It All - K12.com

XPotential
THE
LEARNING WITHOUT BARRIERS
Winter 2009
It All
Adds
s
Up
Introducing
K12
Elementary
Math+
Assessments
personalize
student
learning
From the Mind of Bror
Is My Child Learning
Too Slowly?
By Bror Saxberg, K12 chief learning officer
you in midyear, trying to figure out how you’re doing.
I am reminded of a mom who talked with me at an Expo last spring. She had
brought her middle school son along with her, a shy lad with a smile under a backwardturned baseball cap, with baggy jeans and hands stuffed deep in his pockets.
After letting me know how things were going, she paused. She then rushed out
the question she had been waiting to ask me, with her son at her side: “My son is a
good kid—works really hard, studies hard, spends the time. But he takes a long time
to really get it—he has to work so hard to get there,” she said. “Should we be worried? Is this still OK?”
Her unspoken question: “Am I doing the right thing for my son, seeing how
hard it is for him, now?”
I looked at the boy, and from under his cap, he smiled nervously: “Yes, sir, it takes me a while to
get there, but I do get there,” he said.
I looked at the mom and the boy, and thought about the cognitive science I knew—about
expertise, and how it requires practice, lots of practice. About the evidence that later expertise is
only lightly related to early promise, but hugely related to work and practice over an extended period
of time. Simply put, it’s not so much where you start, but how much you’re willing to work.
And I was able to tell the mom, “Don’t you worry. As long as your son is mastering what he’s set
out to master, his experience being confused and figuring it out, over and over again, will make him
one of the most valuable people anyone could ever work with.”
Think about it—whom do we value most around us at work or to do work? Those who “get it
done”—those who reliably “figure it out,” whom we can trust not to let things slip, but to sort out
complex problems none of us have seen before, without panic.
So don’t spare your kids from being challenged by the K12 program. Support them. Help them,
yes, but let them learn what it feels like to be challenged with academics, perhaps a bit confused,
and then overcome this—over and over again.
It’s a gift for your children that will change a lifetime!
Happy New Year!
2
THINKSTOCK IMAGES/JUPITER IMAGES
AS THE NEW YEAR BEGINS, I AM THINKING ABOUT MANY OF
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Herndon, Virginia 20171
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xPotential
\ ek-spә-’ten(t)-shә-l \ n (2007)
1: the innate “possibility factor”
unique to every child < hard
work and the right education
can unlock and completely
develop a child’s ~ >
2: LIFE PROMISE; LIFE
POSSIBILITY 3: the personal,
visceral and intellectual
zenith that a child can reach
by immersing herself in the
passionate combination
of cognitive science,
individualized learning
approaches, and rich,
engaging content found in
the K12 curriculum.
Table of
Contents
Winter 2009
From the Mind of Bror | p
Is my child learning too slowly?
K12 Closeups | p
4
Meet the Likness and McClintock families
Thoughts on Learning | p
What history can teach us
Count on It | p
6
7
10
Introducing K12 Elementary Math+
Tailor-Made | p
New assessments personalize learning
for every student
Class Acts | p
12
K12 educators Theresa Bruns and Victoria Horton
practice empowered education
News & Notes | p
Highlights from K12’s virtual
public schools
We want to hear
from you!
E-mail feedback and
article ideas to
[email protected]
2
14
Get Connected | p
16
Connect with fellow families traveling the K12 road
Editorial and Design Management
Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. K12®, as
registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
and the K12 logo and design are trademarks and
service marks of Web Names, Inc., and are used by
K12 Inc., pursuant to a license. Unleash The xPotential
is a trademark and service mark of K12 Inc.
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3
K Closeups
12
The Likness
Family
CHEF’S DELIGHT
It is a Thursday morning,
Home:
Woodstock, Ga.
School:
Georgia Virtual Academy
Pets:
2 dogs, 2 cats
Favorite Dinner:
Marinated New York strip
steak with roasted red
potatoes
Favorite Family Movie:
Elf
Favorite Book:
(tie) Little House on the
Prairie series and Nancy
Drew series
4
and 8-year-old Alyssa “Lizzie
Marie” Likness is busy in the
kitchen of her family’s Woodstock, Ga., home, cooking up her
latest goodies made with fresh and
healthy ingredients. With the help
of her parents, Lizzie has transformed
Lizzie Marie, 8; Doreen & Jeremy
her interest in cooking into a promising
enterprise, Lizzie Marie Cuisine.
