The Tennessee Virtual Academy is scheduled to close in July, but hundreds of parents and educators descended on the state Capitol this week to tell legislators why they shouldn't allow it to be shuttered.
In the K-8 school, year-over-year progress for students has been stuck at level 1 out of 5 for the past four years, and for this reason, former state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman ordered its closure last summer, reports The Tennessean. The only chance it has of surviving another year in Union County Public Schools is to raise its progress level up to a 3.
But virtual academy officials say they're not being treated fairly because regular on-campus schools have similar learning gains and aren't being shut down. Many of their students also start out several grade levels behind or have special needs.
Some legislators expressed support for the school after talking with their constituents. And with the Virtual Public Schools Act up for renewal this year, a lot is at stake for the future of virtual schools in the Volunteer State.
