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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the VLN solution unique?

VLN Education’s products have evolved through our development of a new model for virtual learning called the Holistic Model for Blended Learning. Our research identified that most K-12 virtual learning platforms underperform because they minimize or fully eliminate teacher involvement in remote education. They often use strategies designed to support classroom instruction, not to replace it. They are designed around the concept students self-directing their educational process. While this can be challenging for all students, it can be a big impediment for younger learners in grades K-3.

VLN differs from its competitors by offering a robust synchronous support model that features a daily homeroom session where attendance is taken and homeroom teachers meet 1:1 with students to review their progress. Additionally, the program includes synchronous office hours and labs for the students to seek content-area and special education support. VLN also offers Study Tables for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, which provide a live, daily lesson review and culminates with an open forum for questions. The sessions are recorded to ensure flexibility for any students who are unable to attend the optional sessions.

How do VLN teachers monitor student success?

VLN teachers monitor student success in a variety of ways. A student’s participation in the daily homeroom sessions is often correlated to success; therefore, attendance is reported to our school district partners on a weekly basis.

Students are required to demonstrate their mastery of the content through assignments, short answer tasks, discussion board posts, essays, quizzes, tests, and projects. On a weekly basis, the homeroom teachers generate an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) and meets with each student to review the achievement data that is illustrated within the report. Data elements not only include the student’s current grade, but also show the quality of work the student is submitting and the pace at which the student is completing their work.

The homeroom teachers join the account managers and district representatives in monthly conference calls to discuss student achievement. This provides an opportunity to focus on students who are displaying challenges within the program and to develop an action plan to drive success.

How can students and parents track academic performance?

The platform allows for students, parents, or guardians to monitor the student’s progress with ease. There are a handful of different ways that grades, progress and activity can be monitored.

The most evident way a student, parent or guardian can monitor progress is with the Progress Gauge, which gives a snapshot of work completion throughout all courses for the current week’s due date. Then, a student, parent or guardian may select alternate views to see a course by course breakdown or to view the progress in a course in its entirety.

Another way to monitor progress is the Gradebook. The default view displays the student’s current grades for each marking period, and detailed views show scores and feedback on individual tasks.

To keep track of the student’s submissions, students parents or guardians have access to a log that shows dates and timestamps of every task that is turned in and subsequently graded by the teacher. Each graded task includes teacher feedback, which are not only conducted through written comments, but also via audio. This ensures a message is not lost in translation and the student can hear the tone and inflection in the teacher’s voice.

If the students, parents, or guardians want to specifically check on engagement and how active the student is within the program, there are two different approaches. Within each course’s weekly unit, there is a checklist that identifies when instructional materials, assignments, and assessments have been accessed.

For a more thorough view of activity, students, parents or guardians can utilize a report that shows when the student is logging into and out of the portal each day. It also records every task the student views during those sessions and identifies the associated duration.

Can you provide Credit recovery and summer school courses?

VLN offers both credit recovery and summer school courses.

Our Credit Recovery courses include pretests that assess students’ knowledge base and enable them to test out of units via a passing threshold set by the district. This self paced format is designed to have students focus on the topics associated with learning gaps and deficiencies.

Alternatively, our Summer School program is scheduled over a 30 day timeframe and contains key content, relevant online resources and structured assessments. Each day, the student is asked to complete a reading assignment followed by a writing assignment and then a 10 question multiple choice quiz. Each week culminates in formative assessments to validate the student’s understanding of the topics reviewed throughout the week.

How will a student’s IEP be managed?

One of the benefits of partnering with VLN is the support we provide for special education students and district personnel.

At the beginning of each school year, the VLN account manager schedules a meeting with a VLN special education teacher and school district learning support/special education staff. This meeting sets the groundwork for the process of enrolling students with IEPs, GIEPs, and 504 Plans, reviews roles/responsibilities, and outlines the most common SDI and accommodations within our program.

When a student is enrolled and is identified as having an IEP, GIEP, or 504 Plan, VLN’s special education team contacts the district to obtain the documentation. Then, VLN reviews the IEP/GIEP/504 Plan to ensure all goals and SDI/accommodations are appropriate for the online learning environment. VLN makes recommendations for adjustments, but ultimately, the school district remains the LEA and maintains ownership of the IEP/GIEP/504 Plan.

Ongoing, VLN provides district learning support/special education staff with access to the VST, which grants real-time access to student work submissions, engagement logs, course previews, etc.

Finally, VLN offers quarterly data and insights to aid the district’s progress monitoring efforts.

Do you provide varying levels in your curriculum to address students who are Honors, College Prep, and/or On Level?

VLN offers Advanced Placement, honors courses, and four additional tracks for students who have varying skillsets.

Advanced Placement courses meet the rigorous standards of the College Board and are designed to prepare students to sit for the AP Exams.

Honors courses provide a more rigorous and writing-intensive approach to the key skills and concepts that will be vital in post secondary educational environments. These courses include more project based assessments and more challenging and in-depth assessment as compared to Academic track courses.

The Academic track offers students a curriculum designed to introduce key skills that will be vital in post-secondary educational environments. In addition to courses in the core content areas, the Academic track includes: physical education, health and wellness, foreign languages, senior project/graduation project, test prep and a wide variety of electives.

The General Education track mirrors the Academic track but eliminates essay questions from the required assignments for a less rigorous assessment strategy. This track is geared toward students who aren’t planning to follow a traditional college preparatory curriculum.

The Foundations track provides a basic level of rigor for students who may have lower reading comprehension and math skills. The pace of the instruction for these courses is reduced, lessons include more interactive/engaging multimedia, and the assessment strategy requires students to complete portfolio assignments in order to practice key concepts. Students’ knowledge is then demonstrated through mastery-based online quizzes and tests.

The Computer Graded track provides a foundation of instruction and assessment for concept mastery. Students complete reading exercises and are presented with engaging and interactive lessons to support each concept. Students’ knowledge is then demonstrated through mastery based, auto graded quizzes and tests.

Can we use your curriculum for just electives?

Our district partners may utilize a variety of seats and logins to accommodate a variety of educational scenarios, this includes the option to enroll students solely in online electives. Districts may utilize the VLN Essentials course catalog, which includes over 100 electives.

Are VLN teachers state certified?

VLN’s teachers are highly qualified and state certified. Upon request, VLN can provide copies of their certifications, as well as data needed for state-required reporting.

Is there a minimum number of students required to participate in your program?

There is no minimum or maximum number of students required to participate in the program. The programs vary depending on the need of the district so if only a few students need supplemental instruction or the district anticipates hundreds of students, VLN can accommodate a program of any size.

How are student grades reported to the district?

VLN provides students, parents/guardians, and school district personnel with weekly student achievement reports called Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs). This cumulative report includes the course in which the student is enrolled, the overall grade, the average score earned on work submitted, summary of unsubmitted work, and a checklist of work that remains outstanding.

At the end of each marking period (based on the district’s calendar), VLN provides the district with a report card for each student so the grades can be input into the district’s SIS.

Which grade levels are served?

VLN offers curriculum and virtual instruction for grades K-12.

Is VLN's curriculum aligned to state standards?

All courses are developed and mapped to meet state standards and the Common Core Standards. Our team has extensive experience and is able to integrate state standards based content seamlessly within the context of each lesson and course. As a result, each student experiences a rich, deep understanding of content that is applicable to both local and state assessments.

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VLN Insider brings you the latest VLN updates and developments throughout the year. By streamlining this information into a recurring newsletter, we hope to more easily connect you to key information that allows your district to take full advantage of VLN’s solutions. Each newsletter will feature new product updates, upcoming enhancements, and partner district spotlights!