Michigan Virtual Charter Academy Technology Plan
678 Front Avenue NW Suite 190
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
616-309-1600
District Code: 41925
School Code: 00482
Start: 12/01/2010
End: 12/01/2013
Contact: Stephanie Hargens
Phone: 616.309.1600 x 1601
FAX: 616.309.1608
Email: [email protected]
ISD: Kent County
Website: www.k12.com/mvca
Approved by the Michigan Virtual Charter Academy Board of Trustees December 2, 2010
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Michigan Virtual Charter Academy Mission: The mission of the Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy is to provide an innovative, intensive academic preparation that inspires and educates
students to achieve the highest levels of academic knowledge and skills. Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy embraces a collaborative partnership between teachers and parents in order to empower
students to reach extraordinary heights. Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts!
Through commitment, hard work, consistency, and responsibility, every student will meet the
challenge of mastering high expectations.
Introduction: Michigan Virtual Charter Academy (MVCA) and one other cyber charter
school currently serve Michigan students statewide in the way the new statute provides, i.e.,
providing “full time instruction to pupils through online learning... which instruction and
learning may be remote from a school facility.” (PA 205 of 2009 Section 380.551(e)) The two
cyber schools authorized by PA 205 of 2009 are the first full time open enrollment cyber schools
in the state. MVCA provides real educational choice by attracting students who have limited
educational choices. We serve students whose educational options are restricted (or who are
underserved) because they attend schools designated as “needs improvement”; special needs
students (including students with disabilities and gifted and talented students) whose needs are
not being met in their current school; drop out students who have struggled academically due to
personal/family issues or instructional programs that do not meet their learning needs; and
students who are simply looking for a high quality alternative educational model.
MVCA is a unique and innovative public cyber school where parents and students will
partner with teachers in developing individual student learning plans to define, plan, and work
towards achieving their academic and non-academic goals. Students, teachers, parents, learning
coaches, and school leaders will share an ethic of cooperation, hard work, and high expectations.
MVCA is a student-centered school that looks at each student as an individual and matches
teaching methods to individual learning styles and student performance. It will demonstrate best
practices for the use of technology in learning and teaching; curriculum and instruction; and
data-driven decision making.
In compliance with PA 205 of 2009, Michigan Virtual Charter Academy (MVCA) must
be open to all kindergarten through twelfth grade students in the state of Michigan “who were
previously enrolled in a public school.” (MCL 380.552(a) and (b)). The statute, then, defines the
state to be the “community” from which we will draw our students. Our educational services
provider for the school, K 12 Virtual Schools LLC (“K12”), a wholly owned subsidiary of K12 Inc.,
provides educational services to public school districts and charter schools which serve a broad
demographic which included more than 70,000 cyber school students in 26 states and 30
countries in the 2009-2010 school year. Based upon the wide appeal of online learning
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programs, and based upon the experience of our educational services provider, we anticipate that
the student body of MVCA will approximate state averages in terms of socio-economics, race,
and population distribution. According to the terms and conditions of the charter contract which
are based on PA 205 of 2009, in Year 1 of school operations, a maximum of 400 students can
enroll in MVCA: 350 students in MVCA’s grades K-8 full time virtual program and a maximum
of 50 students in grades 9-12 who can choose to attend either our full time virtual high school
program (beginning in January 2011) or a hybrid program (“Passport”) that serves students who
have dropped out of high school (in operation as of the time of this application). MVCA
currently has 346 students enrolled while more than an additional 517 students have enrollment
applications pending at this time. Grade level breakdown is as follows: 40 students in
Kindergarten, 25 in 1st grade, 36 in 2nd grade, 31 in 3rd grade, 34 in 4th grade, 39 in 5th grade, 33 in
6th grade, 57 in 7th grade, 49 in 8th grade, and 2 in 9th grade. Our students represent a broad
spectrum of individuals including special student populations such as gifted and talented students;
students attending schools designated as “needs improvement”; students who are struggling
academically; students with disabilities; and students simply looking for a quality educational
option. Geographically, they represent urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state--residing in
two-thirds of Michigan’s counties, with concentrations of students in the urban areas of Grand
Rapids, Detroit, Flint, and Lansing. Approximately 22% of MVCA’s current students are
eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch and approximately 10.4% are special needs students
with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). 45.4% of students are female and 54.6% are male.
17.6% of the student make up is African American, .3% is American Indian, 2.3% is Asian, 2.3%
list themselves as undefined or they declined to state, 2.9% is Multiracial, .6% is Hawaiian, and
74% is White.
Students in grades K-12 who enroll in our full time virtual program study from homebased settings or other locations of their choosing where they use the Internet to access web-based
curriculum, participate in direct instruction, teacher conferences and office hours, etc. MVCA’s
Passport program students receive site-based instruction in the MVCA Learning Center in Grand
Rapids half days 5 days per week. For the remainder of the week, similar to full time virtual
MVCA students, MVCA Passport Program students study from home-based settings or other
locations of their choosing where they use the Internet to access web-based curriculum,
participate in direct instruction, teacher conferences and office hours, etc.
