Texas Virtual School ESC Collaborative (TVS) has access to a multitude of Texas-certified teachers with expertise in foreign language, advanced placement, and core subject area courses. With highly qualified teachers and rigorous web-based classes, curriculum options can now be offered to students from schools not able to otherwise offer these opportunities.
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"We Don't Do Easy in Comstock"
For 4 years, Comstock ISD and TVS have helped several students achieve academic success. Comstock understands the dedication a student and district need to foster a successful online learning program. While others see online courses as an easy course option for all students, Superintendent O. K. Wolfenbarger III understands online learning is rigorous in preparing students for college. "I told my kids they had better not gripe about a hard class. My policy is 'no whiners allowed in Comstock.' " TVS is different from other online programs thanks to its triadic approach to learning. Triads are composed of a student, teacher, and liaison, all of whom must equally contribute to a successful online classroom. TVS called upon two members of a Comstock triad to articulate how they fostered a successful learning environment.
Melissa Moreno is a TVS instructor for precalculus, and Stephanie Crane is the liaison for Melissa's class at Comstock ISD.
What should a school or district consider or know when signing up students for an online course?
Stephanie: When delivering an online class to large groups, the district or school needs to have a liaison who is willing to work with the TVS instructor. They also need a teacher who will support the liaison in the necessary decisions about the class.
Melissa: Online learning is not for everyone. Just as all students have different learning styles, some find online learning is a great fit, while others on occasion do not. The successful online student has to be a highly self-motivated and self-directed student. Some students simply need more structure . . . a dedicated liaison can go a long way towards addressing this. They are the face-to-face contact some need to stay on task, and [they] help in contacting [the] online instructor. 
Who is the ideal student for a TVS course?
Stephanie: The ideal student is one who is highly self-motivated and has high Bs and As.
Melissa: A student who is a hard worker, self-motivated, and dedicated to their learning. They should also realize it is not an easy credit, as the workload may match that of two face-to-face courses.
What about Texas Virtual School ESC Collaborative's triadic approach contributes to student success?
Melissa: Definitely the dedicated and proactive liaison! Liaisons like Stephanie Crane do an incredible job of being a face-to-face point of contact for the students and an intermediary for the teacher and student. She sees the students and talks to them daily, so she is able to help me keep them on task. It is easy for a student to ignore an e-mail from an instructor reminding him he is falling behind. It is harder from him to ignore someone standing before him reminding him that he is responsible for his own success. After all, when you were a teen, which would you rather be doing, calculus or tossing a football with friends?
We look forward to continuing our work with Comstock to ensure its students are prepared for the future. Start preparing your students today by enrolling students in the Texas Virtual School ESC Collaborative. Students can be enrolled directly through TVS or through the TxVSN catalog.
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