VirtualSC
In May 2006, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) launched the South Carolina Virtual School Program (SCVSP) pilot to explore the feasibility of virtual schooling for the state. The pilot was designed to give the SCDE the opportunity to test its online learning course management system, registration system, and quality assurance measure. The pilot gave the SCDE an opportunity to gauge the need for and response to the program around the state, as well as the SCDE’s strength in supporting other initiatives—such as high school redesign and adult education—and in meeting legislative mandates to give all students access to high-quality instruction.
The SCVSP pilot continued through July 2007, with collaboration from local school districts, adult education, career and technology education, and higher education to pool resources and offer a broad array of courses for South Carolina students. Assisting in the process was a program advisory committee, composed of SCDE personnel and district- and school-level educators from the pilot sites, charged with reviewing research on online learning, information from other state virtual programs, and feedback from the pilot sites to refine policies and procedures for the SCVSP.
In May 2007, legislation created the SCVSP at the SCDE and charged the State Board of Education with developing guidelines and regulations for the operation of the program. In December 2007 the State Board of Education approved the SCVSP Guidelines, which governed the implementation of the program. The initial legislation and regulations limited students to a maximum of 3 credits per school year and 12 credits maximum toward high school graduation.
In June 2013, the “Expanded Virtual Learning Act” was passed and signed by the Governor. The new revised legislation removed the caps on the units of credit a student may earn in one year or count towards a high school diploma. A student can now earn unlimited units of credit through the virtual school program. Additionally, the legislation allowed for a program name change to set the program apart as a statewide supplemental online learning program.
In August 2014, the South Carolina Virtual School Program was officially rebranded and renamed VirtualSC.
Since the program first began, VirualSC has provided South Carolina students access to distance, online, or virtual learning courses offered for an initial unit of high school credit. In addition, it has provided access to credit recovery programs for students who have been identified by a school district as not having received credit for a course previously taken or for students who have been identified as not likely to receive credit for a course in which the student is currently enrolled.
Projects and highlights:
- VirtualSC currently serves over 20,000 student enrollments per school year in over 90 diverse courses in all subject areas, including: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, and Career and Technical Education (CATE), as well as a few middle school offerings. VirtualSC offers Credit Recovery, AP, and College Prep level courses for high school credit.
- In Fall 2014, VirtualSC began an innovative approach to virtual instruction through the use of robots to provide virtual instruction to a class of students remotely by using one of the program’s highly qualified and licensed instructors. The pilot was started as a result of some schools across the state not being able to hire and retain licensed teachers to offer diverse courses to their students. To learn more about the pilot, visit: https://virtualsc.org/blog/
2014/11/19/virtualsc-pilots- the-use-of-robots-for-virtual- instruction/ - In addition to the robot initiative, VirtualSC offers schools a teacher and curriculum for a group of students through Virtual Learning Labs (VLLs). The purpose of a Virtual Learning Lab (VLL) is to provide an interactive, engaging online course solution to a South Carolina middle or high schools. Courses offered by VirtualSC are aligned to South Carolina state standards and are taught by Highly Qualified educators who are licensed by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). Virtual Learning Labs offer innovative learning solutions to your school, including the ability to introduce new courses, fix scheduling conflicts, and provide your students courses that may not otherwise be offered to them due to staffing issues or financial hardship. https://virtualsc.org/virtual-
learning-labs/ - In Fall 2014, VirtualSC began offering school districts throughout the state the ability to franchise course content through use of the Franchise Program. The Franchise Program was developed as a way to allow schools to quickly and easily expand their online course curriculum to address unique challenges throughout the state. Franchise districts will use their own teachers, but have access to all of VirtualSC’s online curriculum, student information system and Learning Management System (LMS) to start their own innovative programs. https://virtualsc.org/
franchise-program/ - VirtualSC offers elementary schools statewide a free virtual Keyboarding resource to help students learn how to key at a younger age. The goal of the resource is to help students learn proper typing skills in elementary school, so that they can take more advanced computer courses in high school, such as Computer Science, or Computer Programming. https://virtualsc.org/
elementary-keyboarding/
