False River Academy

Students at False River Academy are participating in an exciting program offered by the state called the Louisiana Virtual School.  The Louisiana Virtual School (LVS) provides standards-based high school courses delivered through the internet.  The purpose of the program is for small schools to give their students the chance to enroll in a wide variety of courses that they would not normally be able to take.  Any high school student is eligible to participate in the program.

The extensive list of the courses that are offered includes such subjects as Astronomy, Digital Graphics and Animation, Game Design, Psychology, Web Mastering, and Math Skills Review.  There are also many AP and dual-enrollment classes offered through LVS.  Some of the students at False River Academy are enrolled in dual-enrollment classes and will complete the year having earned 3 to 6 hours of college credit. The Virtual School also has a credit recovery program for students who were unsuccessful in earning a credit in a regular course.

LVS provides the materials, course content, and the teachers for the courses.  

The students at FRA are enjoying the online courses so far.  After a period of orientation, in which they learned how to navigate Blackboard, Wimba, MathXL, and other programs, they are completing their assignments with ease and actively learning exciting new material.  Andrew Fields, a student who enrolled in the Digital Graphics and Animation class said, “I like the LVS classes because I can work at my own pace and I am learning interesting new things that I can’t learn in the other classes at FRA.”

“I have never seen anything engage the students like these online classes. The technology used gives the students instant feedback and gratification when they master concepts and skills,” said Ms. Lisa LeBlanc, the facilitator of the Virtual School at FRA.

Considering the success of the LVS this year, False River expects the program to expand in the upcoming years.