Support the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) from Budget Cuts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

NP- I recall there was a study or data published several months ago about attendance and poor academic metrics from the virtual Academy.

The MVA parents like the program, but not enough to bother having their children attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

NP- I recall there was a study or data published several months ago about attendance and poor academic metrics from the virtual Academy.

The MVA parents like the program, but not enough to bother having their children attend.

Stop making up stuff. They need to compare it to other schools. Lots of kids have medical issues and they don't separate out excused vs. unexcused. Also schools have attendance issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

Regardless of what you'd like to believe, VA is a discretionary program, schools are not.

Lots of things in the schools that they can cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

NP- I recall there was a study or data published several months ago about attendance and poor academic metrics from the virtual Academy.

The MVA parents like the program, but not enough to bother having their children attend.

Stop making up stuff. They need to compare it to other schools. Lots of kids have medical issues and they don't separate out excused vs. unexcused. Also schools have attendance issues.

They did compare it to other schools. MVA was worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there’s two very divergent views and I’d like the facts. Is the program bleeding money and not attracting people or are they 800 strong and running a waitlist?

I can absolutely see this meeting a need, but I want to understand how many kids will be impacted and what those students will need next year to meet the law (what their IEP’s say about LRE). Also, are the schools prepared to welcome 800 kids back w/ available staffing?

Without these answers I don’t think any of us can really say whether the program should be saved.

It's not bleeding money and there is a waitlist.

Families have no answers yet but to go back to the home school, homeschool or the medical program. It will not matter if the IEP kids don't have a place to go. They just will not get an education till a space opens as it has been in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

NP- I recall there was a study or data published several months ago about attendance and poor academic metrics from the virtual Academy.

The MVA parents like the program, but not enough to bother having their children attend.

Stop making up stuff. They need to compare it to other schools. Lots of kids have medical issues and they don't separate out excused vs. unexcused. Also schools have attendance issues.

They did compare it to other schools. MVA was worse.

No, they didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there’s two very divergent views and I’d like the facts. Is the program bleeding money and not attracting people or are they 800 strong and running a waitlist?

I can absolutely see this meeting a need, but I want to understand how many kids will be impacted and what those students will need next year to meet the law (what their IEP’s say about LRE). Also, are the schools prepared to welcome 800 kids back w/ available staffing?

Without these answers I don’t think any of us can really say whether the program should be saved.

Enrollment in the virtual academy went from 2629 (2021-2022) to 1565 (2022-2023) and then dropped again to just 878 for the current 2023-2024 school year. Chronic absenteeism is also much higher in the elementary grades than brick and mortar schools.

As for academics, MVA students have not made the same progress in math as compared to similar kids in in-person school (except for K) and the difference is even worse for FARMS students. “Students in grades 1-5 attending MVA were significant less likely than their in-person peers to meet their projected growth in math”. p.27 of report

In reading, same story pretty much. Especially younger kids in the MVA did significantly worse than in-person kids (ranging from 10-25% worse generally). p.29 of report


https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2023/Virtual%20Academy%20FINAL.pdf

[Anonymous]

It's ok if virtual is not right for your family or your kids. But, it is the right choice for other families and their children and why terminate a program that has such a low cost to MCPS and is benefitting some students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's ok if virtual is not right for your family or your kids. But, it is the right choice for other families and their children and why terminate a program that has such a low cost to MCPS and is benefitting some students?

A lot of things benefit some students. In the time of tight budgets though, “benefiting some students” isn’t really enough to keep a program that costs millions and, on average, does a much poorer job of educating kids - especially young and FARMS kids - than regular schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Signed.

Although my child is now back in the classroom, his mental health was at a breaking point due to the lack of special education services available in MCPS (behavioral issues and he was labeled ED though we now know it is autism). Although they did finally approve him for a private placement (at public expense), the trauma was already too intense. Having him do virtual instruction allowed us to see a whole new child. He went off of heavy medication and started to enjoy learning. At this point, he is no longer a special education student at all. In 1.5 year of virtual instruction, he went from a full-time special education student needing a private placement to not needing special education at all. According to his psychiatrist, many other children followed the same path.