Technology Vision: Our vision is not only to establish Michigan Virtual Charter Academy as
Michigan’s premiere virtual school combining web-based instruction and award winning online
curriculum, but to become a nationally recognized education model that places technology at the
fore front of students’ 21st century education. This technological knowledge, skill and ability from
our students and staff will prepare students for a smooth transition from academics to higher
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education. Through the use of online curriculum and web based tools, Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy students will emerge as confident leaders of the digital age.
Technology Goals:
1. Given the National and Michigan Educational Technology Standards, Michigan Virtual
Charter Academy in conjunction with K12 Inc. will create custom online technology
courses for students.
2. Given the web based classrooms and The Big Think, Michigan Virtual Charter Academy
in conjunction with K12 Inc. will create a digital reference library for students and
learning coaches.
3. Given our High School Passport Program, Michigan Virtual Charter Academy will outfit
both the Grand Rapids and Detroit Learning Centers with cutting edge technology to
enrich teaching and learning.
Curriculum: Curriculum Integration: As one reviews both the national and state standards for
technology, it is important to understand the instructional model in a virtual school program. By
design, many of the state and national goals have been met where technology is to be integrated
with curriculum, student achievement, technology delivery, and parental and community
relations. Professional development is also provided and resources are built into the program. A
successful infrastructure is already built into our program along with access for all. The goals
above take Michigan Virtual Charter Academy’s programming into account and further the
technological needs of our specific model. Below are descriptors for our technological and
instructional model.
Online School (OLS)
The K¹² Learning Management System (OLS) the system that teachers and learning coaches
manage the numerous lessons that make up the K¹² curriculum for grades k-8. Through the OLS,
teachers and learning coaches can access online lesson content, lesson scheduling, progress
reporting, assessments, and communication tools. This transparent platform allows teachers and
learning coaches to work collaboratively with maximum efficiency. is an intuitive, web-based
software platform. It provides access to more than 21,000 online lessons and courses;
lesson/unit/term assessments; hands-on activities; alternative learning approaches; classroom
collaboration tools; and optional and supplemental lessons and activities, as well as lesson
planning and scheduling tools and progress tracking tools. Students, parents and teachers can
access the LMS with an Internet connection at any time. A demonstration of the online school
and K-8 curriculum can be viewed at http://www.k12.com/take-a-peek/sample-lessons-k-8/
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Learning Management System (LMS)
The K¹² Learning Management System (LMS) is how we help teachers, learning coaches and
students in grades 9 and up manage the numerous lessons that make up the K¹² curriculum.
Through the LMS, teachers take charge of online lesson content, lesson scheduling, progress
reporting, assessments, and communication. This state-of-the-art learning environment helps
students organize their time, complete online lessons, find out about what’s going on in their
school, submit assignments, connect with teachers, and attend online tutorial sessions, as needed.
This robust technical platform also enables K12-monitored interactive course discussions and
enhanced functionality for clubs and activities. A demonstration of the learning management
system and high school curriculum can be viewed at
http://www.k12.com/take-a-peek/sample-lessons-high-school/
Lesson Planning and Scheduling Tools
The K lesson planning and scheduling tools enable K-12 teachers and parents to establish a
schedule for completing lessons. These tools are designed to update the plan as a K-8 student
progresses through each lesson and course, allowing flexibility to increase or decrease the pace
the student moves through the curriculum while ensuring that the student progresses towards
completion in the desired time frame. Changes can be made to the schedule at any point and the
remainder of the student’s schedule will automatically adjust. For grades 9-12 students, teachers
use these tools to establish assignment dates. They are designed to provide student and parent
visibility into upcoming assignments and course progress.
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Progress Tracking Tools
Once a master schedule has been established for K-8 students, the LMS delivers lessons based
upon the schedule. Each day, a student is initially directed to a screen listing the syllabus for that
day and selects one of the listed lessons. As each lesson is completed, the student returns to the
day’s syllabus to proceed to the next subject. If a student does not complete a lesson during the
session, the lesson will be rescheduled to the next day resuming at the point where the student
left off. The progress tracking tool allows students, parents and teachers to monitor student
progress. In addition, information collected by the progress tracking tool regarding student
performance, attendance and other data is transferred to the management system for use in
providing administrative support services.
Once a master course schedule has been established by a high school teacher in the LMS, content
units and assignments are delivered to grades 9-12 students based upon the schedule. Each day, a
student is initially directed to a screen listing the upcoming assignments for the course, as well as
specific teacher-created announcements that assist in guiding the student’s activities for the day
and/or week. As each lesson is completed, the student returns to the day’s assignment list to
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proceed to the next activity. The progress tracking tools allow students, parents and teachers to
monitor student progress in each course.
Student Administration Management System (SAMS)
SAMS, the master digital database captures raw student data, stores it, organizes it, and
integrates with other systems. SAMS collects and provides all of the information required to
manage student enrollment and monitor student performance. Total View School and MyInfo are
two sides of SAMS. They are applications for administrators, teachers, parents, and students to
use that display the information stored in the SAMS database. Total View School serves the
school—teachers, administrators, and other staff—by providing a secure, internal
communications tool, an overview of their students’ current progress and history, and the status
of the shipment of curriculum materials. It allows teachers to interact one-on-one with students.
