Middle School

 

Arise Virtual Academy middle school is a free option for students in 6 through 8th grade. This innovative learning model allows students to work both online and offline through engaging learning activities.

Middle school students may take some or all their courses with ARISE Virtual Academy (AVA). Families are also able to choose how students experience their courses. Students can move together following the traditional school calendar through AVA Full Time or take individual courses with AVA Part time, following a more flexible schedule and start any time during the year. Traditionally, each course is designed to cover 18 weeks of work. The web-based curriculum allows students to work online and submit their daily work as they move through the lessons. Students are provided lesson plans for each day of the school week to ensure they practice the necessary skills to move to the next grade level.

Daily Web Conferencing (Google Meet) sessions add additional layers of support and instruction through live interactive lessons, led by your child’s teacher. This is a time for students to participate with their teacher and grade-level classmates to gain a deeper understanding about the subject matter being taught. Students enjoy this activity and it provides collaboration with fellow grade-level classmates while cementing learning for all age levels.

As a public school district, AVA School offers a number of different online learning options to students.

 

Wisconsin Residents: AVA is tuition free to Wisconsin residents.

Out-of-state Students: Students that live outside Wisconsin or the U.S. can take AVA courses on a tuition basis.

 

All Wisconsin residents are eligible to be enrolled in ARISE Virtual Academy

Daily coursework is required, students must complete and pass all course work.

 

A student with a disability who otherwise meets the acceptance criteria of an online program, class, or virtual school may not be turned away solely because the student has a disability. When considering the application of a student with a disability, the district must consider reasonable accommodations that could be made to allow the student to participate in the program.  If the student has been found eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) the district must consider whether the services required by the student’s individualized educational program could be reasonably implemented. 

Students with disabilities or impairments enrolled in AVA Flex must work with their district of enrollment to receive any necessary ESE services, related services, evaluations, annual reviews, re-evaluations, and initial eligibility determinations. Please note that AVA Part time does not provide any of these services or evaluations. Students/families are encouraged to communicate regularly with their teachers to determine whether the virtual educational environment can appropriately meet the needs of the student. AVA Part time offers a grace period for families to determine if the online environment is an appropriate fit. Please be sure to discuss the limitations of this grace period with your AVA teacher immediately upon enrollment in AVA Part time.

Required items are:

• Dedicated workspace
• Reliable internet connection

• All ARISE students are issued an SDJ Chromebook but are welcome to use their own device if preferred. Note that Apple tablet computers do not work (they are incompatible) with the online curriculum provided through ARISE

• Scanner or mobile telephone or another device to capture images of assignments for uploading/submitting to ARISE

• Student supplies (list distributed by each teacher)

• OPTIONAL: The Chromebook issued by the SDJ to ARISE students has built-in speakers, a microphone, and a webcam to participate in Class Time and online discussions. Students may opt to use their own plug-in headphones or microphone

 

You can expect to spend about 90 percent of your time working on computer-based activities and the remainder will be spent putting those learned skills into action with hands-on activities.

Computer-based activities: reading, interactive learning tools, listening to audio clips, and watching videos.

AVA partners with parents to ensure student success. Parents regularly connect with teachers and can review student progress and grades at any time. Parents of elementary-age students are more hands-on and involved in guiding students and assisting with projects or schoolwork that may be completed both on and away from the computer. This on-site supervision and support are critical in the early years, while students in older grades begin to work more independently.

 

Parents are required to monitor their student daily, ensure students are making weekly progress in the course, ensure their student is learning the content, and help their student navigate through the course.

Yes, AVA values parents as partners. Although AVA teachers deliver regular instruction, parents are an integral part in their student’s education. Teachers are also available for personalized, one-on-one instruction throughout the week as needed, however younger students may require additional parental supervision and support in course navigation and proceeding through coursework. It is important for the parent to ensure their child is completing his/her own work so teachers know how to provide additional learning support.

During registration, you will create your child’s Student Account and your Parent/Guardian Account. From approving course requests to monitoring progress, this Parent/Guardian Account allows you to have a hands-on approach to your child’s academic life at AVA.

Some questions you can ask yourself to determine if this is the right program for you include:

Does my student enjoy working online?

Will I be willing to make sure my student stays on task and keeps pace with the assignments?

If the answers are yes, AVA Elementary may be the right fit for your family!