The Northside ISD board of trustees received an update on its proposed virtual high school program Jan. 20, including the intended launch of its website and preregistration.
What you need to know
Known as the Northside Virtual Academy, Carrie Squyres, NISD director of academic technology, said the new online program will allow students with unconventional schedules to complete coursework while also giving them the opportunity to stay on track to earn their high school diploma.
Squyres also said the virtual program will be introduced as a hybrid model, with 90% of instructional time being online. The remaining 10% of learning time will allow students to participate in athletics, fine arts and lab-based classwork.
“We look at those students that maybe need, or really have a strong desire for [a] more flexible schedule, but they don't want to lose that high school experience, or they're really committed to athletics or fine arts or other programs that they want to come on to campus for,” Squyres said.
Squyres noted that the program will give NISD the opportunity to recapture students who left the district for institutions that offer online programs, but that the program will initially be focused on in-district students.
Currently, NISD is waiting for the Texas Education Agency to spell out the operational rules districts must work under to form the virtual/hybrid campus. Squyres said the TEA is expected to present the rules in the spring.
NISD board President Karla Duran expressed excitement for the hybrid model because it would allow the district to offer greater flexibility.
“I like the idea of recapturing the students and bringing them back home to our school district ... and meeting students and families where they're at,” Duran said. “But it isn't for everyone, so I like the fact that there's an opportunity for students to be able to come back and get that help if they need to.”
What’s new
Squyres said the district has already issued a request for proposal and that a recommendation for the vendor who will run the site is expected to be brought to the board by the end of March.
Additionally, NISD intends to roll out a new public-facing website and preregistration by the end of January.
Looking ahead
NISD will eventually expand the hybrid program from ninth to 11th grade to include kindergarten through 12th grade.