Since 2006, the business has blossomed from
sales at a summer farmers market to her own Web site featuring Lizzie’s cooking demonstrations, kids’ cooking classes at a local community center, and appearances on local television stations and at the annual Taste of Atlanta, alongside other well-known local
and national chefs.
“I love cooking, and I have a passion for other things, too, like horseback riding. I really like drawing fashions,” says the young entrepreneur and “chief culinary officer.” “One of those things I would
love to do when I grow up, but right now my top priority is to be a chef,” says Lizzie.
Education is another priority for the Likness family. Mom Doreen homeschooled Lizzie when
the family moved to Georgia in 2006. When the state opened the Georgia Virtual Academy (GVA),
Doreen immediately enrolled her daughter, thinking it would provide Lizzie the flexibility she needed
to continue to run her business while being continually challenged at school.
“GVA allows a student to move ahead in the grade levels once they’ve mastered the current curriculum,” Doreen explains. “On the flip side, those families who have a student who needs to spend
more time to master the curriculum, they can do it at their own pace.”
A fourth-grade student, Lizzie excels at language arts, studies history, and enjoys math and science.
Lizzie likes to focus on one subject every day and cover three to four lessons at a time. On one day,
for example, Lizzie might read stories and then answer questions to show her reading comprehension;
on another, she might tackle two- and three-digit multiplication lessons.
The skills Lizzie cultivates through her business also translate into school credit. “A lot of times
when she’s doing a business event, that counts toward a health lesson because she’s teaching people
how to identify what healthy foods are and what to do with them,” Doreen says. Cooking lessons also
offer lessons in math and science, such as multiplication and division required for doubling or halving
recipes, or the chemical reactions that occur when active baking ingredients combine.
Sometimes the business is a source of simpler life lessons, such as how to price baked goods based
on the cost of the ingredients. Lizzie also accompanied her parents to the bank to open up a business
banking account. “She got to learn how to write a check and fill out a deposit slip,” Doreen says.
Now in her second year with GVA, Lizzie has become more mature and independent with her
studies, Doreen says, and she’s enjoying more online Elluminate sessions with her teacher, Diane
Smoke, and with other GVA students. Lizzie also meets other GVA students in person through
school field trips and Girl Scout activities. “Socially, she has such a busy calendar,” Doreen says. “Just
because we school at home doesn’t mean she’s in a bubble.”
The McClintock
Family
LOVING LIFE
Nothing stops 10-year-old Elisabeth
McClintock from enjoying life—not her tiny
62-pound frame, not the medications and treatments she must undergo daily, and not her cystic
fibrosis (CF).
“I like to study animals and plants,” says
Elisabeth, an outgoing, self-described tomboy. “I
want to be a veterinarian when I grow up.”
Mom Deborah always enjoyed homeschooling her three children—Abigail, 16, Andrew, 13,
and Elisabeth—but she wanted to give them a
more challenging curriculum. So, five years ago,
she enrolled her older children in the Arkansas
Virtual Academy (ARVA).
“I also wanted more accountability,” Deborah
explains. “The K12 curriculum pushes reading,
math, and especially English. The homeschooling curriculum I was using would skip diagramming sentences,” for instance. The K12 curriculum starts sentence diagramming in second or
third grade.
For Elisabeth, a fifth-grader, her medical
condition makes virtual learning even more
valuable.
CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects
the lung and digestive systems in about 30,000
adults and children in the United States. It commonly leads to life-threatening lung infections.
“The virtual academy gives us the flexibility to work with her many doctors” at several
appointments each month, says Deborah.
“Whenever Elisabeth has a lung flare-up, she
could be hospitalized for weeks. Last year, she
was in the hospital for 18 days. It’s just easier for
me to access her lessons right from the computer
at the hospital. It’s great to be able to do that.”
Now in her third year with ARVA, Elisabeth
wakes up every morning at 7:30 a.m., so that her
mom can remove the night feeding tube. She
eats breakfast and takes a round of medicines,
followed by 30 to 40 minutes of lung treatment.
During their morning ritual, Deborah
and Elisabeth review the lesson plans to be
Hey Did You Know?
accomplished that day. Then Elisabeth does her
schoolwork until lunchtime, then chores and
play before finishing her schoolwork for the
day—usually by 3:30 p.m.
