium of seven schools.
Smith said that, with colleges relying more and more on online materials, the Virtual High School can prove very useful to a student’s future.