I think the students were shocked at how rigorous the Aventa program is. Whatever your academic expectations are in the classroom, your online program has to meet those.
EDUCATIONAL NEED
In September 1960, Granada Hills High School, the Home of the Highlanders, opened its doors to address the educational needs of a burgeoning suburban population in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. Forty-three years later, the community converted Granada Hills from a public high school to a charter school and reopened in the same location as Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) in July 2003. The change allowed Granada Hills to address new and innovative approaches to educating high school students in the 21st century and to offer the instructional flexibility and resources needed to continue a tradition of excellence.
Today, GHCHS is the largest comprehensive independent conversion charter school in the nation, serving nearly 4,200 students. With a diverse and large student body, teaching to each student’s learning needs is one of the school’s greatest challenges. To address these challenges, GHCHS began exploring new ways to offer intervention and alternative learning opportunities to its students.
After searching for an online program that would provide students with flexibility as well as the same rigor they would get in the regular classroom, the school decided in 2007 that Aventa Learning’s virtual school solution fit its needs, providing a very innovative way to serve the community.
AVENTA LEARNING’S VIRTUAL SCHOOL SOLUTION
With the Aventa virtual school solution, GHCHS is able to reach a wider range of students with unique learning needs, including professional actors, actresses and athletes, as well as students living in a group home and those with special learning requirements.
“I think the students were shocked at how rigorous the Aventa program is,” says Julia Howelman, Director of Counseling Services and Facilities with Granada Hills Charter High School. “Whatever your academic expectations are in the classroom, your online program has to meet those.”
Granada has used Aventa Learning since 2007, starting with a small number of students who wanted to take accelerated courses and get ahead in school. With the success of the program, the school has now expanded the program by offering Credit Recovery courses to students and expanding the number of students who can take independent courses. Granada focuses on preparing students for college, and the Aventa program provides students with the challenging coursework they need. Moreover, taking courses through Aventa Learning helps familiarize students with an online platform similar to those used by universities.
“These students will inevitably have to take some kind of online learning when they are in college,” says Howelman. “Aventa prepares them for the kind of learning they will experience after they graduate.”
In addition to giving students the chance to take accelerated classes, the flexibility of Aventa Learning has allowed students to stay on track with their academics despite scheduling conflicts, professional commitments or personal hardships.
Howelman remembers one student who was doing well in school until she developed an illness. “If it wasn’t for Aventa she wouldn’t have been able to continue her high school experience and graduate,” Howelman recalls.
Today, Granada Hills Charter High School offers the following Aventa online learning solutions:
- Virtual classroom
- Independent/hybrid study
- Credit Recovery and Advanced Placement® courses
RESULTS
This school year Granada has about 60 students who are enrolled in online classes, and teachers have also become extremely supportive of the program. The school presented the Aventa program to teachers as an alternative to direct instruction if a student wasn’t successful in the regular classroom.
“We reassured our teachers that students would not attend Aventa just because they didn’t like their class,” Howelman says. “Aventa is great for students who just need a different learning environment.”
Many students were surprised at the level of material from Aventa Learning. Sometimes students expected the program to be less difficult because it is online. However, students quickly realized that online did not equal easy. Additionally, because the program is offered at the school, during school hours, students are still able to participate in many extracurricular activities.
Independent Studies proved to be an effective solution for a deaf student who is pursuing a competitive swimming career. Due to her hearing loss and swim schedule, the student’s GPA was suffering, but after enrolling in Independent Studies, she ended last semester with a 2.7 GPA and was able to continue to swim competitively. She expects to graduate on time from the Math/Science Magnet School.
Another student story is that of a pianist prodigy who was a straight-A student before suffering a nervous breakdown and falling a semester behind in her studies. With online learning, she has been able to turn her studies around, again earning A’s in Advanced Placement classes while continuing to attend auditions and play in piano concerts. She expects to be accepted into a top university for music upon graduation.
Online learning also serves students who are struggling academically because of health or learning issues. One young man, who was diagnosed with depression and ADD and was failing classes, has turned his grades around and is now ahead in credits, after beginning Independent/Hybrid studies through the system. He continues to participate in marching band and brought his GPA up from 1.6 to 2.6 within the first year of the program.
Aventa’s Credit Recovery coursework has enabled one student who was behind in credits and had failed many high school classes to complete 45 credits since August 2009. He plans to graduate this year.
“Band, prom, sports – all of these are important to students,” says Howelman. “The way we use Aventa allows students to get ahead or caught up and still be to be a part of a high school.”