Other days are less than typical. On a recent
Monday, Elisabeth spent six hours at the hospital participating in a new phase-three drug study,
alongside 140 other CF patients. “We took all
her school books with us to the hospital, and she
did her schoolwork in between all the doctors
and nurses coming in. The flexibility is great to
be able to do that,” Deborah says.
Back home, ARVA administrators make
it easy for Elisabeth to visit regular schools
for state testing and other functions given her
special needs. “She needs to be tested in a smallgroup setting, she needs to be allowed to bring a
snack, she needs to have hand sanitizer and not
be near a sick child,” Deborah explains. To make
sure those needs were met, ARVA held an online
Elluminate session with Deborah. In one hour,
they drafted a special-needs plan for Elisabeth.
Medical circumstances aside, Deborah says
she prefers ARVA over bricks-andmortar schools because of the
individualized attention that
parents and virtual school
teachers can provide.
“You know what your
child’s strengths and
weaknesses are
without having to
wait for a report
card,” she says.
“Every day, you
have the feedback to know
what your child
needs to work
on. You can’t
beat that when it
comes to educating your child.”
A microgram is one-millionth of a gram.
Home:
North Little Rock, Ark.
School:
Arkansas Virtual Academy (ARVA)
Pets:
2 dogs, 2 cats
Favorite Dinner:
Tacos
Favorite Family Movie:
(tie) High School Musical and Night
at the Museum
Favorite Book:
Old Yeller
Elisabeth, 10;
Andrew, 13; Abigail,
16; Deborah &
Timothy
5
Thoughts on Learning
Déjà Vu and the
Future, Too
What history can teach us
One of my jobs at K12 is to edit other people’s writing. Recently, I received a batch of
text to edit. The article features a discussion of “a widespread economic collapse”
and describes how people raced to assign
blame for the problem. The text points
out that the blamers “overlooked a critical cause—the overextension of borrowing
and investment that had drawn so many
people into the crisis.”
What is this text I’m editing—a report
on our recent subprime mortgage crisis
and multibillion-dollar bailout? The words
certainly fit. News reports refer all too
often to “the overextension of borrowing
and investment” or some close variation on
that theme.
But the text I’m editing is not about
our nation’s present-day economic woes.
Rather, it’s from a book in progress for
K12’s high school U.S. History course. In
particular, it’s about the Panic
of 1819, the first major
downturn in what
would prove to be
6
an ongoing economic cycle of boom and
bust in American history.
When I came across the passage about
“a widespread economic collapse” brought
on by “the overextension of borrowing and
investment,” I had that disconcerting feeling of “déjà vu all over again.” Indeed, as I
continue to edit this U.S. History book, I
keep coming across accounts of past events
that seem like they could have been lifted
from this morning’s newspaper.
Our country, for example, recently went
through a long presidential campaign that
included some negative campaigning on
both sides. It’s little consolation to know
that negative campaigning has a long tradition in American politics, starting pretty
much after George Washington left office.
During the 1828 campaign between John
Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson,
Adams’ supporters accused Jackson of
bigamy, while Jackson’s supporters accused
Adams of furnishing the White House
with “royal extravagances,” such as a massive billiard table, at taxpayers’ expense.
As I edit this U.S. History book and
experience frequent little shocks of recognition, two well-worn phrases
come to mind: (1) Those who
don’t know the past are
condemned to repeat
it, and (2) history
repeats itself.
Those two familiar propositions do not
necessarily lead to the conclusion that history repeats itself simply because too few
people know the past. Even if students
everywhere acquired Ph.D.-level knowledge
of history before graduating high school, we
could confidently expect that mankind—
complex and flawed creatures that we
are—would continue to repeat old errors
and destructive patterns. Unfortunately, the
statement “Those who don’t know the past
are condemned to repeat it” is not matched
by a counterpart, “Those who understand
the past can predict the future.”
Knowing the past will not prevent us
from repeating it—students of history will
continue to experience sensations of déjà
vu. But in challenging times like our own,
knowledge of history can help us understand the nature of current problems and
challenges.
Although we may feel that the challenges facing us are unique to this time
and place, often we find that others have
faced similar obstacles before. Knowledge
of history can shed light on current predicaments. Students, citizens, and political
leaders can all benefit from knowing what
has been tried, what has been possible,
what has failed—and what has succeeded.