Parents and students use My Info as a secure communications tool to track students’ course
progress, grades, and attendance history, and to check the status of course material shipments.
Integrated with our LMS, this detailed student information system allows teachers and
administrators to maintain students’ cumulative files, and can be used for school reporting,
grading, transcripts, class/teacher scheduling, progress evaluations, student enrollment, and
course placement.
Reporting of Academic Progress
One of the strongest points of the K program is the close monitoring of each student's educational
progress. One of the many features afforded by the My Info platform is direct visibility into the
student's academic progress and attendance information. A parent may log on to the system at any
time and view this information. High School students have the ability to monitor their individual
course progress and activity within My Info as well as through the Gradebook and Activity Report
tools in the LMS. If a parent wishes to have a printed version of academic and attendance
information, he/she may print a copy of the progress assessment screen in the My Info account for
the student.
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Conference calls between teachers and students and parents to discuss academic progress are
conducted at the discretion of the teacher, or at the request of students or parents. A detailed
progress report for each student will be provided to parents mid-semester. Formal report cards
will be issued to students twice a school year. Report cards will be issued once after the end of
the first semester and again shortly after the end of the school year. Students who withdraw during
the school year will be issued withdrawal reports that can be used for enrolling in a future
school.
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Total View Schools (TVS)
In addition to collecting information from SAMS and the LMS in one convenient place for
students, teachers, parents, and staff, Total View accomplishes this through a self-contained email (called kmail) system that tracks and saves all correspondence as part of the school's
permanent record. One of the most important benefits of this is that it allows teachers to interact
with students on a one-to-one basis, allowing them to individually offer quality feedback.
Specific Goals
One technology goal of the Michigan Virtual Charter Academy is to build customized technology
courses for each grade level that align to the national and state standards. These will be presented
as on-line courses through the OLS. Each course will align exactly to the technology standards
for each grade level. These courses for each grade level will be completed and fully operational
by fall 2011. Students will be expected to complete the course with 100% completion and a
mastery level of 80%.
Secondly, we want to build an extensive reference library of Elluminate recordings for our
Michigan Virtual Academy students and learning coaches. These recording will be direct
instruction sessions posted to our school Big Think page on a variety of academic concepts.
These recordings will be added continuously and updated consistently.
Another technology goal of the Michigan Virtual Charter Academy is to equip both of our
learning centers (Grand Rapids and Detroit) with Smart Technologies to enhance student
engagement in learning. These learning centers are specific to our High School Passport Program
which serves students who have dropped out of high school and are re-engaging in their
educations. Both learning centers will be outfitted with technology and engaging students in
multiple modalities of learning by January 2012. 100% of our staff will be trained in using these
Smart Technologies to enhance and ensure students’ academic success.
Curriculum: Student Achievement: The K12 curriculum integrates a variety of formative and
summative content-specific assessment instruments within each course. K12 assessments employ a
variety of formats, allowing students to demonstrate what they have learned in a variety of
ways. Some assessment items are presented, answered and scored online, and others are short or
extended constructed responses that are evaluated by the teacher. Item types include multiple
choice, fill in the blank, matching, short answer, and constructed response items. Multiple choice,
fill in the blank, matching, and short answer items are most frequently used to assess recall of
factual information and understanding of concepts, although some have been designed to
address higher knowledge levels. Extended response items are generally used to assess strategic
application of concepts and skills, and metacognitive knowledge.
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Lesson Assessments are used to verify mastery of the objectives for that lesson, and
to determine whether a review of some or the entire lesson is advisable. When content
is presented using platforms that support adaptivity, lesson assessments can also
determine the learner path.
 Unit Assessments show whether the student has retained key learning objectives for
the unit, and identify specific objectives students may need to review before moving
on.
 Semester Assessments verify student mastery of key learning objectives for the
semester.
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy uses numerous pieces of technology to ensure that students
are achieving academic success. The tools include measurement and instructional programs and
tools used for increased student engagement like Scantron, Study Island, OLS, LMS, and Smart
Technologies.
Teachers direct students to achieve mastery of standards, providing guidance, instruction, and
support via email, telephone, instant messenger, in person and during synchronous sessions using
platforms such as Elluminate. Students attend classroom sessions using chat, interactive
whiteboard, VOIP to further discuss lesson topics with teachers and fellow students.
K12 teachers participate with student groups routinely. If individual remediation is necessary, it
occurs with the frequency deemed necessary. Teacher tools help teachers more quickly and more
accurately understand student performance on a day-to-day basis. Poor performance on unit
assessments will require additional teacher intervention. Teacher involvement with students is
often used in a direct instruction role but the courses are always available to be used at any time
by the individual student.
MVCA students will fully participate in the MEAP, MEAP-Access, or MME assessments in all
content areas depending on their grade level and disabilities which will measure to what extent
students are meeting the Michigan content standards, Elementary and Middle School Grade
Level Content Expectations, and High School Content Expectations and the Common Core
Standards as adopted by Michigan.
