Georgia Virtual School is a program of the Georgia Department of Education and is designed to serve public, private, and home school students throughout the state. The program is fully accredited by SACS and CITA. Since its inception in 2005, more than 15,000 students have earned credit in their local schools by taking such diverse Georgia Virtual School offerings as Chinese, AP Music Theory, and Oceanography. According to the U.S. Distance Learning Association, more than one million high school students are taking one or more courses online, and nearly 40 states have established state-wide or state-led virtual schools. In the Georgia Virtual School program Georgia certified teachers guide students through each course on a traditional semester pacing. All courses are available on the internet around the clock. Success rates meet or exceed state scores on both the state End of Course Tests and the Advanced Placement exams. Dougherty County students who have taken a Georgia Virtual course often report their online class was the best preparation they had for college level work.

• Enrollment Procedures

  Students who would like to take one or more classes online from the Georgia Virtual School program must first have permission from their school facilitator (full list at this link) to be sure the course is appropriate for the student's schedule. Interested students should visit http://www.gavirtualschool.org and click the registration link to create an account and to explore the course offerings in detail. Once the facilitator approves the student's course selection, the student will be moved into enrollment. Students will complete a Student Orientation Class prior to the start of class so early enrollment is important. If a student decides not to take the online course after enrollment he or she must contact the facilitator. No withdrawals are allowed after the first week of class has passed. The GAVS calendar for fall and spring 2013-2014 may be viewed at this link.

Since the Dougherty County School System pays tuition for these classes, it is important that students make certain online learning is for them before the withdrawal deadline.

• Information for Parents

  Georgia Virtual School courses are rigorous and are taught by highly qualified Georgia certified teachers. Students who take these classes score above the state average on the Georgia End of Course Tests and on the Advanced Placement exams. You will be able to log in to your child's online grade book to monitor progress throughout the course and will receive weekly phone and email grade updates from the program. Teachers keep in constant contact with you via email and phone calls. Your child’s GAVS facilitator will be happy to discuss this with you.

• Course Offerings

  A wide variety of courses are offered at the secondary level. Georgia Virtual School has more than 100 course offerings in the core content areas, world languages, CTAE, electives, and a vast AP course selection. The fall semester (A), spring semester (B), and block (AB) version of each class is taught every semester with few exceptions. Please visit this link for a complete listing of available courses.

• Cost

  There is no cost for Dougherty County School System students who are enrolled full-time in a middle or high school if they choose to take a class from the Georgia Virtual Program instead of one or more of their classes during the school day. DCSS students are afforded this opportunity by enrolling in one of the 25 computer spots that have been allotted on a first-come, first-served basis, for every period of the school day during both the fall and spring semester. There may be a charge of $250 per half unit payable to DCSS for an extra class (outside of the school day) during the fall and spring semesters.

• Requirements

  Students wishing to take an online course should be aware that the Georgia Virtual courses are rigorous. Assignments will be due on Friday of each week with very little allowance for late work. These courses are for self-disciplined, strong students.

• Grades

  Georgia Virtual School course grades are updated weekly and are posted to transcripts at the end of the semester. Both students and parents have access to the course online grade book at all times. An automated message system will notify parents by email or phone weekly about a student's progress.