Valley Christian High School is committed to living out our mission statement by providing a nurturing environment for quality academics. One of the ways we remain committed to our mission statement is by providing flexible learning opportunities when the learning experience will not be compromised.

Course Offerings

Valley Christian High School provides some of our elective courses in an online learning format. That means that VCHS students can learn from home using an online curriculum, guided by VCHS teachers.
We target classes that primarily require time set aside for students to practice what they learn. These are different than other traditional classes that require more lecture-based instruction or group work. Classes that require some instruction, followed by significant practice time, make the content well-suited for a more flexible online learning format.

We currently offer 10 classes with remote learning options:

• 3D Animation
• 3D Animation – Advanced
• Traditional Animation
• Speech (Fall semester)
• Debate (Spring semester)
• Introduction to AI (Fall Semester)
• Mobile Apps (Spring semester)
• AP Computer Science A
• Piano I
• Photographic Design I

• Note: Course Offering is subject to change based on the needs of the class. This will be determined mostly by the size of sign-ups and teacher availability.

How it Works

Students and teachers meet once a week at a pre-established evening time that will last 1-2 hours.  Families need to review the time the class meets each week to ensure that time works with the student’s schedule. Class session information will be provided the summer prior to the class so that a student can switch classes if that time does not work.

If a student misses more than three scheduled class meetings, the counselor should be notified, and the student should be dropped from the class. During the week, the student completes the assigned practice work and checks in with the teacher at least one other time (email, message board, etc).

Student Responsibility

Students who enroll in an online class are committing to the following:

• Regular weekly class attendance
• Ability to keep up with deadlines and practice expectations
• Technology requirements at home to ensure online academic success
• Pro-active communication with teacher, counselor, and parents about concerns or student help needs

The Benefits of a VCHS Remote Learning Class

The benefit of choosing the online format is that it gives student schedules more flexibility during the school day. For example, a student might choose to have 1)  two late arrival days, 2) one early departure day, or 3) schedule a study hall when the work could be completed during the school day.

Additional Fee if Taken as an 8th Class

Keep in mind that if you add a remote learning class as an eighth class, the normal VCHS additional course fee of 17% annual tuition will be charged in the fall. That is because this program is NOT designed to add more classes to a student schedule, but rather to provide more flexibility to meet student learning and scheduling needs.
VCHS does not allow students to enroll in nine classes.

Virtual Environment Expectations

Given the nature of the class, students must have the key materials identified below in order to fully participate in the virtual environment. If students are missing any of the following items, they will not be able to participate in class activities and homework.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

·         What are the policies on withdrawing from the course?
The policies for withdrawing from an online course are the same as for withdrawing from a traditional class.  Students may drop the course and add another class within the first three weeks of the semester.  Since the pacing is very different in the online classes, students may not be able to switch to a traditional class setting after the first three weeks.  Students may drop a class without a fail/withdraw on their transcripts until the 11th week of the semester.
Refunds also follow the same policies as any extra traditional class.  Please contact the business office for additional details.

·         Are the online classes UC approved?
All of our online courses have the same UC approval as our traditional face-to-face classes.  Please see our VCHS course catalog for our UC A-G approved list.
 
·         Why do we require a  weekly synchronous class meeting for an online course?
Our goal is to provide students with a support system to help them succeed in online classes. The typical successful completion rate (defined as finishing the class with a grade of C or better) for online courses nationally is less than 60%. Traditional face-to-face courses have successful completion rates of greater than 90%. Many studies show that this gap can be overcome with strong accountability measures and relationship building in place.

 ·        What does it take to be successful in an online course?
Because online courses provide fewer check-points with teachers, students who decide to take an online course should be self-motivated and persistent with good time management and executive functioning skills. Students in online courses should be proactive in seeking out help when they struggle with the content or are concerned about falling behind. 

·         Can I work ahead in the class and finish early?
Not more than a week at a time. These classes are designed to build a learning community, so keeping a similar pace with other learners is important.

·         How many online courses may I take per semester?
Students may take one online course per semester.  If you would like to enroll in more than one, please contact your counselor.