Throughout the school year, MVCA will be proactive to ensure that its students reach grade
level standards. By determining a benchmark for measuring growth at the beginning of the
school year; then developing an individualized learning plan for each student; continually
assessing students’ attainment of the standards throughout the course of the school year; and
assessing student performance at the end of the school year—MVCA can continually measure the
“effect” of our educational program—including the effective use of technology--on students as
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individuals, in cohorts, and on the school as a whole. Schools across the country using the K12
curriculum have measured the effect of the K12 education program in this way.
Using the Scantron Performance Series (in Year 1) or the NWEA MAP assessment (in Year 2
and beyond) in Mathematics and Reading, these schools can measure the gains in achievement of
their students from fall to spring and compare those gains, as well, to the gains of the Scantron
norm group, a national norm group that reflects national ethnic and income diversity.
Scantron
Scantron is a well-established tool used by many top educational institutions. Through the use of
Scantron Assessments we have been able to gather important and valuable data on all students
which will assist us in making good decisions for improving student achievement and
instructional practices. Assessment tools from Scantron provide our teachers, students and
families, and the learning coach, with valuable data to help guide instruction and support for
students. We know it is important that every child masters all state content standards for their
grade level and show powerful educational gains yearly.
We use Scantron Performance Series and Achievement Series. Scantron’s assessment solution is
a unique combination of online tools for standards-based formative assessment and computeradaptive diagnostic testing. Scantron’s complete assessment solution helps educators meet all
state requirements and raise the level of student achievement:
• The Performance Series Computer-adaptive diagnostic testing identifies students who
would most benefit from corrective instruction or enrichment activities and measures gains over
time providing confidence that gains are being made.
• Achievement Series Exercises are standards-based formative assessments which show
proficiency of specific state standards and help guide teacher instruction in preparation for high
stakes testing.
Scantron’s Performance Series and Achievement Series can be used together as a comprehensive
assessment solution:
1. Performance Series tests are given to students at the beginning of each year, or as they
enter school, as a diagnostic assessment to accurately measure learning levels and allow teachers
to create Individualized Learning Plans for every student.
2. Achievement Series Exercises are easy-to-deliver, short state standards based
assessments, used weekly throughout the year. These exercises will be provided to students
through interactive Elluminate sessions with your child’s teacher.
3. Performance Series tests are administered again at the end of the year to accurately
measure year-long gains and growth.
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The Achievement Series Exercises will be used weekly. Teachers utilize a web push for students
through the Elluminate classroom to a Scantron Achievement Series test. Students are given 10
questions based on a specific Michigan GLCE. Teachers receive the data from this measure
instantaneously and can remediate through small group and individual web based sessions. After
direct instruction via Elluminate, students retest to make sure they have mastered that standard.
Study Island
To augment these interventions, Study Island will be integrated into the student’s ILP and used
for independent practice. Study Island is an online program aligned with the Michigan standards
and is an effective test mastery program. Questions in Study Island are organized by subject and
strands. Students answer a targeted number of questions which are scored electronically.
Students are assigned a proficiency level to correlate with mastery of the standards and provide a
prediction to success on the MEAP tests. The Study Island Michigan GLCE/HSCE Mastery
Program is specifically designed to help students master the content specified in Michigan's
Content Expectations. Study Island's focus on the Content Expectations enables students to
improve their performance in all skill areas tested on the MEAP Test/MME in grades 3 through 8
and high school. Study Island also offers Math and Reading Skills for Kindergarten through 2nd
Grade, Fine Arts, Health, and Technology for Elementary and Middle School, and High School
Algebra II Skills Mastery products. The user-friendly interface allows students to move through
the program step-by-step. Each section has a pre-test and a post-test, as well as topics that cover
each of the Content Expectations. Topics consist of questions, answers, explanations, and lessons
that address the specific skills required in order to master the Content Expectations.
Study Island allows us to get a real time view of the activities that students are currently working
on and provides a toolkit to mimic the classroom experience. Enhanced games provide motivation
for students to learn the material and answer the questions correctly, the Message Center allows
us to communicate with students and their families and inform them of upcoming learning
assignments, and Study Island has the capabilities to support iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad for on
the go learning.
The Customized Assessment Builder allows us to build our own diagnostic, formative, and
summative tests and quizzes, easily create and schedule those assessments, assign customized
assessments to specific students, and link those assessments to the online gradebook.
The professional development associated with Study Island includes Michigan specific math and
language arts lesson plans, instructional videos, and supplemental resources. Videos of master
teachers showing best practices and teacher collaboration forums are also a part of the
professional development opportunities.
Study Island incorporates strategies for all learner-challenged and those who need to be enriched.
Special Needs Support including larger font size, text-to-speech, and multi-color highlighters.
Response to intervention (RTI) reports show student progress on specific topics over time.
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Building block topics provide automatic, built-in remediation within topics, so that students
develop prerequisite skills that enable them to progress to working at grade level. To ensure that
students working above grade level stay engaged and challenged, Study Island offers various
options such as increasing the passing parameters on assignments, or assigning students to
materials from higher grades.
Curriculum: Technology Delivery: Michigan Virtual Charter Academy prides itself on the
meaningful use of technology within both the Learning Center, as well as off-site in the education
of attending students. Michigan Virtual Charter Academy strives to prepare students to be
productive citizens in a global 21st Century society. These technologies will be used to support
and promote student mastery of the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations, the National
and State Technology Standards and other programs and services.
