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June 17, 2008 By Andy Opsahl
ungraded trivia question and take attendance based on which students answer it.
"I can entertain questions and have them raise hands," Deschner said. "If I have a multiple-choice question with A, B, C and D sitting there, they can each choose an answer, and we can poll to see what people chose and talk about it."
However, a parent is usually a TXVA student's primary instructor. It may seem intuitive to think that parents lacking professional teaching backgrounds would produce lower-performing students. But kids who learn from their parents at home perform better than students in brick-and-mortar schools, according to Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream, a study conducted by the Canada-based Fraser Institute. It reports that 25 percent of homeschooled students perform one or more grade levels above their public- and private-school counterparts.
More surprisingly, the study asserts that homeschooled students taught by poorly educated parents perform better than public school students with similar parents.
"One study we reviewed found that students taught at home by mothers who never finished high school scored a full 55 percentile points higher than public school students from families with comparable education levels," said Claudia Hepburn, co-author of the study.
Teachers Telecommute
Deschner spent 10 years teaching in the brick-and-mortar public school system before joining the TXVA. Teaching for an online public school lets her work from home and tailor her job so she can care for her pre-kindergarten son.
"It's easier for me to go to an event at his school than if I were at a brick-and-mortar school. I can be available for my family and my students," Deschner said.
The TXVA gives her a laptop so she can handle her workload from most locations.
"I can work whether I'm at home or at the actual TXVA office for a meeting. I was in Virginia last week for a conference, and I was able to get back with families as I could through e-mail. My husband had a business trip, and I actually worked out of the hotel room and was able to travel with him at that time, make my conference calls to families and do everything I needed to do just like a regular day," Deschner said.
Bureaucratic Obstacle
The TXVA is one of two public online schools in Texas. The second is the Texas Virtual School, in conjunction with the Houston Independent School District. Both schools were founded through a TEA program called the Electronic Course Program (eCP), which enables interested school districts and charter schools to implement online programs and receive state funding for each participating student. Few schools applied for the program, and the aforementioned two were the only ones that satisfied TEA's accountability rating.
Participation has grown in the two schools for a combined enrollment of just under 700 students, but the TEA hasn't offered the program to more schools since 2005. The agency must process students' attendance for their school to get funding, and TEA's automated student database can't process online attendance, said Kate Loughrey, director of distance learning for the TEA.
"We can't just plug those students into our automated statewide system because that system wasn't designed for a world where students aren't physically present on campus. The system can't report the students as being present, because being present requires certain rules saying you're in your seat," Loughrey said.
For the two online schools, TEA personnel make do with an Excel spreadsheet to process attendance and release state funding for the students. However, that process would have been too complicated to do statewide, said Loughrey. The TXVA's funding is based solely on student participation and performance. The TEA deducts $150 for each subject that a student fails on the TAKS.
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my grandchild has seiures and misses a lot of school and when she is there and has a seiure she doe not remenber what she just learned how would i get stared
i need to know how to get started
how do i sign my child up
Sandra the best thing to do would be to go to . www.k12.com/txva/ the website for txva. Enrollment is closed for this year but would be able to get on the list for next year.
TXVA is clsoing after this summer. I am very disappointed. They state it is due to budget instability.
@Disappointed mom: I just went to the website. Admissions are open; I didn't find any indication that the the school has been or will be closed. In fact, I just submitted an enrollment application and received an email stating that my child would be placed on the waiting list.
The same thing happened to me i enrolled my son and had to call a month later to be told he was on a waiting list until Jan.2012.Not happy at all with the TXVA.
I have used the K12 Virtual Academy before (called TXVA in the state of TX), and have been fairly happy with the program. I've only experienced a wait list here in TX since this state caps the number of kids K12 can enroll. I was told the enrollment cap increased from 2010 to 2011 to twice the number of allowable enrollments which is good. The state is just regulating enrollment, thus the wait list. I do not believe they are closing.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A HOMESCHOOL PROGRAM?MUST BE FREE.WE JUST MOVED TO DALLAS FOM MISSOURI. I JUST ENROLLED MY DAUGHTER,SHE WENT ONE DAY AND REFUSES TO GO BACK.SHE'S BEGGING ME TO LET HER HOMESCHOOL.WHAT DO I DO NOW? I DON'T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE OR HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE SCHOOL.I JUST WANT HER TO BE HAPPY LEARNING.
