Boston – April 10, 2019 – A+ World Academy, a boarding school located on the oldest fully-rigged sailing ship in the world, is utilizing 24 courses, including nine Advanced Placement® offerings, from Massachusetts-based nonprofit The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.) as part of its education program. All students attending A+ World Academy are taking VHS courses.
The academy serves students in grades 11 and 12 as well as gap-year students. Attendees are required to balance a full load of AP® and standard courses with their ship duties such as scrubbing, cleaning, and other maintenance duties as well as navigating and sailing the ship with the officer of the watch.
“A+ World Academy is one of the most unique international boarding schools in the world, and we are delighted to contribute to this rigorous, one-of-a-kind program that helps students develop global citizenship and independence,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS, Inc.
A+ World Academy is using a wide variety of VHS course offerings, including the following AP® courses:
· AP® Calculus AB
· AP® Calculus BC
· AP® Biology
· AP® Chemistry
· AP® Physics 1
· AP® Human Geography
· AP® English Literature and Composition
· AP® Statistics
· AP® Spanish
A+ World Academy’s AP Capstone Diploma™ program requires students to score a 3 or higher on four AP® exams of their choice and complete a research project and seminar course. If they choose not to graduate with an AP Capstone Diploma™, students are required to have eight credit hours of electives.
The academy’s own teachers deliver the VHS, Inc. course content both while onboard and in the more than twenty ports around the world that the ship visits. Since they are spending a significant amount of time at sea, teachers use a variety of methods to deliver the curriculum while offline, including projectors, traditional white boards, and paper-based activities.
“A+ World Academy began our partnership with VHS last year and it was one of the best decisions we’ve made!” says Dr. Kevin Kessler, Head of School at A+ World Academy. “We needed curriculum that would be easy for our teachers to integrate into their classes and that is exactly what was delivered. The design of the courses, the content of the curriculum, and the ease of grading has made this transition as easy as possible. Many teachers resist change and push back against new initiatives but integrating VHS curriculum into our courses was a rare situation in which the teachers welcomed and embraced the change because it gave them the resources they desired and provided structure and substance for our students.”
About A+ World Academy
A+ World Academy is an international Swiss school based on the 90-year-old Norwegian tall ship “Sørlandet” and dedicated to developing students into successful and conscientious 21st century, global citizens. Through a program of experiential education, place-based learning, ship-based activity, and community involvement; the school challenges students to become their best selves. For more information, visit https://www.aplusworldacademy.org
About VHS, Inc. (The Virtual High School)
The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.), based in Massachusetts, is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has collaborated with schools worldwide and set the standard for quality online education. VHS prepares students for college, careers, and life through supportive, instructor-led online and blended classroom experiences. The organization provides high school and middle school courses taught in global online classrooms and online professional development for educators, as well as custom course development and offerings tailored to meet each school’s unique needs. The Virtual High School program is accredited by both Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), and AdvancED. Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information, visit www.vhslearning.org or call (978) 897-1900.
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