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Implementation of Technology by Michigan Virtual Charter Academy Staff
Teachers are given a laptop and printer, as well as access to the on-line school (OLS) or
Learning Management System (LMS) featuring web-based curriculum and classroom
management tools.
The tools help teachers and Learning Coaches monitor student progress and mastery of the
curricula.
The administration of the Michigan Virtual Charter Academy utilizes its access to the
accountability systems in tandem with the OLS and LMS. Total View School (TVS)
allows administration to monitor teacher, student, and Learning Coach performance.
TVS also contains the secure platform for communication between families and Michigan
Virtual Charter Academy staff called Kmail.
Each Michigan Virtual Charter Academy teacher is given an Elluminate web-conferencing
classroom site where they meet to conference with students and offer direct instruction
individually or in a small group setting.
Implementation of Technology by Michigan Virtual Charter Academy Families and Students
 Each students who qualifies for free and reduced lunch receive a PC, a printer, Internet
stipend and access to either the OLS or LMS, based on grade level. All students receive
access to the OLS or LMS.
 Students also receive access to Study Island, which is a web-based test preparatory
program that is directly correlated to Michigan Grade Level Expectations.
 Michigan Virtual Charter Academy utilizes the K12 home page and links to the Michigan
Virtual Charter Academy home page which contains the Community Calendar, K12
Community Chest, blogs, and Big Think discussion boards.
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Learning Center Technologies
Each Learning Center will be equipped with the technological infrastructure to support hybrid
(both virtual and face to face instruction) learning. The infrastructure for servers, wireless
capabilities and LAN lines will be created prior to the opening of the centers. Smart
Technologies including Smart Boards, Smart Tables, laptops, and software licenses will be in
place for students by May of 2011 in Grand Rapids, and January 2012 in Detroit.
Curriculum: Parental Communications and Community Relations: MVCA will provide an
extensive support system to both parents and students. Parents serve a critical role in the MVCA
education process, and are partners to the teachers in promoting accountability for their students
and the entire MVCA community. MVCA will combine flexibility and individualized
instruction with high accountability. At the simplest level, students, teachers, and parents
interact face-to-face at outings and other events such as back-to-school events, coffee or ice cream
socials, educational expos, open houses, science and art fairs, and school showcases. In addition to
face-to-face interaction, the school allows access to a monitored, private, virtual social
community, thebigthinK12, which enables students, parents and teachers to communicate and
connect online. Parents benefit from exchanging ideas and information with others using the K¹²
program and gain a sense of connectedness within the boundaries of a contained but global
community. Each K¹² sponsored school has its own sub-community within the larger virtual social
community to generate school pride as well as provide its own content and clubs, a school
calendar, announcements, and information on upcoming activities and outings.
Upon enrollment, MVCA will conduct parent orientation sessions. Every parent and student will
have the opportunity to meet administrative and teaching staff as well as receive information
about navigating the curriculum, lesson delivery, effective communication, and school policies.
Parents will receive a school handbook that provides guidance on school policies, including tips
and advice about getting organized and getting to know the Online School. Knowledge of the
school’s program and systems allows parents to access web-based lessons and data to see
directly how their child is doing. The most fundamental role parents will play is to support their
child’s learning and to help continuously evaluate MVCA’s operation, governance, and
instructional program. Parents will be asked to support school wide initiatives, participate in
school activities, and be committed to support the school’s goal for every student to reach his/her
full academic potential. The school will offer support through regular monthly parent training,
speakers, and modeling. Sessions will focus on: reading and helping children improve reading
comprehension; essential skills for grammar and writing; motivating struggling learners; focus
on reluctant writers; essential note taking skills; numbers and math concepts in the real world;
and supporting students as they complete homework. While teachers will be leading these
activities at school each day, we believe parents who wish to be engaged with their child’s
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learning after school hours need to be trained in the school’s practices. We will maintain a
balance between onsite training for parents who can come to the school and will ensure that all
sessions have a corollary online webinar which can be accessed live (synchronously) or can be
viewed as a recording (asynchronously). K12 is the nation’s leader in developing web-based
trainings for teachers and parents. We plan to use the web conferencing tool Elluminate for webbased training.
MVCA will provide family programs and activities to meet other like-minded Learning Coaches,
connect students through special interest clubs, discuss a topic that affects parents’ families or
become a Booster parent. Examples of these programs and activities are:
Family Support Sessions
Speaker Series Sessions occur at least once a week and are hosted by experts across a wide
variety of topics. These sessions are designed to inspire, encourage and offer real life tips and
advice on being a successful K12 family. Topics include:
 Managing Multiple Children with K12
 Shifting the Paradigm from Traditional School
 Managing the Home Learning Environment
 Working with a Toddler in Tow
Coast2Coast is a monthly five-hour opportunity for Learning Coaches around the nation (and the
world) to chat and discuss a variety of topics. During these monthly sessions, participants gather
in an Elluminate Live! online meeting space and visit various “discussion rooms” to ask questions
and share information with other Learning Coaches. Topics in each “discussion room” change
monthly, and there is always a space where Learning Coaches can go to just chat.
