WHAT IS ONLINE LEARNING?

CUSTOMARILY, ONLINE LEARNING FALLS UNDER THE BROADER CATEGORY OF DISTANCE

EDUCATION. DISTANCE EDUCATION IS DEFINED BY THE UNITED STATES DISTANCE LEARNING

ASSOCIATION AS AN "EDUCATION PROGRAM WHEREBY STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE ALL OR PART OF

AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN A GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION APART FROM THE INSTITUTION

HOSTING THE PROGRAM; THE FINAL AWARD GIVEN IS EQUIVALENT IN STANDARD AND CONTENT TO

AN AWARD PROGRAM COMPLETED ON CAMPUS." TYPICALLY, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS RESIDE IN

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS; A PHYSICAL CLASSROOM IS NOT NECESSARY. THEREFORE THE TEACHING AND

LEARNING PROCESS RELIES ON THE INTERNET AND A PERSONAL COMPUTER.

HTTP://WWW.FROSTBURG.EDU/ONLINE/DISTANCE-LEARNING/WHAT-IS-ONLINE-LEARNING/

WHO BENEFITS FROM ONLINE LEARNING?

• EARLY GRADUATES

• AT RISK STUDENTS

• HOMEBOUND

• RURAL DISTRICTS

• ADVANCED STUDIES

TEXAS VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK

TXVSN, WHICH LAUNCHED IN 2009, PROVIDES TEXAS STUDENTS AND

SCHOOLS ACCESS TO INTERACTIVE, COLLABORATIVE, INSTRUCTOR-LED

ONLINE COURSES TAUGHT BY STATE CERTIFIED AND APPROPRIATELY

CREDENTIALED TEACHERS. THE TXVSN IS MADE UP OF TWO COMPONENTS:

THE TXVSN STATEWIDE COURSE CATALOG, WHICH PROVIDES

SUPPLEMENTAL ONLINE COURSES TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 8-12, AND THE

TXVSN ONLINE SCHOOLS PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS FULL-TIME VIRTUAL

INSTRUCTION THROUGH ELIGIBLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO TEXAS PUBLIC

SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-12.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

• THE TXVSN ONLINE SCHOOLS PROGRAM (OLS) OFFERS FULL-TIME VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION

THROUGH ELIGIBLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-12.

INSTRUCTION PROVIDED THROUGH THE TXVSN OLS IS 100 PERCENT VIRTUAL AND STUDENTS

PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT ON CAMPUS

DURING INSTRUCTION.

• WAS ENROLLED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THIS STATE IN THE PRECEDING SCHOOL YEAR;

• HAS BEEN PLACED IN SUBSTITUTE CARE IN THIS STATE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE STUDENT

WAS ENROLLED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THIS STATE IN THE PRECEDING YEAR; OR

• IS A DEPENDENT OF A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY, WAS PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED IN

HIGH SCHOOL IN THIS STATE; AND DOES NOT RESIDE IN THIS STATE DUE TO A MILITARY

DEPLOYMENT OR TRANSFER.

TXVSN COURSE CATALOGUE

• VSN STATEWIDE COURSE CATALOG PROVIDES SUPPLEMENTAL ONLINE COURSES FOR HIGH

SCHOOL GRADUATION TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 8-12. THE TXVSN STATEWIDE COURSE

CATALOG OFFERS STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENROLL IN HIGH

SCHOOL, ADVANCED PLACEMENT, AND DUAL CREDIT COURSES PROVIDED BY ELIGIBLE TEXAS

SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OPEN-ENROLLMENT CHARTER SCHOOLS, EDUCATION SERVICE CENTERS,

AND PUBLIC OR PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. TO VIEW COURSES AVAILABLE

THROUGH THE TXVSN STATEWIDE COURSE CATALOG, VISIT THE ONLINE COURSE CATALOG.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TXVSN STATEWIDE COURSE CATALOG, VISIT WWW.TXVSN.ORG.

TXVSN ONLINE SCHOOLS PROGRAM (OLS)

• THE TEXAS VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK ONLINE SCHOOLS PROGRAM (TXVSN OLS) IS THE

COMPONENT OF THE TEXAS VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK THAT PROVIDES FULL-TIME VIRTUAL

INSTRUCTION TO ELIGIBLE TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-12 THROUGH

APPROVED PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OPEN-ENROLLMENT CHARTER SCHOOLS. THESE ONLINE

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OFFER 100-PERCENT VIRTUAL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS TO STUDENTS WHO

ARE NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT ON CAMPUS DURING INSTRUCTION.

• COURSES COMPRISING THE TXVSN OLS PROGRAM ARE REVIEWED TO ENSURE THEY MEET THE

STATE CURRICULUM STANDARDS, KNOWN AS THE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

(TEKS), AND NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR QUALITY ONLINE COURSES. TEACHERS ARE REQUIRED TO

BE TEXAS-CERTIFIED IN THE CONTENT AREA AND AT THE GRADE LEVEL THEY ARE TEACHING AND

MUST BE TRAINED IN BEST PRACTICES IN DELIVERING ONLINE INSTRUCTION.

TXVSN OLS COURSES

• COURSES COMPRISING THE FULL-TIME VIRTUAL TXVSN OLS INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM ARE

PROVIDED BY TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OPEN-ENROLLMENT CHARTER SCHOOLS

THAT MEET ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. COURSES ARE REVIEWED THROUGH THE COURSE

REVIEW PROCESS TO ENSURE THEY MEET THE TEKS AND OTHER QUALITY STANDARDS SET BY

THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION.

TXVSN OLS STUDENTS

• STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-12 WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOL IN TEXAS AND

MEET THE OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS OF THE TXVSN OLS PROGRAM MAY ENROLL IN

THE FULL-TIME VIRTUAL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM PROVIDED THROUGH AN ELIGIBLE DISTRICT

OR OPEN-ENROLLMENT CHARTER SCHOOL PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.

• TEC, SECTION 30A.107, ALLOWS STUDENTS WHO RESIDE IN TEXAS BUT WHO ARE NOT

ENROLLED IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THIS STATE TO ENROLL IN NO MORE THAN TWO COURSES

OFFERED THROUGH THE STATE VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK PER SEMESTER.

TXVSN OLS TEACHERS

TXVSN OLS PROGRAM TEACHERS ARE REQUIRED TO BE TEXAS-CERTIFIED IN THE CONTENT AREA

AND AT THE GRADE LEVEL THEY ARE TEACHING. THEY MUST MEET THE TXVSN OLS PROGRAM

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHING ONLINE BASED ON MASTERY OF

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR K-12 ONLINE LEARNING (INACOL) NATIONAL

STANDARDS FOR QUALITY ONLINE TEACHING. TEA-APPROVED TRAINING IS OFFERED BY A

NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDERS FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED ONLINE

TEACHERS.

COURSES –DUAL CREDIT

HIGH SCHOOL COURSES OFFERED ONLINE

THE SPRING SEMESTER FOR 2014 OFFERS 133 COURSES FOR HIGH SCHOOL. SOME OF THE

COURSES AVAILABLE ARE:

DIGITAL FORENSICS, MANY AP CLASSES, PERSONAL FITNESS CLASS, DRIVERS EDUCATION, EARTH

AND SPACE SCIENCE, AND MANY OTHERS CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING LINK:

HTTPS://WWW.MYTXVSN.ORG/COURSECATALOG.ASPX

TXVSN ENROLLMENTS BY SEMESTER 2012-2014