School opens the way to virtual learning in Texas- La Estrella
La Estrella (Dallas, TX)
Por Luis Ángel Galván
Especial La Estrella
08 de febrero del 2008
Feb. 8, 2008 (Dallas) – Neither he or his brothers have ever stepped foot at a state school. His brothers are ages 10, 12 and 7. The Moreira brothers, residents of Forney, 7 miles to the east of Mesquite, learned the alphabet and the basic Arithmetic in home, under the direction of their parents Roque and Anna, who moved to northern Texas in 2007, from Los Angeles.
The Moreiras began to educate their children in 1997 acquiring teaching materials and buying text books, but in Texas the educational courses of study varied for his children after discovering that Texas Virtual Academy AT Southwest (TXVA), existed the first virtual school guaranteed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) so that the children are educated without leaving home.
TXVA began as a pilot program offering classes via Internet in February of 2006, to serve students in third through sixth grade in the metropolitan area as Houston. In September of last year TXVA was authorized to serve up to 750 students in third through eighth grade and were able to extend their service to the metropolitan area of Dallas/Fort Worth.
At the moment the virtual school serves student populations in the following counties: Collin, Scythes, Denton, Johnson and Tarrant among others. For the 2007-08 school year, TXVA has already attained their maximum level of enrollment, but it continues accepting requests that will be put on a waiting list. The enrollment period for next year begins in the middle of March, and is free.
"This program was a blessing; I have seen many things in the state schools and the last thing that I would do would be to put my children in one of them ", said Roque Moreira, born in Los Angeles to parents of Argentinean decent. To Moreira who works as a director of quality in a juice production company, the concerns for the education and preparedness of teachers, large class size and added costs for education are his main concerns cited as issues affecting the traditional public school system.
The Moreira family received 2 computers for their four children and a reimbursement to supplement payment for Internet access. Jack Evans director of TXVA explained that students work online a third of the time during their normal school day and they receive support from their parents or a supervising adult. "Like other state charter schools, TXVA is an option, it is not mandatory", explained the director. "For some families this is not the best option,"
Evans, informed the Star that “this model requires a guide that has the required time, ability and commitment to lead their children’s course of study. This is indispensable, particularly in the younger grade levels.”
The Moreira brothers are supervised by their grandmother Judith Teetle, retired bilingual teacher. "Learning is immediately noticeable", expressed Teetle.
Jana Elam, teacher to the Moreira family, commented that "there is a strong relationship between the parents and the teacher, that promotes growth and success for the students". Evans added that the curriculum is developed by the company, K12. The school hires certified teachers and the students must participate in the TAKS.
"I can study through the use of the Internet and learn many things, I am very satisfied doing this online." said Roque Jr, the older brother.
TXVA students receive curriculum in mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, art, music, physical education and health.
"My favorite course is history", said Roque Jr, and that he can communicate with his teachers by email or telephone. You can find more information on the school’s website: www.txva.org
