The charter school allows students to learn at their own pace and is one of the few programs approved by the Texas Education Agency to operate fully online. The academy is one of six programs offered by Responsive Ed, a nonprofit that offers alternative learning methods for all grade levels.
“It’s not like a traditional classroom,” Jake Kurz, Responsive Ed’s director of communications, said about the iSchool Virtual Academy. “It’s an individualized learning environment where students have to basically master the content before they can move on to the next subject or the following lesson.”
Kurz said the iSchool Virtual Academy does not track class sizes because everything is asynchronous. He said teachers work with students one on one to master concepts before they move on to the next subject. Kurz added that the method of communication is flexible—teachers and students can talk via email or schedule virtual meetings at their convenience.
“Because we’re all online, we teach students across the state of Texas,” Kurz said. “They don’t have to be in Lewisville.”
Originally started as a charter school for dropout recovery students, Kurz said the format has attracted homeschool students as well as athletes, fine arts students and others who saw advantages in the flexible schedule while they honed their talents. Some, he said, join simply because in-person public school was too easy for them.
“Students are highly motivated and can feel like they can move through content more quickly than in [traditional] school,” Kurz said. He said iSchool has seen a spike in enrollment since the pandemic began. Interest has also gone up since state lawmakers failed earlier this year to pass measures that would have funded virtual learning for independent school districts.
“Since House Bill 1468 died in the Texas Legislature, there has been a lot of interest in our program,” iSchool Virtual Academy Superintendent Gary Arnold said in a news release. “Since 2011, virtual instruction has been our only focus, and thousands of students have successfully graduated from our program over the past 10 years.”
Parents liked that the school is flexible with enrollment dates, Kurz said. And because it is a charter school funded by the state, the iSchool Virtual Academy is tuition free.
Classes for fall begin Aug. 10; enrollments are still being accepted.
“Virtual learning environment may not be for everyone,” Kurz said. “But we think it’s important to have the option for students where it’s a really good fit.”
WHAT IS A CHARTER SCHOOL?
Charter schools are different than both public and private schools. In Texas, charter schools are public schools open to any student, and these schools may not charge tuition, according to the Texas Education Agency. These schools do receive state funds based on their average daily attendance of students, and they may also accept donations from private or public sources, according to the TEA.
To learn more about the school, visit https://ischoolvirtual.com.
