The Louisiana Virtual School (LVS) growth has been remarkable:

2000-01: 130 students, 130 seats, 12 courses, 20 schools, 9 districts
2001-02: 340 students, 343 seats, 20 courses, 40 schools, 26 districts
2002-03: 1,263 students, 1,375 seats, 24 courses, 97 schools, 51 districts
2003-04: 2,189 students, 2,312 seats, 28 courses, 145 schools, 55 districts
2004-05: 2,228 students, 2,560 seats, 30 courses, 175 schools, 60+ districts
2005-06: 2,800 students, 3,005 seats, 30 courses, 200 schools, 60+ districts
2006-07: 4,233 students, 5,605 seats, 36 courses, 229 schools, 62 districts
2007-08: 4,800 students, 7,040 seats, 52 courses, 240 schools, 62 districts
2008-09: 6,030 students, 7,271 seats, 60 courses, 304 schools, 63 districts
2009-10: 5,789 students, 7,090 seats, 70 courses, 319 schools, 78 districts

• Annual external evaluations are conducted by a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) evaluator. All evaluations have yielded positive results and include assessments of the following LVS components: student performance on course work, student evaluation of distance learning coursework, school assessment of distance learning experience for its students, and teacher assessment of distance learning experience and the evaluation.
• All LVS courses are either taught and developed and taught by Louisiana certified teachers and or are brokered with content providers who provide highly qualified teachers. All LVS courses are aligned with the La content standards, benchmarks, and Grade Level Expectations.
• All LVS instructors have content expertise and have successfully completed one or more courses in online teaching methods and course development.
• Online students have won recognition at past state rallies: an online Latin student placed 5th at the State Literary Rally in Latin I; an online World History student placed 4th at the State Literary Rally; an online Environmental Science student placed 4th at the State Literary Rally, and another student took 1st place at the Computer applications Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) rally (Qualified for Nationals in Orlando). In 2009-2010, 16 students placed in the top three at regional district rallies, and one student in Latin I placed first in the state.
• LVS faculty members are selected through an extensive statewide application process. The LVS teachers are chosen for their experience and expertise in their subject areas; have experience with technology; and have demonstrated an interest and desire to move into the future of education in providing the youth of Louisiana with a quality education. Some of the awards/credentials of LVS staff members include National Board Certification, Louisiana Computer Using Educators. Educator of the Year, Teacher of the Year State Finalist, Presidential Award of Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and AP Redesign Panel.

The Louisiana Department of Education in partnership with The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) provides Louisiana high school students access to standards-based high school courses delivered by certified Highly-qualified Louisiana teachers through The Louisiana Virtual School (LVS). Students in LVS courses utilize the web, e-mail, and other online and offline resources to complete a rich course of study in a multitude of courses.

Students should realize that taking a course online requires personal discipline and good time management skills. Students should not expect that there will be less to do than in the regular classroom since each course must adhere to the Louisiana standards and benchmarks for the area of instruction. Most people agree that students spend more time taking an online course than they typically devote to a traditional high school class. Students should consult their school guidance counselor to make sure that they are ready for online learning. Computer expertise is not required; however, students should be aware that a certain level of computer skill and comfort is necessary to do work online.

The LVS will issue a “fall” grade and a separate “spring” grade. We do not issue a “final” grade in the spring for the whole school year. It is the school district's responsibility to combine the “fall” and “spring” grade in order to get a “final” grade according to the school's local policy.

Student Self-Assessment

The nature of computer based courses is completely different from the traditional classroom environment, especially in the areas of delivery, course content and the number of assignments. Online courses offer two appealing benefits. They provide flexibility with scheduling and location. The course work can be completed anytime and any place that you have access to a computer. However, asynchronous courses require self-discipline, good reading and writing skills, and a willingness to work independently while not having the traditional class discussion.

The following assessment has been developed to assist you in deciding if asynchronous learning is appropriate for you. Please review the following questions and answer YES or NO.

Learning and Communications Skills

1. Are you a self-motivated learner?
2. Do you like to learn on your own?
3. Can you fully express your ideas and questions in writing?
4. Do you enjoy writing?
5. Do you have strong reading skills?
6. Do you prefer learning on your own with no "live" interaction with the instructor and classmates?
7. Do you seek advice freely?

Time Management Skills

1. Are you willing to spend more time on an asynchronous course than the traditional classroom course?
2. Do you have good time management skills?
3. Can you meet deadlines if it’s up to you to set your own course work?
4. Can you set priorities when faced with a number of tasks?
5. Do you often find yourself completing assignments ahead of schedule?