Tx Virtual Academy (k12, inc) lost its contract with Houston charter due to academically unacceptable rating but found another sponsor in Lewisville. Check articles by Stephanie Saul in NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/online-schools-score-better-on-wall-street-than-in-classrooms.html?pagewanted=all and Abby Rapoport in Tx Observer http://www.texasobserver.org/floor-play/virtual-schools-virtually-unregulated
I was informed that the 11th grade program fro the state of Texas is only 1000 students, I have a daughter that is 18 almost 19 and " CAN NOT" find a program for her to get into, public school here is NOT for her. If anyone out there knows of a program plese reply to mr_john_phelps@yahoo.com Right now she is # 79 with TXVA so wont get in this quarter have to reapply March 19 to try again, sorry this is crazy... SOMEONE PLEASE HELP DESPERATE DAD IN DESPERATE NEED...
I have been very disappointed with TXVA and the other online public schools here in Texas because after being a homeschool mom for the past 5 years I have decided that due to personal issues I would like to step down a little with my homeschooling (I am not able to lesson plan, grade and do classes right now) and wanted to enroll my children but there is a new legislation that does not allow homeschool children to enroll only those who come from a brick and mortar public school and the district we live in is not acceptable in any way shape or form and I would hate to have to enroll my children because even the elementary schools have terrible problems with violence and racism. I hate that a state that has been so homeschool friendly is putting such a legislation like this and therefore denying this form of Public Education to children who have been homeschooled.
They are open. This is my first year with them and i am nervous and excited.
Hi i was wandering if you would know the name of the law that was passed by the texas legistaive committee, that only allows you to enroll your children in the online virtual school, only if they had been in public school the previous year, i too wanted to enroll my daughters in the texas virtual online schools but was told by tx connections, and k12 that that can't have been homeschooled the prior yr. which i think is unfair, they told me the texas lesgistors passed this, and they have to follow the rules. I would like to start a petition but need to find the name of the law and its number if i can. if you know please email thank you Susan A.
I had two of my three children enrolled in K12 in Arizona and since we had to move to San Antonio, I have been unable to get them into an online program due to this new "rule". The schools of brick and mortar here in this area are atrocious and I refuse to subject my children to any of the violence and abuse that goes on and I refuse to lessen my children's chances at life and a good education thanks to somebody's bright idea of this "rule". So, what do I do as I now have all 3 of my kids that need to be enrolled in an onine program and after paying so much to live here and move here, I certainly cannot afford to pay a tuition for each child. I though public school meant free education and I'm pretty sure this little piece of legislation is illegal let alone disgustingly perverse and only serves to hurt our children and their futures.
Any updates on a good homeschool curriculum for 9th grade? The virtual academy seems to be off and on again so what curriculum is best?
I enrolled my daughter in november of 2012 to start her 9th grade year in jan 2013. I did all requirements needed,paperwork. my daughter was excited to start. come to find out i called she was not accepted into txva..i am disappointed and worried. does anyone know a "free"online homeschooling my daughter is behind and refuses to go back to public school.
Alicia, First- DON'T PANIC. There are plenty of ACCREDITED online schools-some free or low cost. You have several options: 1. Start her with a curriculum provider such as Bob Jones for her core subjects while you search for an online program. 2. Since she's entering high school, pay for just her core classes for one semester at a fee based virtual school while you search for a free or low cost online virtual school. 3. Delay her 9th grade start by a month while you search and make up that month later in the year. If you do this i recommend you have her engaged in reading various genres and continue with math work (college students tutor low cost in math). Purchase a 9th grade math text (Saxon, Bob Jones, etc.) if she's at that level in Math. To my knowledge, there are very few entirely "free" online schools BUT you will find some "low cost" virtual schools. Here are some you may want to check out: North Star Academy (http://www.northstar-academy.org) Laurel Springs (http://www.laurelsprings.com) Calvert (http://calvertvirtualschools.org) Oak Meadows (http://www.oakmeadow.com) they offer payment plans. In your search for virtual schools you will come across articles discussing pros and cons. I advise you to carefully scrutinize them. Many districts, teacher unions, school boards, etc. have taken to the internet to denounce & discredit virtual schools or home schooling in general (unless its through a public school district). The fact of the matter is-they don't want to continue bleeding $$$. Tenure these days is very difficult to obtain in many districts. Year to year teaching contracts depend on budget allowance. If there's not enough money in the budget for that year-non-tenured teachers are the first to go. Good luck. ~Former public (middle school) teacher ~Mom to 10 & 20 year old sons- (Oldest was home schooled, now college grad and youngest to be virtual schooled beginning fall 2013)