Virtual Academy

A3 Virtual Academy Program

Students follow different paths in their educational journeys and benefit from a variety of opportunities to attain their goals. The St. Tammany Parish Public School System Virtual Academy offers students an exciting, convenient approach to learning. This program allows for students to capture lost credits or earn new credits while attending their regularly scheduled classes at their zone based school. This program is not for students interested in a full-time online high school.

The Virtual Academy relies on technology designed to support teaching and learning in various educational settings. The Virtual Academy allows for anytime, anywhere access, partnered with unlimited collaboration possibilities—available at the click of a mouse.

For more information about the Virtual Academy, contact your high school guidance counselor or the Virtual Academy administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.

Mission Statement

Administration

Robert DeRoche, Program Administrator
Virtual Academy Program

23636 Sparrow Road
Building C
Mandeville, LA 70448
Phone: 985-727-5518
Fax: 985-629-3224
Email: robert.deroche@stpsb.org

We are excited about our Virtual Academy that offers a highly-effective way to meet student needs using high-quality, internet-based courses to help prepare students for the challenges and complexities of the 21st Century.

The Virtual Academy allows us to bring together engaging online courses that enable students to work on their own time and earn high school credits in a way that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to accomplish.

For instance, our online summer school program has helped students make up courses needed to get back on track and graduate with their friends. Internet-based instruction helps tremendously in keeping students on schedule by allowing them to take classes during semesters when the courses are not being offered in the school classroom setting.

The great advantage of the Virtual Academy is its ability to offer course credits in subject areas that enhance the curriculum of every high school. This program can meet the needs of all St. Tammany students, from the highest achieving students to those who may be struggling with certain courses.

We believe the Virtual Academy is an excellent broad-based program. This concept can develop in many wonderful directions. The Virtual Academy is truly a way to offer the highest quality courses to the widest possible audience, providing a service to all our high schools that will enable them to share outstanding teachers and enhance their curriculums.

We welcome your interest. Please contact us at 985-727-5518 for information about the Virtual Academy.

Enrollment

The Virtual Academy Program offers coursework to St. Tammany Parish Public School System high school students only through an online platform. Students interested in the Virtual Academy Program must first meet with their local high school administrators/guidance counselors. Upon meeting the criteria for enrolling, students will be assigned courses for which they have been approved.

For more information about the Virtual Academy Program, contact the School Administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.

Summer Information

Registration in STPSB summer school is available for CURRENTLY ENROLLED students in grades 9-12.

See below for more information regarding summer school please select either high school or grades K- 8

(Information for K-8 will be coming at a later date)

Edgenuity Student orientation link
https://players.brightcove.net/2827488281001/36YQXudC9_default/index.html?videoId=5978276525001

Contact Info:
Robert DeRoche, Virtual Academy Coordinator
robert.deroche@stpsb.org

High School Summer Registration

Session Dates:
June 6, 2022 - July 14, 2022

Registration Deadline:
All applications submitted by email, fax or mail must be postmarked by Monday, May 30, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.

Mail/Fax/Email Applications to:
Robert DeRoche
706 W. 28th Ave.
Covington, LA 70433

Phone: 985-727-5518
Fax: 985-898-6482
Email: robert.deroche@stpsb.org

Registration in STPSB summer school is available for currently enrolled students in grades 9-12. All summer session courses will be offered online only. Summer School online coursework can be done from any home computer with internet access. Students/Parents are responsible for computer with internet access.

