Students currently enrolled take their online classes in the computer lab. CAPS is the only school on Curacao offering this!
At the beginning of the 2005-06 school year, The Curacao-American Preparatory School (CAPS) started its new VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL. What we can say is that 4 months into the programme - it is a huge success!! Students are performing at exceptional levels. People ask why the school made a move to this new way of teaching and learning. The easy answer is that it represents the future of all education, and in many cases it works better than traditional ways of teaching for many students. Not only are there numerous studies supporting the effectiveness of virtual education, but 70% of universities now use some form of online education as a standard part of the curriculum. In fact most large corporations use technology and on-line course work as a means of training and upgrading the skills of their employees. Technology and on-line learning are not going away; The Curacao-American Prep. School is once again at the forefront of educational change on the island. However, the main reason CAPS went to a Virtual School model was because of the school’s commitment to PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTION. This has always been what separates the philosophy of the school from other schools on the island.
VIRTUAL SCHOOLING allows for an easy way to meet the needs of every student; from those who need more time and a slower pace, to those very bright students who need the extra challenge of university level courses. Through our partnership with The Florida Virtual School at Stetson University, we are able to offer over 80 different courses. Courses range from GED ( general US high school diploma testing) to honors level courses required by top universities around the world, to AP ( Advanced Placement) courses which offer actual college credit. If fact many universities around the world view AP courses as equivalent to VWO level work. At this time, virtually every college and university in the US accepts AP credit. Delft University of Technology, Universiteit Maastricht, and Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands accept students having taken the appropriate AP courses from CAPS. The Advance Placement programme even offers an AP Diploma and Diploma with Honors which is held in equal regard with the International Baccalaurreate. Not surprising, the successful pass rate for AP courses taken on-line is over 63%. We currently offer 11 different AP courses, 4 including an AP Test Review component, and another 6 separate AP Test Review courses. And these courses are a fraction of the cost of the International Baccalaureate programme.
But the courses are also designed to help those students who have learning difficulties. Some courses can be taken over a period of 12 months rather than the typical 10 months of school. Enrollments are open year-round, which means a student could start tomorrow, and students work at a pace that best meets their individual needs. Very capable students can take accelerated classes and complete 2 years of schooling in one year. This rigorous programme is only for exceptionally committed and self-motivated students.
The Curacao-American Prep. School is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS); The Virtual School, in partnership with FLVS at Stetson, is likewise SACS accredited, but also holds a second accreditation through The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation ( CITA). Our classes are academically challenging, but with extended pace options, individualized instruction, and the ability to re-submit required assignments, students are often able to meet higher academic challenges than they would in a traditional classroom environment.
Many people assume wrongly that students sign up for a course at school, stay home and work at a computer by themselves. This is not the case with the CAPS Virtual High School. Students are required to attend their virtual classes on campus. They work on a specific class schedule during the school day in the computer lab or with portable laptops in various other classrooms. There is a full-time instructor in the lab with students at all times to answer immediate questions either about technology issues or course material. The real benefit of the programme is that each class is taught by a certified, nationally-recognized teacher in the States. Students have daily on-line contact with their cyber teacher. In fact the teacher has weekly telephone contact with the students as well as their parents. Likewise, parents have the ability to go on-line and monitor student progress: % of course completed, current academic level, number of assignments completed or missing, etc. In addition, all students have daily access to the school’s “in-house” subject area teachers for additional assistance as needed. So, for every course they take, students have access to three teachers daily with three times the opportunity to really learn and understand the material. This is a sure way for student success!
We work from individual laptop computers and take our core classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies & Thinking and Learning Strategies) online. We take P.E. and Art in the traditional style. Thanks for visiting!
Click on the link to view course demos: www.flvsworldcampus.com (click on “E-learning Solutions”, and then click “Course Demos”)