K12 RoundTable is a once-a-month focused discussion on a topic of interest of Learning
Coaches, hosted by a K12 team member, but directed by Learning Coaches. These sessions are an
opportunity to share and discuss with other Learning Coaches who are also concerned about the
same topic. Round Tables will begin with 10 minutes of sharing and topic set-up, and then the
sessions are opened for sharing and strategizing.
The thebigthinK¹² is an online community designed to bring together our parents, high school
students and schools to share information and resources specifically focused on their school.
School communities offer resources like school calendars, handbooks, and events as well as
teacher information and schedules. Because thebigthinK¹² is a private community available only
to K¹² families, access is available once they become enrolled. Think of the school community on
thebigthinK¹² as “the school office”— the place to find information and documents specific to
your school.
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The Parents’ Lounge is an all new community available to many of the learning coaches and
mentors within thebigthinK¹². Created exclusively for parents, teachers and school
administrators, it is a powerful and robust way to connect with other parents to share experiences,
information and advice. Think of the Parents’ Lounge as “the social center” — the place to go
when you are looking to connect with other virtual school families, both locally and globally, and
find answers to your questions.
For high school students, we offer theteenthinK¹² , a community where students can feel free to
contribute ideas, share experiences and opinions, get the latest news and information from K¹²,
research colleges, and interact with one another. Think of theteenthinK¹² as a giant, global school
yard — the place where students can connect, hang out, and be themselves! theteenthinK¹² is
available as a parental opt-in feature from participating schools in order to determine if this
feature is right for their family.
Parents will be expected to partner with teachers via phone, email, synchronous sessions using
platforms such as Elluminate, or in person to ensure students are on track and in line with the
expectations set by the school. MVCA parents will be expected to be proactive, to contact
teachers, specialists, and other parents to solve problems, to give feedback, or pass on ideas and
insights to the school community. Where possible, the school also asks that parents volunteer
their time and effort on behalf of the school—and to suggest, help organize, and participate in
field trips, other educational outings, and social events.
In addition:
 Parents can be encouraged to hold a direct leadership position and influence the
management of the school by serving on the MVCA Board. The Board sets policy
and provides governance and oversight on MVCA academic, extracurricular, finance,
personnel, daily business, and legal matters.
 Parents who are not members of the Board are actively encouraged to attend Board
and other MVCA meetings and to participate on ad-hoc committees appointed to
address specific issues.
 MVCA will organize a Parent Advisory Council. The Parent Advisory Council is
parent-driven and is recognized as the official voice of MVCA parents. The group
serves as a direct communication link between the families and the school and is a
resource for parents, both as a source of conveying school information to families as
well as relaying parental suggestions to the school administration.
 Teachers will initiate regular conferences and conversations with parents about their
child’s progress and also about parents’ needs and concerns about the operation of the
school. Parents are free to contact teachers, specialists, and other parents to solve
problems, give feedback, or pass on ideas and insights to the school community.
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 The MVCA website will have a moderated MVCA online community discussion
board to facilitate a constructive and interactive communication process.
 Parents will help to continuously evaluate the operation and governance of the school
both online and offline. MVCA will survey parents online annually to determine
their satisfaction with their overall experience. Criteria of the survey will include the
curriculum, instruction, Online School, administration, support, quality of materials,
student progress, student attitude towards learning, communication, and interaction
with other MVCA students and parents. Parents may supply critiques and/or
endorsements regarding their experience at MVCA.
Curriculum: Collaboration: Michigan Virtual Charter Academy will utilize a technology
committee. The technology committee will be comprised of students, parents, and staff. The
technology committee will survey staff and families1x per year. The survey will include
participants’ knowledge of and usability with technology tools, telecommunications services,
hardware, software, Internet, LMS, OLS, and TVS.
Community members and school stakeholders will participate in a virtual World Café Process 1 x
per year to discuss future technology purchases, needs, and training. This process will be
facilitated by the administration and the technology committee. The technology committee will
summarize data from the virtual World Café Process and the survey results and report back to
administration. Administration will work within the confines of the budget to address all needs.
The technology committee will also be responsible for the completion of technology grant writing
to secure further funds for technology and services.
Collaboration: As it pertains to adults seeking a diploma, GED, or other educational options,
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy is working in conjunction with Grand Rapids Public Schools
and refers these adult students to them.
Professional Development: Professional Development: MVCA fully appreciates the benefits of and
supports the need for ongoing professional development for all teachers and other staff,
particularly in the areas of curriculum and instruction. K12 has the capability to provide the
professional development our teachers will need. Professional development opportunities will be
a combination of K12’s best practices and training along with required annual professional
development for all teachers and other staff. Professional development will be a year-long pursuit
focused on providing teachers with the skills and competencies to meet the needs of students and
their families. Each teacher will have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that is a combination
of required professional development as deemed appropriate by their tenure or as identified by an
administrator as an area where development is needed, and other optional offerings particular to
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their areas of interest. Teachers and staff will receive professional development on these and other
topics, at various points throughout the year.