Courses:

Half credit: Either an A semester or B semester course
Repeat Credit: A repeat credit course is one that has already been attempted by the student. All requests for repeat credit must be accompanied by a school representative signature and a copy of the student’s transcript or report card proving the course has been attempted. Grades can be printed from JPAMS
- All repeat credit courses in the summer will be offered as credit recovery courses only
- Credit recovery Self-paced course that allows a student to “test’ out of material they have mastered. In areas that a student does not master, the student will be assigned lessons to review his/her skills
New Core and Elective Credits will not be offered in summer school. All new credit courses and elective credits must be taken during the school year
There must be a minimum of five requests to offer a course online

Costs:

No fee for summer school 2022

Payments:

No fee for summer school 2022

Registration Information:

Students can take a maximum of 2 half credit courses in the summer
Parents are responsible for enrolling their child in the correct summer course(s)
If you are unsure contact your school administration and/or guidance counselor

Registration Checklist:

Completed Registration Form. Maximum of two half credit courses selected on the registration form
Copy of the student’s transcript or report card
Principal/School Representative Signature

* All items above must be included in order to consider the application complete. Any incomplete registration packets will not be processed.

Grades:

The student MUST complete the course (all assigned work, unit tests and final exam). If the student fails to complete all assigned work in the course, zeros will be given for all uncompleted work.
Final Grades are emailed to the student’s STPSB Gmail account. Parents and guardians are responsible for tracking the student’s grades and progress in Edgenuity.
St. Tammany students’ grades are reported to their high school. Students are responsible for checking with their guidance counselor at the beginning of the school year to make sure summer grades are on their transcript.
Non-St. Tammany public school students are responsible for requesting final grades be sent to their school. The school’s contact person and email address must be provided.

Coursework:

The student has the entire summer session to complete and pass all sections of the courses in which they enrolled. All coursework, tests, and exams must be completed on or before the closure of the session. Credit Recovery courses are self-paced. How long your student spends working in his/her course(s) daily will determine how quickly they will finish the course(s). If a student completes the course before the end of the session, he/she is done with summer school for that course.

Tutoring:

If your child needs help with their course, the assigned teacher can provide help with the course via Zoom. To request assistance, the student/parent should email their assigned teacher and request help.

Make up work:

Student coursework is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Therefore, there are NO MAKEUP dates for any assignments or tests the student fails to complete by the end of the summer session. ALL coursework, tests and exams MUST be completed by the close of the summer session.
Family vacations are allowable, however, it is the student and parent’s responsibility to ensure the coursework is being completed during the vacation. Lack of forward progression in the course during this time is not a valid excuse and the student will not be granted an extension.
A doctor’s note is only required in the summer sessions if the student has a major illness that prevents them from working for an extended period of time (more than a week). In the event that this occurs, contact the Virtual Academy Coordinator, Robert DeRoche at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or 985-727- 5518.

Dropping Courses:

Dropping a course BEFORE the session has begun may be requested in writing by a parent or guardian. A grade will not be recorded on the student’s transcript if dropped before the session begins.
If the parent or guardian drops the course AFTER the session begins, a grade will be recorded on the students’ transcript.

High School Online Summer Registration Form

High School Parent Orientation Presentation

Virtual Academy Summer School
Grades 9-12
Summer 2022

Summer School Information

Only repeat credits will be offered
- Repeat Credits - means a student has already attempted the class and failed to meet the requirements to pass
All summer school courses will only be offered as credit recovery
- Credit recovery - Students will test for each standard in the subject area. If they pass the standard they are moved on to the next standard. When they fail a standard, the student will be required to complete work on that standard. Once the student passes the work, the student will need to again quiz on that standard
Cost is (free for the summer of 2022) per half credit course
- Half credit is either an A semester or B semester course
Students may take a maximum of 2 half credits
The student has the entire summer session to complete and pass all sections of the courses in which they enrolled. All coursework, tests, and exams must be completed on or before the closure of the session
If a student completes the course before the end of the session, they are done with summer school for that course
Credit Recovery Course structure:
- Courses are divided into major concepts of the course
- The student will take a 10 question quiz for each standard within the major concept. These quizzes are not proctored
- If the student does not pass the quiz for that standard, they are assigned work to complete and pass. Once complete, they are quizzed again on that same standard (different questions than before).
  - If the student passes, they move on to the next standard
  - If the student fails again, they will review the coursework and the quiz will be reassigned.
- At the end of each major concept there is a 25 question unit test.
- The process above is repeated for all major concepts in the course. When all concepts have been completed and passed, the student will then need to take a 50 question cumulative exam

