I interviewed Ms Suzanne Sloane, Head of School at the Virginia Virtual Academy. This interview was conducted via email. I spoke to Ms Sloane over the phone she agreed to an interview. I sent her the questions I wanted her to answer via email. She responded to my questions and sent me back her responses via email.
1. Are admissions to VAVA rolling? Or are they at a set time in the year?
Admissions for the next
school year begin in March and continue until the school is full. we have
enrollment caps based on each district we work with; we can enroll up to 10% of
the brick and mortar population with virtual students. Generally we are full
within the first 8 weeks of enrollment window being open with many students on
the wait list.
2. What teaching platform do you use? (Like blackboard Collaborate, Moodle etc)
Blackboard Collaborate
3. How do you decide what technology or teaching platform to use for teaching? Who decides that?
It is decided by K12, Inc. for all virtual academy teachers including VAVA.
4. How often do you upgrade the technology at your school?
As needed; daily, monthly, quarterly, technology team at k12 decides when upgrades are needed and completes or communicates to staff.
5. What does your student body look like? How many girls? How many boys? What age and grade?
45% girls; 55% boys
6. What is the organization structure of Virginia Virtual Academy?
The Head of School, Academic Administrator, Operations Manager and Teachers
7. What kind of training do you provide the teachers?
8. How often is the training provided?
National synchronous and asynchronous training goes on throughout the school year; new teacher training occurs prior to assignment of students and classroom; VAVA specific training is held weekly in blackboard for the entire school year for approximately one hour.
9. What is the job of the academic administrator?
Duties of academic administrator
· Coordinate all academic aspects of the school
· Ensure that the student academic performance, progress and attendance is compliant with school, county and/or district requirements
· Responsible for working with teachers to create programs, best practices to increase student achievement
· Manage teaching staff including:
· recruitment/hiring
· new teacher orientation
· annual professional development calendar & sessions
· teacher evaluation and performance review
· teacher training
· Work with Southern Region Operation and Special Education Managers to ensure that the school is meeting the needs of students while complying with local, state, and federal laws regarding special education
· Manage teacher matching to students
· Research and implement non-K12 curriculum resources to meet state standards as needed
· Review and maintain current K12 curriculum alignments with change state or district test blueprints
· Develop and oversee implementation of the school’s Student Achievement Improvement Plan
· Develop and maintain relationships with districts, educational stakeholders, and the state
·
Advanced Learners Program (ALP) Coordinator
10. What types of students typically enroll in VAVA? What are their needs?
