VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virtual learning came into the spotlight in 2020, but Virtual Virginia was an alternative instruction method well before it became a statewide necessity.
Brian Mott, the program's executive director, said the system has been teaching Virginia students since 2006.
"When you're around for a long time you learn from history, you learn from your challenges and you move forward," he said. "A lot of the challenges we saw school divisions encountering last year, Virtual Virginia encountered those same challenges over a decade ago."
Virtual Virginia is a statewide online learning platform that has partnered with many schools throughout Hampton roads to provide an online learning option for students K-12.
The program will continue to be offered in local school divisions in different ways, supplementing in some while taking the reins in others.
There will be one aspect that remains true across the board.
"The biggest thing is that every learner is affiliated with their school system, we feel that's so critical," Mott said.
The students will remain connected with their home school, even being allowed to participate in extra-curriculars.
One of those systems? Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kipp Rogers said Virtual Virginia will provide an option for families that aren't ready to return to in-person classrooms.
"They really know how to do virtual teaching and they offer great support for our families," he said, extolling the Virtual Virginia experience.
Kipp said he'd like to see as many students as possible back at school in the fall, but knows those who chose to stay home are in good hands.
Newport News's Dr. Tina Manglicmot said students who were not ready to come back could do one semester of Virtual Virginia, and then return to the classroom for the next.
That school division will also offer a Virtual Learning Academy that allows for a longer commitment to virtual learning, and utilized Newport News educators with supplemental help from Virtual Virginia.
A former employee with the Virginia Department of Education, Manglicmont worked closely with the program.
"The advantage of Virtual Virginia class is the opportunity to work with students across the state, you don't get that often. You have the opportunity to take a lot of courses that may not be offered in your school system," she said. "And I think that it affords the student that choice, how quickly do I want to learn... it really is giving that student a lot of agency over how they're learning."
Mott said Virtual Virginia allows students to remain affiliated with their regular schools, with some differences.
"Students have the flexibility to determine when they do their work," she said. "They have free time, but they also have due dates, so that gives the students agency over the time and space they choose to do it."
Hampton, Chesapeake and Norfolk Public Schools all told 13Newsnow that they would also offer some form of Virtual Virginia course work to their students to help with virtual learning.