Online learning interest moves CVSD to offer virtual middle and elementary schools options

Schools have been upended since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with students learning mostly online for months, if not the entire last school year.

It was a difficult switch for many, but Central Valley School District teachers and administrators noticed some students thrived in an online learning environment, which prompted the decision to offer an online-only Central Valley Virtual Learning Elementary School and a Virtual Learning Middle School this school year.

Parents started indicating their interest in a virtual option last spring, said Janice Boyd, principal of the virtual learning middle school.

“We conducted a survey and discovered the interest,” she said.

Matt Chisholm, principal of the virtual elementary school, said he noticed that some students did well online last year. He heard from parents they favored a virtual option, whether it was because their child was doing well or because they were still hesitant to send their child to in-person classes during a pandemic.

“I think this year we have more of a mix, some who are doing it out of safety and some whose parents like the program,” he said.

The virtual elementary, which includes grades K-5, has 180 students enrolled. There are 110 students attending the virtual middle school.

There are two different pathways available in the virtual program, Chisholm said. The first is teacher led and students attend class virtually during the day. “Every day, they’re online with the teacher,” he said.

The second pathway is more of a partnership between the school and parents, he said. Parents are more involved and meet weekly with the teacher to discuss the student’s progress. The classes are asynchronous and can be completed when the student wants to.

“Some of those students may be doing it in the evening and on weekends,” he said. “It’s different than home school because in home school you’re out on your own.”

“It’s much more flexible in the schedule,” Boyd said. “There is a lot of teacher availability. They still have access to a teacher.”

There’s also the option for students to meet in-person on a “flip day” every Thursday for classes in the old Kindergarten Center on Barker Road. About one third of his students took advantage of the first flip day, Chisholm said.

The same two pathways are available in the middle school, though their “flip day” is on Wednesday, Boyd said. She said the weekly in-person days helps build community. “We want kids to feel connected to their school, connected to their teacher,” she said.

Each school has teachers dedicated to the virtual program. “We have our own staff, including the specialized staff such as a school counselor,” Chisholm said.

Both principals said they appreciate having alternative ways to teach students. “I’d actually been a principal overseeing alternative options,” Boyd said. “I’ve always been interested in different ways to do things. Not every student learns in the same way or the same fashion.”

Chisholm said it’s always been his passion to serve students where they are. “I saw this as an opportunity to continue that in a different wheelhouse,” he said. “It’s supporting a certain need out there that maybe we haven’t recognized.”

Though the school year just recently started, things have been going smoothly. Chisholm said that’s because of the district’s experience with online learning in the previous school year. “We actually had some time to plan for this year,” he said. “It’s been a great start to the school year.”

Boyd agreed that they benefited by not having to throw together an online learning plan at the last minute.

“We had a lot more lead time than we did last year,” she said. “We learned a lot last year.”

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Correspondent Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com