Every student is different. Here at Ontario Virtual School, this is one of our guiding philosophies. Since OVS is a school built from the ground up for online learning, and all of our courses, lessons, and assignments are designed around the online format, this actually allows a variety of benefits which allow us to better cater to the needs of a wide range of students and learning styles, including those with a variety of exceptionalities, and a variety of Individualized Education Plans (IEP).
Audio, visual, kinesthetic components to all of our lessons
One major advantage of a school designed around online learning is that the technology involved inherently allows easy access to multimedia works. What this means is that for auditory learners, we have auditory elements to our lessons, including voiced lectures, audiobooks, music, and more. For visual learners, slideshows, videos, pictures, graphs, and many more elements are included in all lessons. Even for kinesthetic learners, people who prefer more participation in their lessons, puzzles and games are worked directly into lessons.
No due dates for assignments
Different people have different schedules, and this is a factor that can make school much harder than it needs to be for certain students. Some students may have times when they busy with other matters, and not able to focus on school or submit assignments. These times may be planned, or they may be sudden and unexpected. Their reasons can range from medical concerns to family issues or even work or career commitments. Whatever their reasons, at OVS, they do not need to worry. At OVS, none of our assignments have due dates. Students can feel comfortable taking as much time as they need to complete the work to the best of their ability. They no longer need to worry about any issues that may come up and prevent them from achieving a due date. In fact, we have many alumni who state this flexibility as one of the key reasons they chose OVS.
Extra time for tests and exams
Many students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), which recommend that they receive extra time for tests or exams. At Ontario Virtual School, this is no problem at all. In fact, since students work online, they don’t even need to worry about things like possible embarrassment from other students seeing that they are getting extra time. All a student needs to do is alert their teacher about the requirement, and then take the time they need.
Practice tests/exam available for all math and science courses
Here at OVS, we know students want to put their best foot forward in all of their work, and practice tests and exams can be one way for students to do that. That’s why we have prepared practice versions of nearly all of our tests and exams, including in all of our science and math courses. This way, students who feel they would benefit can utilize these practice tests/exams, while students who are already confident and perhaps want to move through the course faster are free to do exactly that.
Parent Portal to allow parents to be an active participant on their child’s educational journey
Parents can be an incredible asset for any child’s education, and of course, many parents want to know the details of that education, so they can make sure their child is getting the best education possible. With OVS’s Parent Portal, this is easier than ever. Parents can check in on their student’s work and on the rest of the course, getting enough access to feel confident in the course, and to allow them to participate fully in their child’s education.
No scheduled classes times so students can access the lessons when they are most alert
There are many people who would not describe themselves as “morning people.” In fact, studies have shown that few people are fully alert by common school start times of 8:00am or 9:00am. For these people, OVS may be the answer. With OVS, students can take classes at whatever time they want. In fact, lessons can be paused and continued later. They can be reversed or replayed if a student would like to take some time to review. They can do this at any time they have free, so if a student is a morning person, and would prefer to take in a lesson at 8am, they can still do that! And if they only want to do that some days and not others, that’s fine too! At OVS, students can make their own schedule, instead of having to work around their school’s schedule.
A full guidance team to ensure student success and support all learners
Of course, it’s always helpful to have advice available, to deal with any of the issues common to students, or to help students take full advantage of the online format available here at OVS. That’s why OVS has a full guidance team, to ensure student success and support all learners. Students can reach out at any time, and receive personalized support for any of their academic concerns. There are many different kinds of students, and here at Ontario Virtual School, we utilize a variety of modern tools to make sure we can cater to all of these different students. Whether you are a student with an IEP, or a student who simply wishes to take more control over your own education, Ontario Virtual School can help to meet your needs. If you would like to read more, you can view testimonials from some of our alumni, students who have been able to make use of OVS to meet their many diverse needs, here.