o Curriculum training
1. Curricular philosophy and overview
2. Goals and objectives
3. Use of assessments to guide instruction
4. Scope and sequence
5. Effective use of asynchronous content, interactive online content in the
classroom
6. Adaptation of the curriculum to meet the unique needs of the learner
7. Alignments to Michigan’s content standards, Elementary and Middle
School Grade Level Content Expectations, High School Content
Expectations, and Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements as
well as the Common Core Standards as adopted by Michigan
o Differentiation in the content areas
o Michigan’s content standards, Elementary and Middle School Grade Level
Content Expectations, High School Content Expectations, and Michigan Merit
Curriculum graduation requirements as well as the Common Core Standards as
adopted by Michigan, content and strategies
o Effective lesson planning
o Interactive whiteboard use in the classroom
o Scantron Performance and Achievement series
o Classroom management/school climate strategies
o Parental involvement
o Student diversity/community building
o Characteristics and strategies for working with students with learning disabilities
and English Language Learners
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy and its staff will participate in professional development and
follow the standards of the ISTE NETS for teachers http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-forteachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx Professional development will be offered to staff in the
following areas: Virtual National Teacher Training, Scantron and NWEA student assessment
series, Elluminate, K12 Big Think, instruction, Smart Board and Smart Table Training, Study
Island utilization, and appropriate safety and usage policies for students, families, and staff.
Professional development will take place during small group, whole group, and individualized
instruction throughout the course of the next 3 years. Technology professional development will
be done every other month or 5 times per school year. Teachers will also attend Virtual National
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Teacher Training which includes 80 hours of both synchronous online sessions and asynchronous
sessions.
Implementation will be evidenced by Scantron data and reports, Study Island data and reports,
classroom observations, Elluminate data, and virtual Learning Walks. The evidence of impact
will be marked by the following: Study Island Reports, Scantron Reports, Writing Portfolios,
Challenge-based Projects, student work samples including the use of multiple technologies, and
Elluminate data and observations. The administrative staff, K12 Inc., outside contracted
professionals, and IT Support will be responsible for the professional development coordination
of technology for all staff members.
Professional Development: Supporting Resources: A plethora of resources are available in the
support of this technology plan. MVCA has the support of its Board, its intermediate school
district, Kent ISD, and its authorizer, Grand Valley State University. Our charter contract and
service agreement with K12 support the extensive use of technology in our virtual school in
conjunction with cyber law. www.k12.com and www.k12.com/mvca contain information
regarding the online school and all of the tools available to students who attend a K12 virtual
academy. All students take an Introduction to Online Learning class to help get them started with
the OLS, LMS, and various other networks and technological avenues in virtual schools.
www.k12.com/mvca is the school website which contains information regarding our program,
staff, and enrollment.
Infrastructure, Hardware, Technical Support, and Software: Infrastructure
Needs/Technical Specification, and Design: Our administrative office and Grand Rapids
Learning Center current infrastructure consists of a Windows based network in a Virtual
(VMware) Environment. The network is a wired/wireless topology, while offering File and Print
services. Backups are done daily both onsite and remotely along with having a Websense Virtual
server monitoring all traffic for content monitoring. Physical hardware includes Dell Poweredge
servers with Windows Server 2008 installed.
Through this network, staff members have the ability to make voice phone calls, access the
Internet, communicate via voice mail and email, save files to district file servers, and access all
online school systems and accountability features. The district is further complemented by an
extensive PBX digital phone system with phones and voice mail located in each office. Many
administrative and support staff also carry cell phones with voice mail, and caller ID capabilities.
Most administrators in our district have handheld Internet service to maintain communication
with parents and staff when computer access is not available. It is used for emergency purposes
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to help maintain a safe environment for our students and staff, to access student web-based data,
and contact information.
To improve instruction and student learning, we will be providing our learning centers data
projectors, a large screen television, document reader and laptops on mobile carts.
The technical support available at Michigan Virtual Charter Academy includes Customer Support
and Tech Support (both available via a 1.800 number) as well as a Regional Technology Director
and team. These individuals provide front line support with file and print questions, software
functionality questions, and often provide classroom and student support for our students,
learning coaches, and families. The Regional Technology Director and Team support all of the
schools in the Northern Region and conduct professional development, do troubleshooting, and
build infrastructures for all of the Northern Region Schools.
Infrastructure, Hardware, Technical Support, and Software: Increase Access: As
technology continues to change and to move forward, Michigan Virtual Charter Academy will
stay in the forefront of leading students into the digital age. All students currently receive all
necessary technology (both hardware and online access) to participate in the MVCA program.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Evaluation: Continuous evaluation of the technology program
will be lead by the Head of School. The data gathered from the processes outlined above will be
summarized by the Technology Committee and brought to the school administration an annual
basis. MVCA and K12 Inc. are adept at gathering and accepting feedback on processes and
procedures. Feedback will be gathered through annual surveys and the virtual World Café
Process. MVCA strives for continuous improvement in all areas and will continue to improve the
content of our custom online technology courses, the digital reference library, and our tools and
infrastructure in our learning centers.
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy’s evaluations of its staff are completed using 3 tools-lesson
observations, rubrics, and goals. The process is one of continuous improvement through
collaboration and data analysis. Regularly, staff is observed in their instructional practices.
