OSSM Virtual Program

Online Academics

OSSM seeks to provide the individual students who want to stay enrolled in their current school, but seek to take more challenging courses online. OSSM offers a rigorous option for these students.

Course Design

The Virtual Program is designed to provide a rigorous one-year program of academic instruction for students talented in science and mathematics. The classes are held primarily online with many lab days and events scheduled throughout the school year. Students attend the Virtual Program for two hours while remaining in their local high school for academics, electives and extracurricular activities.

The Virtual Program for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics shall be for the following purposes:

To provide advanced educational opportunities for rural high schools’ students gifted in math and science.
To allow participating students to maintain their local high school affiliation and extra-curricular participation while living at home.

Philosophy

The goal is to provide a one-year program of added educational opportunities and challenges for gifted rural students regardless of their income or cultural diversity. The curriculum is designed to provide a complementary and accelerated program to expand students’ current and previous local high school courses in math and science. Advanced studies will be targeted to encourage individual differences, competencies, and expectations.

In addition to the course work at the Virtual Program at OSSM, the student will be able to maintain the local high school affiliation and extracurricular participation. A cooperative effort of the local high school and OSSM makes this program possible. Students will need the support of family, their local high school, and the Virtual Program to promote good study and work habits to assure success and course completion.

Setting

The Virtual Program for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics students will be able to attend from anywhere where they can access the internet and have a computer. Students will meet with the instructor remotely over Skype, either from a classroom, library, or even from their own home, where they can receive physics and calculus instruction. Additionally, students will meet with the instructor at their school once every 3-4 weeks to work on a Physics lab based off the concepts covered in class.

Cost

There is no tuition for students to participate in the Virtual Program for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. Students are responsible for costs associated with school supplies and incidental expenses related to their course work.

The Academic Program

All students attending the Virtual Regional Center will participate in a one-year scholastic program of excellence with students who share similar interests. It is the nurturing of this educational community, while maintaining the local high school affiliation that is paramount to the Regional Center’s success.

Curriculum

Students are required to take the assigned mathematics and the assigned science course each semester.
All courses are on a semester basis at the collegiate level requiring rigorous academics and a minimum of one-hour homework per evening.
Available courses include AP Calculus BC, General Physics, Calculus Based Physics – Mechanics

Minimum Academic Requirements

Students will be expected to maintain an overall “B” average for course work in the Virtual Program. Weekly grade checks will advise the local high schools of the students’ academic progress. Students who do not maintain a “B” average will be referred to an academic committee. The academic committee will be comprised of the sending school teacher (of science if the student’s low grade is in science and of math if the low grade is in math) who wrote the student’s recommendation, the student’s guidance counselor from the sending school, the Virtual Program instructor, and possibly a representative of the OSSM administration. The counselor will coordinate communications with the local high school representative and parents or guardians to support the academic improvement of the student. Students who do not meet the Virtual Program educational and/or behavioral expectations may be asked to not participate.

Attendance Policy

One of the most attractive things about the Virtual Program is that it allows you to continue participating in extracurricular activities at your home school.