Credit Recovery Course Example

Credit Recovery structure example for Biology A

Major Concepts #1 - The Chemistry of Life and Cell Structure
- 8 standards in this concept. Each standard has its own 10 question quiz. If you fail the quiz for a standard, you are assigned:
  - Warm up
  - Instruction
  - Summary
  - Assignment
  - Quiz again
- When major concept #1 is complete the student must take the unit test.
Major Concept #2 - Cell Energy and Reproduction
- 6 standards in this concept. Each standard has its own 10 question quiz. If you fail the quiz for a standard, you are assigned:
  - Warm up
  - Instruction
  - Summary
  - Assignment
  - Quiz again
- When major concept #2 is complete the student must take the unit test.
Major Concepts #3 - DNA and Protein Synthesis
- 5 standards in this concept. Each standard has its own 10 question quiz. If you fail the quiz for a standard, you are assigned:
  - Warm up
  - Instruction
  - Summary
  - Assignment
  - Quiz again
- When major concept #3 is complete the student must take the unit test.
Major Concept #4 - Genetics and Heredity
- 6 standards in this concept. Each standard has its own 10 question quiz. If you fail the quiz for a standard, you are assigned:
  - Warm up
  - Instruction
  - Summary
  - Assignment
  - Quiz again
- When major concept #4 is complete the student must take the unit test.
Once all major concepts have been passed, the student will now have a Exam test review (study guide) before they take the exam
When finished with the exam study guide, the student must take their 50 question cumulative exam.
At the end of the Biology A Credit Recovery course the student would have completed a minimum of:
- 250 quiz questions (assuming they pass them all on the first attempt)
- 60 Unit Test review questions
- 100 test questions (assuming they pass all 4 tests on the first attempt)
- 25 Cumulative exam review questions
- 50 Cumulative exam questions (assuming they pass on the first attempt)
- Minimum course total- 485 questions
All credit recovery courses are similar in structure.

Summer School Information

Self-paced:
- Summer school is 100% online. Students can work at a time that is convenient for them. Teachers will be available for tutoring during the teachers office hours or scheduled Zoom meetings.
Session Date:
- June 6, 2022- July 14,2022
  - All courses will be open by 7:00am on June 6,2022. All coursework must be completed by July 14, 2022 at noon.
It is critical that your student works in their course for a few hours every day. If the student falls behind, it will be very difficult for them to complete the course.
Extensions will NOT be granted due to the student’s lack of progress.

Grading

Summer grading will be 80% for work/tests and 20% for exams that they complete.
- Tests will be 20%
- Exam will be 20%
- Assignments 30%
- Quizzes will be 30%
Students must make a 67% or better to pass the course. The grade in Edgenuity is the grade that the student will receive upon completion of the course.
The relative grade in Edgenuity is what will be reported as the students final grade.
The relative grade assigns zeros to all assignments, tests, quizzes and exams that have not been completed.
- At the beginning of the course, the student’s relative grade will be a zero.
- As the student works through the coursework the relative grade will increase.
- All assigned coursework, quizzes, tests, and exam must be completed. Once complete, the relative grade will be the student’s grade.

Links

Edgenuity Student Orientation Link
https://players.brightcove.net/2827488281001/36YQXudC9_default/index.html?videoId=5978276525001

For the links below, windows users should save the file to desktop. You should then right-click on file and select "Run as Administrator" to install. You should do this for all software installations.

Link	Description
Sun Java Runtime Environment	Enables user to view Java files.
Sun OpenOffice.org	If you DO NOT have Microsoft Office, install this software.
Acrobat Reader	Acrobat Reader, this application allows you to read pdf files.
VLC Media Player	Installation for VLC Media Player (plays all types of videos)
Google Docs	Excellent free application for creating and sharing documents.
Firefox Web Browser	Internet Browser
Chrome Web Browser	Internet Browser