Feedback is immediate and includes thought provoking questions and responses. Bi-annually
staff will complete a rubric based on the Four Domains by Charlotte Danielson-Planning and
Preparation, Learning Environment, Instruction (which includes specific data metrics), and
Professionalism. Teachers may assign themselves one of four rankings-4= Distinguished, 3=
Proficient, 2= Developing, or 1= Unsatisfactory in each area. Administrators or managers will
complete a rubric using the same rankings for each staff member as well. A conference is held to
discuss each completed rubric and areas for growth.
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Each staff member also has goals which have been cascaded from the highest levels of the
organization. These goals include retention, pass rates, compliancy, students’ attendance,
academic achievement including annual growth measures, and other areas specific to the position
in the organization. These goals are weighted and measured using Success Factors. Metrics are
uploaded into Success Factors and staff has immediate access to their own personal data for
improvement and planning purposes. Teachers also receive weekly metrics on the above
mentioned criteria. These metrics also drive the 1:1 weekly meetings they have with their
administrators. Measured goals and collaborative rubrics dictate the level of bonus to be received
at the end of each year.
Open communication between school staff and the technology staff occurs. When suggestions are
received, the technology staff actively seeks out solutions by contacting vendors, attending
technology conferences, and by staying current with best classroom technology practices through
journals and professional conferences.
The technology committee will also be responsible for the completion of technology grant writing
to secure further funds for technology and services.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Acceptable Use Policy: Michigan Virtual Charter Academy
reserves the right to review any material transmitted using Michigan Virtual Charter Academy
instructional computing resources or posted to a Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional
computing resource to determine the appropriateness of such material. Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy may review this material at any time, with or without notice. E-mail transmitted via
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional computing resources is not private and may be
monitored. This document ensures that all Michigan Virtual Charter Academy students are aware
of, and understand their responsibilities when accessing and using Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy resources. Michigan Virtual Charter Academy reserves the right to update or to alter
this agreement at any time. Such revisions to this policy may substantially alter access to the
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional computing resources. Michigan Virtual
Charter Academy instructional computing resources include any computer, software or
transmission system that is owned, operated or leased by Michigan Virtual Charter Academy. As
a parent or guardian of a student enrolled in Michigan Virtual Charter Academy, you should be
aware of the following guidelines and expectations. Any activity that is not listed here which
constitutes a violation of local, state, or federal laws, is considered a violation of the Student Code
of Conduct and Acceptable Use Guidelines. Failure to follow these guidelines could result in
removal of your access to Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional computing resources,
which could result in your inability to complete learning activities.
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Student Internet Safety and Acceptable Use of Technology
Based on the Child Internet Protection Act, Michigan Virtual Charter Academy has developed
the following guidelines for student internet safety and acceptable use of technology.
 Posting anonymous messages is not permitted unless authorized by the teacher of the
online course.
 Impersonating another person is also strictly prohibited.
 Use only your own user name and password, but do not share these with anyone.
 Do not interfere with other users’ ability to access Michigan Virtual Charter Academy’s
Online School or Virtual High School or disclose anyone’s password to others or allow
them to use another user’s account. You are responsible for all activity that is associated
with your username and password. Change your password(s) frequently, at least once per
semester or course.
 Do not publicly post your personal contact information (address and phone number) or
anyone else’s.
 Do not publicly post any messages that were sent to you privately.
 Do not download, transmit or post material that is intended for personal gain or profit,
non-Michigan Virtual Charter Academy commercial activities, non-Michigan Virtual
Charter Academy product advertising, or political lobbying on a Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy-owned instructional computing resource.
 Do not use Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional computing resources to sell
or to purchase any illegal items or substances.
 Do not upload or post any software that is not specifically required and approved for your
assignments, on Michigan Virtual Charter Academy’s instructional computing resources.
 Do not post any MP3 files, compressed video, or other non-instructional files to any
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy server.
 Do not reveal on the Internet personal information about yourself or other persons. For
example, you should not reveal your name, home address, telephone number, or display
photographs of yourself or others to persons outside of Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy.
 Do not agree to meet in person, anyone you have met only on the Internet and who is not
affiliated with Michigan Virtual Charter Academy. Michigan Virtual Charter Academy
reserves the right to review any material transmitted using Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy instructional computing resources or posted to a Michigan Virtual Charter
Academy instructional computing resource to determine the appropriateness of such
material. Michigan Virtual Charter Academy may review this material at any time, with or
without notice.
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 E-mail transmitted via Michigan Virtual Charter Academy instructional computing
resources is not private and may be monitored.
Network Etiquette
At Michigan Virtual Charter Academy, parents and students are expected to follow the rules of
network etiquette, or “netiquette.” The word netiquette refers to common-sense guidelines for
conversing with others online. Please abide by these standards. Avoid sarcasm, jargon, and slang.
Swear words are unacceptable. Never use derogatory comments, including those regarding race,
age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, political persuasion, body type, physical or
mental health, or access issues. Focus your responses on the questions or issues being discussed,
not on the individuals involved. Be constructive with your criticism, not hurtful. Review your
messages before sending them. Remove easily misinterpreted language and proofread for typos.
Respect other people’s privacy. Don’t broadcast online discussions, and never reveal other
people’s e-mail addresses.
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