Executive Summary. Archdiocese of Miami Virtual Catholic School (ADOM-VCS)

Transcription

1 Archdiocese of Miami Virtual Catholic School (ADOM-VCS) Archdiocese of Miami Ms. Rebeca Bautista, Principal NW 32nd Avenue Miami, FL Document Generated On February 19, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? During the school year, CSK12 was renamed the Archdiocese of Miami-Virtual Catholic School (ADOM-VCS). The school office is located in Miami, Florida; the office is part of the campus of Monsignor Edward Pace High School. The principal of ADOM-VCS, Rebeca Bautista, is also the Dean of Academics of Monsignor Edward Pace High School. Student enrollment is composed of both national and international students; there are part-time and full-time students. The enrollment number fluctuates from semester to semester, based on course selection. All of the teachers are Archdiocesan teachers and are certified via the state of Florida. ADOM-VCS is committed to providing a quality Catholic education through traditional instruction as well as through technology, for students in grades As the expanding of virtual learning continues, ADOM-VCS offers a rigorous full-time and part-time curriculum that emphasizes Catholic principles, and is facilitated by innovative, state-certified teachers. Colleges and universities nationwide recognize the curriculum, credit-recovery courses, and high school diploma. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) endorses the ADOM-VCS curriculum as well. ADOM-VCS is owned by the Archdiocese of Miami. ADOM-VCS is the only virtual Catholic school supported by the Archdiocese and Archbishop of Miami, and is the only one of its kind. An engaging curriculum for the 21st Century continues to be the focus of ADOM-VCS. The change in name has not hindered the ability of ADOM-VCS to continue to meet the AdvancED standards. ADOM-VCS has the unique opportunity of providing quality education to communities across the world and is not limited by geographical location, student body size, or available resources. The virtual classroom provides an innovative learning environment that meets the needs of all students, while also exceeding the standards set forth by AdvacED. ADOM-VCS is an academic institution that not only introduces communities to Catholic virtues and principals, but ignites a passion for learning in students across the world. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. As the only AdvancED accredited and Archdiocesan supported virtual Catholic school in the nation, ADOM-VCS has the unique opportunity of providing a Catholic education to communities on a global scale. Our virtual learning environment is adaptable to meet the needs of all school communities or individual students, while also reinforcing Catholic values. Our innovative curriculum ignites not only a passion for learning, but also for living and better understanding our Catholic faith. The stakeholders recognize that we are pioneers in the field of Catholic education. The content used is provided by Florida Virtual School (FLVS); however, FLVS does not provide a curriculum for theology courses. Archdiocesan teachers collaborated to create theology courses that are not only adaptable to the virtual school course platform, but that also include the objectives that are aligned with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. ADOM-VCS has the unique opportunity of providing a Catholic education to students who, for various reasons, are not able to access Catholic education in their communities. We also are privileged to form partnerships with Catholic schools on a global scale. We have been able to offer courses to students in other Catholic schools who cannot offer specific courses due to staffing or budget conflicts. We are also blessed with the opportunity to help students who cannot meet attendance requirements, due to personal situations: illness, participation in other activities, family hardships, living abroad, etc. In continuous efforts to share the mission of Catholic education on a global scale, ADOM-VCS continues to enhance its academic program to meet the challenges of communities, nationally and internationally. Our successful partnership with schools and families are exemplified by our Catholic identity and our unique ability to offer Catholic education; implementation of effective technology and communication tools are the foundation of our success. As the only Archdiocesan-supported virtual Catholic institution, our Catholic identity is what distinguishes the virtual school from other virtual schools; our Catholic identity is the foundation of our mission. All administration, faculty, and staff are current Archdiocesan employees and meet the additional professional requirements set forth by the Archdiocese of Miami. Page 3

6 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. The Learning Management System (LMS) used by ADOM-VCS is BrainHoney; the Student Information System (SIS) used is Rediker. Course content can be accessed via computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Teachers are required to have weekly communication with students, parents/guardians, and school facilitators. Parents/guardians, school facilitators, and students are able to communicate with faculty and staff through , phone, or social media communication tools (i.e. Skype, GoogleVoice). Each faculty and staff member is provided an address that is published on the school's website. Parents/guardians and school facilitators can communicate with the teachers anytime. If parents are not comfortable with , each teacher has Office Hours where they can be reached via phone. All parents/guardians and school facilitators can monitor academic progress on a daily basis, as they are each provided with an observer account. Progress Reports are not issued during the semester because access is provided to parents/guardians and school faclitators via their own account, separate from the student accoutn. Via the BrainHoney homepage, all stakeholders have access to news, updates, assignment calendar, and special notices. The stakeholders have a goal of sharing the mission of ADOM-VCS to all communities, on a global scale. Marketing will be a focal point, as will the establishment of a Board of Trustees. The establishment of a Board will help with marketing, as creating partnerships nationally and internationally will have a two-fold effect of strengthening the core of the school and also sharing the school's mission to communities everywhere. We, at Archdiocese of Miami Virtual Catholic School, will continue to be pioneers in the world of virtual education, while also keeping our foundation of Catholic identity. We will also continue to create innovative ways to infuse our Catholic identity with the educational technology tools that continue to evolve, especially in the virtual classroom. Page 4

7 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. We have provided summaries of our survey results. Page 5