Kids are all different and have different needs. This seems like an easy answer to help many students wh are non-traditional learners. If you don't have one of them, you don't understand how needed this program is.

I can't even imagine how bad the special education placements are going to be if they take this program away.

MCPS needs to take away programs that do not directly benefit children rather than this program. They need to look into central office!

+1. The COVID shutdown and virtual instruction allowed my kid to thrive. I could finally see what he needed to be successful and advocate for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Virtual Academy does a poor job in educating children as it is currently constructed. All available data released by MCPS to date points to a program that is failing - both in attracting new students and in educating the ones it has. Enrollment has been declining steadily since the pandemic has abated. The families that are left are the true believers in virtual education and rightfully believe that the program is best for their kid. Problem is, you can identify groups of kids that number far higher than the mva’s current enrollment who could also use a special program to make school better but can’t get it funded because their method doesn’t happen to be a legacy of Covid.

It’s rough that the BOE said they’d fund it back in the winter and now are going back on their word. But it’s not like the program was enthusiastically embraced by the Board. The only reason it survived was because they said the advanced notice to families would be too short if they cut it. Why that’s changed for them, I don’t know, but any family who didn’t have alternate plans ready were sticking their head in the sand about the reality that their kids face - thriving in a program that has virtually no support outside of those who are a part of it.

No current data has been released. By your logic, we should shut down ALL schools that are performing badly, including in person.

NP- I recall there was a study or data published several months ago about attendance and poor academic metrics from the virtual Academy.

The MVA parents like the program, but not enough to bother having their children attend.

Stop making up stuff. They need to compare it to other schools. Lots of kids have medical issues and they don't separate out excused vs. unexcused. Also schools have attendance issues.

They did compare it to other schools. MVA was worse.

No, they didn't.

Yes, they did. It's strange you just pretend facts don't exist. At the elementary level, VA absenteeism was twice that of in-person schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signed.

Although my child is now back in the classroom, his mental health was at a breaking point due to the lack of special education services available in MCPS (behavioral issues and he was labeled ED though we now know it is autism). Although they did finally approve him for a private placement (at public expense), the trauma was already too intense. Having him do virtual instruction allowed us to see a whole new child. He went off of heavy medication and started to enjoy learning. At this point, he is no longer a special education student at all. In 1.5 year of virtual instruction, he went from a full-time special education student needing a private placement to not needing special education at all. According to his psychiatrist, many other children followed the same path.

Kids are all different and have different needs. This seems like an easy answer to help many students wh are non-traditional learners. If you don't have one of them, you don't understand how needed this program is.

I can't even imagine how bad the special education placements are going to be if they take this program away.

MCPS needs to take away programs that do not directly benefit children rather than this program. They need to look into central office!

+1. The COVID shutdown and virtual instruction allowed my kid to thrive. I could finally see what he needed to be successful and advocate for him.

I’m happy for you and your DC. But it’s really too bad that the mva has failed so many other kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there’s two very divergent views and I’d like the facts. Is the program bleeding money and not attracting people or are they 800 strong and running a waitlist?

I can absolutely see this meeting a need, but I want to understand how many kids will be impacted and what those students will need next year to meet the law (what their IEP’s say about LRE). Also, are the schools prepared to welcome 800 kids back w/ available staffing?

Without these answers I don’t think any of us can really say whether the program should be saved.

It's not bleeding money and there is a waitlist.

Families have no answers yet but to go back to the home school, homeschool or the medical program. It will not matter if the IEP kids don't have a place to go. They just will not get an education till a space opens as it has been in the past.

There's a waitlist, yet there's three teachers covering <40 kids? (grades 1 and 2) And four covering ~60 kids (grade 4).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/frederick-county-schools-remote-virtual-program-axed/65-f486f8b9-872b-453d-9cf7-4ff932ebf9f3

We're not the only ones...

Oops! This doesn't portend well for MCPS's MVA....

One has nothing to do with the other.

Clearly does because they just announced they're closing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be a statewide virtual option for everyone.

+1 I went to a state virtual school for remedial classes and was able to enroll in AP classrooms by high school. I even stayed enrolled in the online program while going to my local high school. I had enough credits to graduate in my junior year, because it ignited my passion for learning.