TOOGA/GETTY IMAGES
By John Holdren, K12’s senior vice president for content and curriculum
count
on
it
STEVE ALLEN/JUPITER IMAGES; THINKSTOCK IMAGES/JUPITER IMAGES; TERRY VINE/JUPITER IMAGES
Introducing K +
Elementary Math
12
A
t K12, we pride ourselves on providing our students—your kids—
with the best possible learning opportunities.
That’s why we are developing Elementary Math+, K12’s first-ever math
program designed from the ground up.
Built for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, our latest offering
7
takes the same research-based approach that has proved so
successful with our other curricular programs and applies it to
mathematics instruction.
The new program is a combination of online and offline
activities, manipulatives, parent and teacher guides, assessments,
and other research-based learning materials. It melds the latest
cognitive science with the individualized instruction K12 families
count on to help their students achieve content mastery.
But it’s more than just our proven approach that sets Elementary Math+ apart. Students will find the program appealing
because it engages them in new ways.
serena
A Partner in
Math
At K12, we’re big believers in the maxim “encouragement for
effort brings success.” Parents and teachers are an important cog in any child’s support network. But students also
need encouraging voices to which they can relate. That’s why
we’ve created seven animated characters, or learning partners,
designed to accompany each student through our math lessons.
There’s Rosa, a Hispanic-American, who likes
to play dress-up. She plays piano and guitar and
loves to sing. Ron is an entrepreneur from Los
Angeles who enjoys sports and has a pet frog.
Bror is a real whiz at science, although pretty
challenged by mathematics. Serena loves Sudoku
puzzles and can calculate almost anything in her
head. Alexander is a wordsmith with a flair for
gardening. Johnny is an animal lover and history
buff. And Winnie is a fast-talking tomboy from
Denver, a real “You can do it; try harder” type.
Each character has his or her own personality and cultural background. The characters
age alongside the student, becoming
older—and even a bit wiser—as
learners move through the
program.
bror
ron
8
New
Look
and Feel
Whether your student is new or a veteran
of the K12 approach, he or she will experience learning math as never before. An
array of bright colors, animated designs,
and learning paths customized for students
lend Elementary Math+ its signature appeal.
Whether your student is learning measurement through a series of printed manipulatives or exploring place value and basic problem
solving by way of one of our many animated online
adventures, each lesson brims with the kind of energy
and excitement that promises to keep your student’s
mind humming.
Customized learning paths provide the “plus” in
Elementary Math+. The new program is adaptive, which
means that it changes to meet your student’s academic needs.
Through a series of brief, on-the-spot assessments, the program gauges students’ mastery of important math concepts
and prerequisites and helps ensure they have what they need to
move forward.
How We Are
Building It
Like everything at K12, Elementary Math+ is rooted in
research—lots of it.
Before a single Elementary Math+ lesson was designed, K12’s
team of educational experts pored over the latest and greatest cognitive science research to determine the most effective
approach to teaching elementary mathematics.
“We knew there was enough research and work waiting
to be put to use to make a difference,” says K12 Chief Learning Officer Bror Saxberg. K12’s original math program pulled
materials consistent with research from a variety of sources
and textbook publishers—and it worked well, he says. But K12’s
educators and developers believed they could build an even
stronger program from
scratch.
That belief was
reinforced in March
2008 when the
U.S. Department of
Education’s National
Mathematics Advisory
Panel, a commission of
the nation’s brightest
minds in mathematics
research and instruction,
released its muchanticipated report
detailing the most
important elements of
effective math instruction. In addition to
specific summaries of
effective research, the
panel concluded effective curriculum needs to balance fluency
in operations and algorithms, conceptual
understanding, and extensive experience,
applying both to problems of all sorts.
The entire Elementary Math+ program is predicated on
bringing these principles alive. Research, though, is just one
part of a much larger educational equation. Unlike traditional textbook programs or fully online instructional models,
Elementary Math+ integrates a diverse combination of printand computer-based materials together with a common design
and research sensibility, striking a happy balance that reaches
students no matter their learning style.
To ensure success wherever students are located, important
state and national learning standards are kept in mind. And
continuity throughout the different grade levels provides for a
seamless transition from level to level, or what we like to call
“stepping stones” to content mastery.
Elementary Math+ combines what is best about our work:
engaging multimedia, coordinated online and offline components, and the most recent cognitive science research—all
in a single, simple-to-use learning package that delivers the
important skills needed to succeed.
As your partner in learning, K12 is always thinking about
your student’s future and how to leverage the latest technology
and science to get them there.
