Falcon+School+District

Falcon School District
“ FALCON CARES”

Contact: Kim McClelland (719) 494-8940

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** Program Descriptions: ** ** Program 1: Falcon Virtual Academy – Full-Time Online Learning Program ** This program provides a full-time alternative to traditional classroom learning experience, to students in grades K through 12. The program serves various groups of students including home-schooled students, and others. A full curriculum is available to all students and provides a path to graduation and an FVS diploma.

The courseware provided for the full-time program K-8 program is provided by K-12 Learning, the 9-12 program comes from, Aventa. The courses include text-based, integrated audio/video, and full hypermedia presentations. Students always are supported and monitored by current FVS teachers who are licensed, highly qualified, and have been trained as online instructors. FVS also uses the Elluminate online system for synchronous tutoring and support

Students may choose to drop into the FVS school premises for tutoring and support, as their needs require, or they may choose to commit to a regular schedule of on-site learning. If the family chooses to participate in the regular on-site learning, the student then is required to attend on the scheduled basis.

The teachers are funded by a staffing formula based on full-time enrollments similar to the in-building schools. Students who are enrolled in FVS do not have pay a fee to participate.

Number of Participants: 108 full-time students.

Generally, students provide their own workstation and Internet access, but they may access their online coursework at the FVS school.

** Program 2: Falcon Virtual Academy – Part-Time Online Learning Program ** This program provides students with a part-time, supplemental alternative to traditional classroom learning experience. Students can take up to 3 courses in the FVS. The program serves various groups of students including home-school students and home-bound students. As with the Full-Time program, the curriculum is available K through 12 students.

The courseware for the Part-Time students is the same as for the Full-Time students. Again, the students are supported and monitored by current FVS teachers who are licensed, highly qualified, and have been trained as online instructors. Falcon School District students do not have pay a fee to participate.

Number of Participants: Currently, there are 3 part-time FVS students.

FVS also provides its Geometry course to a district charter school on an MOU basis

** Program 3: Falcon Virtual Academy – Supplemental Program ** This program option is for students who choose to take an online course for enhancement or advancement toward graduation. FVS makes every effort to meet the specific needs of all of its students. In some cases, the student is engaged in a concurrent enrolment with local colleges and community colleges. Other students are simply taking a stand alone course that might otherwise not be available to them in the traditional high school.

Again, course content is provided by K-12 Learning for the K-8 program, and the 9-12 program is delivered by Aventa.

** Program 4: Academy School District – Online Credit Recovery ** This program provides a credit recovery program to students on a part-time, supplemental basis. The student is expected to carry a full traditional course load including the credit recovery courses. The credit recovery courses are intended to allow students to catch up on missed or failed courses and allow the student to proceed to graduation and a Falcon School District diploma.

The credit recovery program is a self-paced program offered through the individual high schools. Students are expected to complete the credit recovery course within six week. The Internet-based courses are provided using the same Aventa courses other FVS high school students use. Generally, the courses offered are core curriculum courses. Students are supported and monitored by a licensed FVS teacher.

FVS has 200 credit recovery seats, which it allocates to students on a rotating basis.

Falcon School District, under the Falcon Virtual Services label, is developing online “best practices” modules for teacher professional development. Along with these teacher-directed modules, Falcon District is working on offering online training for parents and for student support.

The K-12Learning and Aventa learning systems are delivered via the web with Blackboard LMS supporting. The Elluminate system delivers synchronous learning opportunities. This year’s FVS staff includes its principal, a dean of Operations who also teaches, a K-8 teacher, a SPED teacher with other teaching duties and three other multi-talented and multi-role instructors.