Who Chooses WIVA
Learn the Truth Behind the Myths of Virtual Schools
MYTH: Children who attend virtual schools lack socialization and social skills.
FACT: The Wisconsin Virtual Academy takes part in several academic and social outings statewide each year. These outings include trips to museums, zoos, parks, and other community destinations. We also encourage students to participate in community athletics and membership organizations. As a result, many of our students feel that having friends separate from school results in richer and more successful social lives for them.
MYTH: Virtual school children spend all day staring at a computer.
FACT: Children in kindergarten through fifth grade do only about 20 to 30 percent of their work online; sixth through eighth graders do about 40 to 50 percent online. The rest of the work is done offline - they read books, solve math problems on paper, draw, and conduct science experiments. As children get older and their reading skills improve, instruction and activities will involve increased computer use, according to educational standards. Offline work, however, will always be essential.
MYTH: Virtual schools lack the structure of public schools.
FACT: The Wisconsin Virtual Academy is a public school, and the K12 curriculum is considered very structured by many parents when they begin to use the program. The lessons and activities that children will complete each day have been developed so that an adult has all the tools and structure necessary to use the program successfully in partnership with a certified teacher. The program is also flexible - activities can be modified to meet your child's needs or interests, or to build on the spontaneity that can occur during a particular lesson.
MYTH: E-schooling is a full-time job.
FACT: E-schooling does take time. Your children will need to spend about four to five hours on schoolwork each day, depending on grade level. However, the time you spend working with your children does not have to be continuous. Direct parental participation can range from 80 percent for early grades to about 50 percent for higher grades.
MYTH: Virtual schools lack the required curriculum of public schools.
FACT: WIVA is a public school. As public school students, your children will be expected to spend a certain amount of time each day engaged in schoolwork. They will also be required to take standardized tests mandated by the state of Wisconsin. K12's curriculum was developed by experts to meet or exceed Wisconsin state standards and is the top-scoring virtual academy curriculum in the state.