Count on it!
9
Tailor-Made
New assessments personalize learning
for every student
10
a particular grade. Every student takes a different academic path,
which makes this approach perfect for measuring how far your child
has come. (For more on K12’s adaptive testing, see sidebar on page 11.)
The second part of our assessment package is the Scantron
Achievement Series. These brief, on-the-spot assessments (each one
takes about 30 minutes) are used to determine students’ mastery of
important state content standards.
Parents today often groan at the notion of standards. That’s understandable. After all, such discussions typically segue into debates over
mandatory state testing—and a certain “teach-to-the-test” philosophy, the very approach so many of our families have sought to avoid.
At K12, we don’t teach to the test; we teach to the individual.
Still, it is important for all students to master these standards.
K12 schools are public charter schools and, as a result, are held to the
same—if not higher—academic standards as their bricks-and-mortar
counterparts. No parent wants their child to do poorly on these tests.
We want our students to be prepared, to walk into these tests feeling
confident, and to leave knowing they performed well.
Why We Do It
At K12, we firmly believe that every student is capable of making
tremendous gains; we also believe every student should have a clearly
defined path for growth over the course of the school year. These
assessments help us chart that path.
K12 Senior Director of Academic Services Jennifer Sims puts it this
way: “Scantron is a tool; it’s not a test. These assessments inform us
about a student’s level of achievement so that we can make good decisions about moving that student forward in a way that is customized
to their particular learning needs.”
The idea: to help teachers further tailor instruction to the needs
of their students. Says Sims, “These tools provide us with very highly
individualized information right at the beginning of the school year
so that immediately, from the minute those results are available, teachers and the parents can work together to make sure that their student’s
likely strengths and weaknesses are addressed.”
On a broader scale, the information K12 collects from each assessment helps us evaluate the quality of our instruction and effectiveness
of our overall approach to teaching and learning. We’ve got more than
40,000 students within various K12 learning environments across the
DORLING KINDERSLEY/GETTY IMAGES; JESSICA MILLER/JUPITER IMAGES
They say a picture is worth a thousand
words. At K12, we’ve been working to create
a new kind of picture—one worth much
more than that.
Imagine a camera that would allow you
to take a snapshot of your student’s academic progress, similar to how a well-timed
photograph captures a memory, right down
to the smile on your child’s face. That nifty
camera then would allow you to create a personalized learning plan tailored specifically
to your student’s academic needs. It might
sound too good to be true. But that’s exactly
the kind of ability K12 provides teachers and
learning coaches through its latest batch of
student assessments from Scantron.
We know what you’re thinking: more
tests? We already do online assessments; students already participate in mandatory state
exams—do we really need more tests?
We’re glad you asked. K12 is committed
to providing the best possible educational
experience for your child, and that’s precisely
what these new assessments help us to do.
The first component of our assessment
package features the Scantron Performance
Series. A pair of assessments given once in
the fall and once in the spring, the Performance Series helps us measure academic
gains throughout the year.
These so-called adaptive assessments
adjust to each student’s knowledge level, giving teachers and learning coaches an accurate
academic snapshot of their academic understanding relative to their grade level.
Here’s how it works: By prescribing the
assessment twice during the course of the
school year, K12 is able to gauge students’ individual understanding coming into and exiting
country. The information we collect
from each student goes a long way
in helping us understand which
parts of those environments are
clicking and which parts need more
work. Everything from teacher conferences to Elluminate sessions to
individual student and group learning activities are informed—and,
we hope, bettered—by the results.
Setting the Record
Straight—and Making
Time
Folks have a tendency to confuse
assessment with high-stakes testing. K12 wants to be clear that
our assessments are not
high-stakes tests.
They are used
simply to
help
parents and teachers better meet students’ individual needs and are not a determining factor in
a child’s success or grade-level advancement.
We understand, of course, that these assessments take time. As K12 families, we know how
much you value the flexibility that comes with
our curriculum. That’s why we’ve made it possible for students to take these assessments when
and where it’s most convenient for them. Each
assessment is delivered online, and students
even are able to take breaks and come back to
test items in the event that their schedules don’t
allow them to complete an entire assessment
in one sitting. We want these assessments to
become an integrated part of the total learning
experience, and not something that is viewed as
an addition to other requirements.
Here at K12, it all boils down to one thing:
creating a better kind of education,
one student at a time.
