Expanding International School Offerings with VHS Learning
From the desk of Brian Roach, director of American International School of Freetown
Online learning is an effective way for schools to expand their course offerings and provide more educational options to their students. As the director of American International School of Freetown (AISF) in Sierra Leone, I discovered how beneficial online learning can be when my school began partnering with VHS Learning, an online provider, and Massachusetts Mayflower Academy (MMA), an accredited online high school which uses VHS Learning courses.
Addressing our community’s need for high school courses
AISF serves expatriate and local students and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Our small international school has a student body of about 90, and only 11 of these students are in grades nine through 12. At AISF, we currently don’t have an accredited high school, but we provide the only local option for an international American education. Because of this, some students choose to remain at AISF for some or all of their high school studies.
With a staff of just seven teachers and myself, independent study or other individualized approaches to educate these students wasn’t a feasible approach for us. In order to provide a high-quality high school education to our students, we needed accredited coursework and additional support.
At AISF, we decided to take a dual approach to provide students with the high school education they need. We chose to partner with both VHS Learning and its online accredited high school, Massachusetts Mayflower Academy, to create online learning opportunities that catered to students’ diverse needs as they progress through high school at AISF.
Here are the two different ways we accommodated our students’ high school educational needs at AISF:
- VHS Learning for ninth and tenth grade students
For students in grades nine and ten, we turned to VHS Learning, a world-class online learning provider that offers supplemental online classes to high schools and students. When we were searching for course providers, we were focused on finding a curriculum that prioritizes critical thinking and engaging, authentic learning. Many of our students will transfer to an in-person high school after grade 10, so we want to ensure they’re thoroughly prepared for the advanced curriculum they will encounter there.
We selected VHS Learning as our online learning partner because of the quality and authenticity of their offerings, but we were also thrilled with the student experience VHS Learning offers. In addition to onsite support at AISF, students taking online courses are able to participate in office hours with their VHS Learning teachers. Students also benefit from the global classroom experience that VHS Learning provides, which connects them with classmates across the U.S. and around the world.
- Massachusetts Mayflower Academy for graduating students
For students in grades 11 and 12, we utilize Massachusetts Mayflower Academy (MMA), which is an accredited online high school. MMA offers all of the same high-quality teachers and engaging courses that VHS Learning provides, but also enables AISF students to graduate with an American high school diploma. This is key for our students who intend to apply to American universities, as it ensures they have all the required high school credits to enter these programs.
While it can be challenging for students to complete a fully-online course load, we’ve found that MMA and VHS Learning courses provide the perfect balance of compelling coursework and teacher involvement to drive students toward success. AISF also offers onsite support and resources to students who are enrolled in MMA, which helps keep them motivated and engaged.
Integrating online learning into our curriculum at AISF has expanded educational opportunities for our students, preparing them for success beyond their time at our school. As AISF continues to grow, we aspire to transition towards a blended learning model, where the online courses from VHS Learning are supplemented by a couple of onsite high school teachers. We remain committed to providing our students with a high-quality high school education, so we will continue to innovate and adapt in our partnership with VHS Learning and MMA to ensure students are able to succeed.