Technical Skills

1. Have you taken other computer classes?
2. Are you comfortable working on a computer?
3. Are you willing to log on once a day to check for messages and assignments?
4. Are you willing to spend long periods of time at a computer?
5. Are you comfortable trying new things on a computer?

The more questions you answered with YES the more likely it is that you will successfully complete a computer-based course and will be satisfied with the experience. If NO was your answer to some of the questions, you may want to seriously consider whether this kind of class will satisfy your goals and be a rewarding experience.

Courtesy of Cathy Rankin, Louisiana Virtual School Instructor

LVS faculty members are selected through an extensive statewide application process. The LVS teachers are chosen for their experience and expertise in their subject areas; have experience with technology; and have demonstrated an interest and desire to move into the future of education in providing the youth of Louisiana with a quality education.

Students must have access to a computer (at school and/or at home) with:

• PC with 400 MHz or faster Processor (faster recommended)
• Windows XP SP3 or higher
• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
• CD/DVD-ROM drive
• USB port
• High speed internet access
• Sound card, speakers, headphones, and a microphone
• Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher web browser

So that appropriate curriculum counseling can take place, all students enroll in LVS through their school. Each school interested in participating in the program must have an LVS Legal Agreement on file, and must designate a School Site Facilitator who will oversee the registration process with school registrars/counselors/principals.

The facilitator must be physically present on the participating school’s campus, be present during the time of course delivery, hold a Louisiana teaching license, and be a member of the school faculty. This facilitator must have daily access to email, Internet, a phone, and fax machine.

Credit is granted and posted by the student's home school. The LVS is not a credit granting institution. Courses are either regular core courses or electives. A mid-term progress report and final letter grade is issued by the instructor and sent to the student’s home school via the Department of Education. The local school then handles all credits according to local policy.

Year-long courses are designed to span the regular 36 week school year. Block courses run through a semester.

Beginning with the Fall 2010 semester, the Louisiana Virtual School will be collecting a Materials and Technology cost of $150 per student per course enrollment, to be paid for by the student’s district, school, or Local Educational Authority (LEA). Prior to any school enrolling students for an LVS course for the 2010-2011 school year, the District/LEA must return the signed agreement, with the appropriate signatures, to the contact person stated in the agreement. The school must provide an onsite facilitator, hardware, software, and computer access.

Agreement Forms

• Public LEA and Diocesean Agreement
• Charters and NonPublic Agreement - (A Board of Resolution must also accompany this agreement)

As a condition of enrollment, all LVS students must accept the terms of the LVS Acceptable Use agreement, and the LVS Academic honesty policy. In addition, students will sign the Acceptable Use Policy Agreement adopted by their local public school. If the LVS teachers suspects that there is a problem, the local high school's point of contact—the site facilitator—will be informed.

Any student who attends an approved public or nonpublic school in one of the 8 BESE regions is eligible to participate if the school is in compliance with Brumfield vs. Dodd. Nonpublic schools must have a sectarian questionnaire on file in the BESE office.

Prior to any school enrolling students for an LVS course for the 2010-2011 school year, the District/LEA must return the signed agreement, with the appropriate signatures, to the contact person stated in the agreement.

No, owning a home computer is not required. It may be possible for students to do all LVS work on school computers. However, access to a home computer or a computer in a public library will provide the student with additional study time. Students will have to work with local school administrators and support personnel to set up adequate online computer course time and facilities.

To view courses offered through LVS, please redirect to homepage http://www.louisianavirtualschool.net/courses.php

Students will have a local on-site facilitator in their school. In addition there is a toll free technical support number available to students: 1-877-453-2721. Ask for the "Louisiana Virtual School"

Each LVS teacher will have the option of establishing a "virtual" parent conference via email or phone. However, parents may email the teacher at any time during the course and may also contact the LVS point of contact at the school with questions about student progress.

LVS supplies all books, workbooks, and supplementary materials for the online classes. Schools are required to provide supplementary technical supplies and/or equipment such as computers, headphones, etc. See "Course Requirements" on the Course Offerings page for specific requirements per course. During the registration period, LVS monitors closely the student enrollment in each class to get an accurate number of students for purchasing purposes. It is also at this time that last year's inventory is closed and new purchases are done. Once the enrollment period is finished, LVS-LSMSA sends the materials to the schools via USPS or UPS. Normally, schools will receive materials during the LVS-Orientation week or first week of the course. If your school registered during the regular registration period and did not receive any supplies by the second week of the course, please make sure you contact Jim Lockey or Holley Shivers at 1-800-256-2854 or Jlockey@lsmsa.edu/Hsivers@lsmsa.edu.