Who Chooses INVCS?

Myths about Virtual Academies in Indiana

Learn the Truth Behind the Myths of Virtual Schools

MYTH: Children who attend virtual schools lack socialization and social skills.
FACT: The Indiana Virtual Charter School takes part in many academic and social outings statewide each year. These outings include trips to museums, skate parks, zoos, parks, and other community destinations. We also encourage students to participate in community athletics and membership organizations. As a result, many K¹² virtual school 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. 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. However, offline work will always be essential.

MYTH: Virtual schools lack the structure of public schools.
FACT: The Indiana Virtual Charter School is a public school, and the K¹² curriculum is considered very structured by many parents when they begin to use the program. The K-10 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 with the help of a certified teacher, and the high school courses allow students to work on their own within the structured, attendance-based environment. The program is also flexible—you can modify an activity to your child's needs or interests, or build on the spontaneity that can occur during a particular lesson.

MYTH: Guiding your children's education is a full-time job.
FACT: Playing an active role in your children's learning does take time. Your children will need to spend about five to six 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 middle school. High school students work more independently due to the nature of their courses.

MYTH: Virtual schools lack the required curriculum of public schools.
FACT: INVCS is a public school that happens to operate outside of a traditional classroom. 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 Indiana. The K¹² curriculum was developed by experts to meet or exceed Indiana Academic Standards, and has proven to be one of the top-scoring virtual school curriculum programs in the nation.

MYTH: Virtual schools have a high student-to-teacher ratio.
FACT: A full time INVCS teacher is assigned an average of 45-50 families, which compares favorably to public schools. Because of this low ratio, there is a lot of interaction between parents, students and teachers. And when the interaction occurs, it occurs without distraction.

MYTH: Children in virtual schools do not exercise.
FACT: Many virtual school students take part in community soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, and other sports leagues.