Adaptive Testing?
What’s That?
The Scantron Performance Series
Assessment—the pre- and post-test your
student is asked to take once in the fall
and once in the spring—is what’s more
commonly referred to as an adaptive
test. What does that mean exactly? In
short, adaptive tests are designed to
help us measure academic growth
over time. The word “adaptive”
means each question a student
receives depends upon his or her
answer to the question or questions
directly before it. Each test adapts
to the individual student’s level of
understanding. This is important
because it helps us quickly gauge
where students are on the learning
curve in both math and language
arts. The results, in turn, help
teachers and learning coaches
adjust their approach to the
needs of the student.
Some Tips:
• Resist the urge to help
your student. Each test is
dependent upon an accurate
read of your child’s individual
understanding.
• Remember, these tests
adapt to your student’s level
of understanding. The more
they know, the harder the
questions are likely to be.
• More advanced students
typically take longer
to complete Scantron
adaptive assessments the
first time. If they know
a lot about a topic, the
system needs to ask a
lot more questions to
find their true level of
understanding.
11
Class Acts
Empowered
Education
¿Hablas Español?
How language opens up the brain
• The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Atonement Child
by Francine Rivers
• A Map of the World
by Jane Hamilton
Theresa Bruns can
attest to the many
benefits students
gain by studying
language.
coming on board at K12 and
says she is proud that the seven AP students
she has taught for the past four years are poised to
graduate and go on to college.
Like all K12 teachers, Bruns says one of the many
benefits of the school is the connection between
teachers, students, and parents. “When I started, I
didn’t know how well I would get to know my students. But then I found that I quickly got to know
them all pretty well,” she says, adding, “When I talk
to parents, I can truly say that I understand what
they are going through, because I can personally
relate to their experience.”
¡HOLA!
Hey Did You Know?
12
The Mona Lisa was painted over a three-year period
between 1503 and 1506.
Mastering a language requires interaction with
others. It’s the continued practice of dialogue that
helps students grasp dialect and the subtleties of
tone and nuance. Bruns says the K12 program combines a rich, immersive, interactive language cur-
THINKSTOCK IMAGES/JUPITER IMAGES
Theresa’s Bookshelf:
• We Were the Mulvaneys
by Joyce Carol Oates
Ohio Virtual Academy teacher Theresa Bruns
knows that self-motivated students master a
language more easily than others. And when you
have a Spanish-language teacher such as Bruns,
who is excited about the K12 program, that’s a
one-two combination for success.
Bruns, who has taught K12 high school Spanish
for four years, “fell in love” with the program when
she and her husband enrolled their three children
in K12.
“I wanted to be home with the kids, and we felt
that the K12 program was the best out there,” she
says. A public-school Spanish teacher for 22 years,
Bruns decided four years ago to join the K12 teaching ranks. Today, she teaches high school Spanish
I, II, and III, as well as the Advanced Placement
(AP) course. Bruns launched the AP program after
riculum with “real-world” experiences.
Whether students learn a language in a traditional classroom or a virtual setting, Bruns says,
“They still ask the same questions or don’t ‘get’ the
same things.” The difference is that many K12 students do not have daily contact with other students
in a bricks-and-mortar setting. That’s why they
need to go the extra step and seek out daily contact
to practice conversation.
“We have weekly audio assignments, and the
students speak Spanish when they come to my
class,” explains Bruns, adding, “We’ll get together
and go to lunch or dinner to a Spanish restaurant
and practice. I have students who tell me that they
seek out Spanish-speaking people in their neighborhoods to practice conversation.”
Throughout her teaching career, Bruns has found
that students who study a language perform better
in other subjects, too. “It’s amazing how learning a
language opens up their brains. They do better in
other subjects, and it also makes them more culturally aware,” she says.
Paradigm Shift
THINKSTOCK IMAGES/JUPITER IMAGES
Education that makes a difference
Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary defines “paradigm shift” as a “fundamental change in approach
or assumptions.” Victoria Horton, regional program coordinator for California Virtual Academies
(CAVA) uses that same term to describe a K12
education.
“Traditional education is a one-way approach,
but that’s like saying there is only one way to get
from California to New York,” says Horton. “Many
students today have different agendas that don’t
work in a rigid traditional school setting. Now
there are choices—more educational paths to get
where they need to go.”
Horton says one of the most interesting aspects
of her job is discovering that every family has different reasons for choosing a K12 education.
