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Virtual Independent Study Program

What is the MVLA Virtual Independent Study Program?
The MVLA Virtual Independent Study Program is an online, fully remote education program that is part of the Mountain View Los Altos Unified High School District. Students who opt-in to Virtual Independent Study Program in the 22-23 school year still remain enrolled in their school of residence. Students in the Virtual Independent Study Program are able to participate in graduation ceremonies and other extracurricular activities at their school of residence, and transcripts will reflect that they have taken the courses and graduated from "ImagineLearning Online Curriculum". One important note regarding the Virtual Independent Study Program is that its classes and teachers are through the online Education program ImagineLearning, not with MVHS or LAHS teachers. 
 
Format
The format of the Virtual Independent Study Program is entirely remote learning. The curriculum is provided through ImagineLearning. We use ImagineLearning teachers, who are CA credentialed, to provide the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Virtual Independent Study Program students are assigned to an MVLA Mentor Teacher, who will check in with students weekly via a synchronous zoom meeting to ensure they get the clarification, guidance, and support they need.
 
Curriculum & Instruction
Courses in the Virtual Independent Study Program adhere to common core and A-G standards. The lessons and curriculum are delivered asynchronously. The ImagineLearning platform provides us with the LMS in which their lessons are delivered as well as grades and progress monitoring. It is suggested that a student spend 5-6 hours a day (Monday - Friday) working in their Virtual Independent Study Program classes. Depending on the class, it takes about 50-70 hours to complete (which spread across the semester is about 5 hours a week for a class).
 
Student and Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
A flexible learning format and environment work very well for some students. However, the Virtual Independent Study Program will require a different commitment from students and families. While the program itself has built-in progress monitoring and many supports for students who may struggle, it is still very important for families to remain engaged in understanding the learning process. 
The Virtual Independent Study Program requires the student to be self-disciplined and self-motivated to go online and work in their classes each day on their own.