This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Welcome to Michigan Virtual School Connections

Welcome to Michigan Virtual School Connections, a new blog focused on the variety of online learning options available to Michigan students in grades K through 12. Principals from virtual and blended schools from across the state have teamed up, and together, with students and staff, will share news and information from the world of online learning from both a fully virtual and a blended learning perspective.

Up until a few years ago, online learning was reserved for college students. Now more and more students in grades K-12 are leveraging a technology-enhanced education. Recent data shows both a growth in the number of students taking classes online but also the number of students who want to take a course online but who haven’t yet. According to a 2012 report by Project Tomorrow, 47% of middle school students and 45% of high school students hadn’t taken an online course but wanted to.  Evergreen Education Group reports that in the 11-12 school year over 275,000 students in grades K-12 attended a full-time online school.

The Michigan Virtual School Connections bloggers writing about this growing educational trend represent different types of online learning choices in the state including: Michigan Connections Academy (MICA), Great Lakes Cyber Academy (GLCA), and Nexus Academy of Royal Oak.

MICA and GLCA are fully-online public schools serving students from across Michigan.  MICA serves students in grades K-12 and GLCA serves high school students, grades 9-12. Both schools, available tuition-free, combine Michigan-certified teachers, high-quality curriculum, innovative technology tools and socialization opportunities to create an individualized learning experience—all from the comfort of home. With MICA, students attend school during the traditional school year, September through early June. At GLCA,  students may choose from one of three flexible pacing options: standard (Sept. – May), extended where students take fewer classes per semester but attend year round (Sept. – July), or accelerated where students take full loads of classes per semester year round (Sept. – July) and can complete their high school curriculum in three versus the traditional four years.

Nexus Academy of Royal Oak is a tuition-free blended school. With Nexus Academy, online and on-campus are truly combined to provide students with a great deal of flexibility. Students report to the school’s campus for four hours per day, four days per week in addition to taking classes online at home, at the school or wherever they’re most comfortable learning. Students receive a comprehensive ­ and highly-personalized high school education, with Michigan-certified teachers, plus Success Coaches who mentor and guide students.

When it comes to the reasons why students are choosing school online, one of the most widely talked about benefits is flexibility.  Students can learn at the individual pace that is most comfortable for them. Gifted students can progress more quickly, while students who need more help in certain subjects can spend the extra time they need.  In addition, students who wish to pursue other interests such as acting, modeling, sports, etc. – have the ability to dedicate the time to those activities as well, without missing out on academics.

We’re excited to discuss the activities and exciting things happening at our schools.  Right now, all three schools are busy gearing up for the first day of classes on Tuesday, September 3, 2013.  Registration is open for all three schools – but please don’t hesitate to contact us directly to ensure that your student is ready to start on time. If you are interested in registering for MICA, GLCA, or Nexus Academy of Royal Oak visit their website (see below) to begin your online journey today.  Please check back in on our blog often as we’ll be updating readers regularly with news and information from virtual and blended schools in Michigan.

Heather Ballien, Principal Great Lakes Cyber Academy

Michigan Connections Academy—www.MichiganConnectionsAcademy.com

Great Lakes Cyber Academy—www.ConnectionsAcademy.com/Michigan-Cyber-School

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nexus Academy of Royal Oak—www.NexusAcademySchool.com


Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?