“Fundamentally, it’s about empowerment.
Maybe students weren’t getting their needs met at
a traditional school,” she says. “Not everybody fits
into a box…kids have so many wonderful dreams
and hopes. Now they have choices about their education and can set their own path.”
As CAVA regional program coordinator, Horton’s job is akin to an assistant principal. “Every day
is unique, but my first priority, ultimately, is supporting families, and I do that by working with teachers and administrators—collaborating to make sure
our families’ needs are being met,” she says.
A K12 staff member for four years,
Horton started as a lead teacher and for
the past two years has served in her current position, where she is responsible
for K12’s Los Angeles region—serving
some 2,000 students and 80 teachers.
Horton describes her job as fun,
because she gets to work with families, teachers, regional teachers, and
administrators. “Every day is a little
bit different,” she says. “The daily
interaction and collaboration that
goes on is all about supporting the
families—parents may not see it
because it’s behind the scenes, but
that’s our first priority,” she says.
An advocate of virtual education, Horton knows firsthand how
a nontraditional education can
make a positive difference in a
family. As a former teacher in La
Puente, Calif., where the majority of residents are Hispanic and
20 percent fall below the poverty
line, Horton recalls the struggles of teaching.
“About 70 percent of the students were English learners, and the priorities were on the basics,
but the kids were so hungry for enrichment and
resources,” she recalls. “And then during one of our
K12 open house events for prospective students, a
family from La Puente attended, and I got chills
because I knew that our amazing, enriched curriculum would change their lives”—the true definition
of a paradigm shift.
Victoria Horton
sees the big
picture of virtual
education.
Victoria’s Bookshelf:
Favorite nonfiction:
• John Adams
by David McCullough
Favorite fiction:
• My Antonia
by Willa Cather
13
News & Notes
WASHINGTON VIRTUAL ACADEMIES
WAVA students are reaping the rewards from teachers’ recent online Elluminate training
sessions. K12’s Guadalupe VanDerPloeg spent three days training teachers about the
benefits of using Elluminate as a teaching tool for K–12 students. WAVA extends its
congratulations to two teachers for earning their National Board Certificates! Joy Roth and
Karen Knowles are just two of the exceptional teachers working with WAVA students. In
December, WAVA held several Winterland of Gingerbread events across the state. Families
designed, built, and showcased gingerbread houses as part of a gingerbread village
displayed at local ice-skating rinks. In an effort to give back to the community, students also
have set a lofty goal of collecting 2,008 canned goods to be distributed by local food banks
throughout the state.
NEVADA VIRTUAL ACADEMY
NVVA families across the state recently joined in some school fun and
outings to celebrate the changing of the seasons. Events included
school pictures, fall festivals, gingerbread events, and book clubs. NVVA
also made preparations for geography and spelling bees as well as
statewide science fairs. It’s been a busy season indeed for NVVA, packed
with fun, lots of learning, and a bit of state testing, too.
CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL ACADEMIES
CAVA has experienced dynamic growth
and recently introduced two new heads of
school. Katrina Abston is CAVA’s southern
region head of schools, which includes schools
chartered in San Diego, Los Angeles, Kern, and
Kings counties. Pam Jonidis is head of schools
for CAVA’s northern region, which includes
schools chartered in Jamestown, San Joaquin,
San Mateo, Sonoma, and Sutter County. CAVA
continues to offer statewide events for current
CAVA families and those interested in learning
more about CAVA. CAVA’s Java Socials are
always a big hit; parents enjoy connecting with
other CAVA parents to share ideas, strategies,
and stories. With spring 2009 just around the
corner, CAVA is busily planning several Open
Houses, where families will be invited to get
together within their local communities and
participate in social activities. CAVA staff also
look forward to hosting a series of Demo Days
later this spring.
14
Hey Did You Know?
The Nancy Drew Files series of books started in 1986.
ARIZONA VIRTUAL ACADEMY
Throughout the holiday season, AZVA hosted
several hot cocoa gatherings for families to
connect, chat, play games, and learn about the
school. But the brightest event of the season
took place in Yuma, where one of AZVA’s
teachers, Jena Kugel, coordinated a service
project, giving her students the chance to
prepare holiday gift baskets for families in
need. One of Kugel’s seventh-grade students
was so excited about the project that he
invited a local newspaper reporter to attend
the event. The reporter later published an
article in the Yuma Sun.
