CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Much improvements, growth, and success have marked the virtual school program in Kanawha County over the course of the past year.
Virtual Learning Executive Director Valery Harper gave an update to the Kanawha County Board of Education during a meeting this week based on a virtual school progress report for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The report highlighted enrollment growth in the program– currently serving 1,725 students across grades K-12– as well as higher student success rates. Harper said the projected growth for the program by next year is 2,300 students.
Valery Harper
“We are growing enormously,” she said. “Dr. Williams has said to keep the doors open because right now we are experiencing an influx throughout our county and state due to our need for our virtual program.”
Harper said throughout the past year, the program also saw a 91% success rate for elementary school, 85% for middle, and 94% for high school.
She said as they look forward, they plan to really focus on bringing the middle school success rate up to the elementary and high school levels.
“Some things are going to be different next year, especially with our sixth graders, we’re going to put more intense weekly interaction with them as a group, so we’re hoping to see some of these things that’s going to change bring up that success rate like our elementary and high school,” said Harper.
Harper said they have also been improving and growing the special ed. virtual school program as well as for private schools.
She said they have received a 95% success rate for special ed. and has 20 students on track to receive an alternative certification diploma.
For private schools, Harper said they have particularly strengthened their partnerships with the Bible Center, Teays Valley Christian Center and Cross Lanes Christian Center.
Harper said they serve students in the virtual program through all kinds of different ways, whether it be full-time, part-time or if a student simply needs to take one single course that may not be available to them any other way.
For instance, she said high school students often utilize the program to take AP classes, and while it’s set up a bit differently, they also offer middle schoolers the option to take a single class as well.
“We also have the same for middle school singletons, a lot of that is Spanish, they’re not able to take it during the school day so that’s an opportunity to do it, and in middle schools often times the principal will have a facilitator in the classroom to support them so it looks different than in the high schools,” she said.
In addition, she said it also helps high schoolers working toward a career path for immediately after graduation, such as with Toyota’s 4T work-based learning program.
“This is the great thing about the virtual program is that sometimes there are obstacles that would prohibit a student from being in that program, we’re able to fill those electives so that they’re able to go to work half the day and then complete their necessary courses virtually,” said Harper.
She said they currently offer a total of 101 K-12 courses through the virtual learning program and are adding on a finance mathematics course, a careers exploration and a first-aid course this year.
Harper said they are now also being approached by other county school systems to use their program.
After Covid funds started to run out for Wayne County School’s virtual program, they reached out to KCS to potentially partner with them and use their program. Harper said they are currently working with the school board in Wayne County on the matter and are setting it up to where KCS would give Wayne County Schools an invoice and would take care of everything for them.
She said it feels good to not only be expanding the virtual program in Kanawha County internally but also to be able to extend it out to other county school systems as well.
“It’s a new opportunity for Kanawha County just to branch out and help more, and we’re continuing our efforts along with Berkley County as well just to support their virtual program and their continuation purchase of our courses at our cost,” Harper said.