The following is a press release from NC Public Schools
North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), operating under the governance of the State Board of Education, has been honored for high quality online learning from an international organization that focuses on quality assurance of digital teaching and learning offered by higher education and K-12 schools. The organization, Quality Matters, has recognized NCVPS with its Making a Difference for Students Award for exemplifying a focus on learners. Recipients demonstrate a commitment to ensuring high course quality and using different but valuable approaches to improving outcomes for students.
NC Virtual began applying Quality Matters’ standards in 2015 because of the organization’s international recognition, comprehensive general standards and specific standards structure that focuses on criteria such as alignment, learner interaction and accessibility.
“Receiving an award highlighting how you make a difference with students is tantamount to the Academy Awards for an educator,” said Dr. Mia Murphy, NCVPS Executive Director. “As one of the largest state-led virtual schools in the nation, NC Virtual embraces the responsibility we have for demonstrating excellence in online learning. We are vested in Quality Matters as an external validation of course quality, and we are ecstatic to be honored by this nationally recognized organization.”
NC Virtual provides students across North Carolina access to online courses in many subject areas, including mathematics, science, English language arts, social studies, arts, advanced placement, honors, and world languages. Other courses include test preparation, credit recovery, and Occupational Course of Study (OCS).
The North Carolina Virtual Public School is a supplemental service to the public schools of North Carolina. Students enroll through their local public school, grades are reported to their public school, and their school awards credit. The courses use learning management and collaborative software to maximize student interaction in each class. NC Virtual teachers use the latest technologies to engage students as well as prepare them to be career and college ready.
The North Carolina Virtual Public School has served more than 710,000 middle and high school students since its launch in the summer of 2007.
Quality Matters noted that NCVPS demonstrated exceptional dedication to quality in digital learning and that the organization’s noteworthy commitment to improving learner outcomes includes the use of course review tools, professional development and QM’s research-supported standards to build quality assurance processes. North Carolina Virtual Public School has proven itself a leader in K-12 quality assurance practices by working towards the ambitious and impressive goal of achieving QM certification for 100% of its internally developed courses.
“We are committed to providing North Carolina’s students with expanded learning opportunities so they can grow and thrive in the environment that best suits their academic needs and goals,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said. “This award demonstrates NCVPS’ desire to go above and beyond, as they have been consistently committed to providing students with high quality and rigorous online learning opportunities.”
To date, NCVPS has certified 81 courses — more than 72% of its base catalog of digital learning options.
“All students deserve a quality education,” said Jennifer Nobles, Curriculum Director for NCVPS. “At NCVPS, that begins with a quality course and highly qualified teachers. Over the years, we’ve refined our course development processes and standards to ensure they align to the Quality Matters K12 Rubric. Receiving this award validates the work we’ve done to ensure a quality course is available to all students.”
Awards will be presented at the upcoming QM Connect Conference, whose theme is “Expanding Possibilities.” The conference will be held in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 6–9, 2022.
About North Carolina Virtual Public School
NCVirtual is one of the nation’s largest state-led virtual schools, with over 50,000 enrollments a year from all 115 school districts, most secondary charter schools, DODs schools, NC special schools, and private and home schools. Each NCVPS course is taught by a highly qualified North Carolina certified teacher who makes regular and meaningful contact with students and parents.