AGORA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL
Students in Agora Cyber Charter School are
headed for a Grand Slam school year. They led
off the first inning by attending orientations
held by teachers through online Elluminate
sessions in the early weeks of school. Big
hits came later with Back to School Picnics
at community and state parks throughout
Pennsylvania. At each picnic, students showed
their school pride by leaving an artistic print
on a regional banner. Those banners are
proudly displayed in our main office. During
each picnic, teachers led student activities,
while parents were provided an opportunity
to make their own connections by sharing tips,
tricks, and stories. The hits, no doubt, will keep
coming in the second half of the school year.
MINNESOTA VIRTUAL ACADEMY
MNVA enjoyed an awesome start to the
2008–2009 academic year! As the first semester
of the first year of MNVA High School comes
to a close, it’s encouraging to look back and
see how much has been accomplished in such
a short time. The year kicked off with several
Meet-and-Greet social events, including trips
to local museums, apple orchards, and bowling
alleys. MNVA High School established its first
schoolwide volunteering club, MNVA’s Helping
Hands, and is in the process of creating more.
MNVA High School held a series of Open House
and Ice-Cream Social events in December and
a schoolwide orientation at a local water park
in January. MNVA’s K–8 students have been
busy attending community-building events,
including an Open House at the zoo, children’s
theater performances, book clubs, workshops,
and more.
OHIO VIRTUAL ACADEMY
OHVA’s fall online and in-person events were well-attended and fun for
all who participated. Back to School Picnics, Fall Festivals, New Parent
Connection sessions, Meet-and-Greets, Ice-Cream Socials, a special Steve
Irwin Week online session from the Australia Zoo, Family Fun Days, and
more brought students and families together in a variety of settings.
And winter promises still more activities, including Barnes & Noble
Book Fairs, Spelling Bees, a Geography Bee, and Learning and Science
Fairs. Plus, OHVA’s Parent Training Academy and its Parent Steering
Committee are on hand and available to help see families through the
winter. Join OHVA’s newly created Booster Club to let others know about
OHVA and become an active member of the school community! Visit
www.k12.com/BoosterProgram/ohva for more information.
GEORGIA VIRTUAL ACADEMY
GVA is gearing up for another great year! GVA students just wrapped up a series of fun outings
designed to teach them about nature, zoo animals, and Georgia Civil War history. Many students
also recently visited local science museums to gain perspective and experience with hands-on
experiments. GVA students proudly celebrated with fellow student Zach Bonner on his 30-day
walk to end homelessness for children! The Cares Club team built a red wagon and collected
donations to further the cause. GVA also recently hosted several Reading Mornings across the
state. The events aimed to help students build confidence in reading out loud. GVA is working
with parents to help families develop skills in writing and math. The school also is holding a
series of Ice-Cream Socials and preparing for a trip to Washington, D.C., for the presidential
inauguration.
15
Get Connected
Get Connected
Connected—There’s no need for you and your child to go it alone—connect
with fellow families who are traveling the K12 road!
K12 Speaker Series
Series—Join experienced K12 parents online to learn more about how to
make the award-winning K12 curriculum work for you and your family. These sessions
use Elluminate Live!, a Web-based meeting tool, so you don’t even need to leave home
to attend!
To— e xPotential, our quarterly newsletter, is filled with artiThings to Look Forward To—Th
cles from our education experts, news about upcoming K12 events and contests, and hints
and tips to help make your education experience with K12 the best it can be!
Contests and Competitions
Competitions—We like to give our students the chance to show off their
talents, so we sponsor nationwide art contests, writing competitions, and more throughout
the year.
Communication
E-mails and Other Communication—We
send periodic postcards and e-mails to keep
you apprised of special offers, new courses, events, and lots more! And you can always opt
out if you don’t want to receive e-mails from us.
We’re delighted to have you in the K12 family. It’s our goal to help all students discover what they have inside themselves, and to help them unleash their xPotential!
DAVID JORDAN WILLIAMS/JUPITER IMAGES; DBIMAGE/JUPITER IMAGES
ThebigthinK12—The K12 Community Chest is transitioning into thebigthinK12. This
unique online community is the new place to experience Bror’s Blog, join our expert
speaker series, connect to other families on the K12 journey, and more.
HeyDid You Know?
Joseph Strauss designed the Golden Gate Bridge.
Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage
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Lebanon Junction, KY
Permit #615
2300 Corporate Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
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