Middle School Options

A2Virtual+ will continue to offer a full schedule of online classes taught by AAPS teachers during the 2023-2024 school year.   The listing of available electives along with the core content will be on the registration page under AAPS courses beginning August 2023.

Students in middle school wishing to take online high school classes need to review the pre-requisite and sequencing requirements.   

Students interested in online math will find a description of how the middle school math program works below.  For information on other classes please follow this link.  Students considering online learning for the first time should complete an online readiness rubric.

Middle School Math Acceleration-

Middle school students who want to accelerate in math do not have to take a test to enter the class nor is there an application process. The parent enrolls the student in the math course that they are attending in the classroom.  The student will be allowed to learn at their own pace which may result in more than one year of math being covered.  Enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year will open May 3, 2021.

The online math program that is offered by A2Virtual+ is a competency-based mastery program.  It is not linear-based like traditional courses.  The A2Virtual+ courses are offered using ALEKS as the main format (think of it as an online textbook and testing resource).  The information on ALEKS can be found through links on our webpage.  Additionally, on this webpage is a link for a free three-hour trial of ALEKS.  We highly suggest that anyone considering joining the AAPS online math course uses the trial to see if the learning format is a good fit for the student.  You should choose the course the student is currently taking (math 6 is middle school level 1, math 7 is middle school level 2, Algebra can be found under high school courses).   In addition to ALEKS, students are put into an online Schoology classroom that includes a couple of discussions and projects that the student will need to accomplish.    Students who do not find the ALEKS format fits their learning style but still want to take online math can choose to take a math course using the APEX platform where the course is formatted in a linear style similar to the in-building classroom.  APEX math courses cannot be taken at an accelerated pace.

Middle school students who take math 6 or math 7 online with A2 Virtual+ will begin the course at the beginning of the content regardless of the time they start.  We do this because ALEKS runs on artificial intelligence and starts with an initial knowledge check.  During the initial knowledge check, ALEKS will assess the student's previous knowledge and give the student credit for topics s/he has previously learned and retained.  This is good for two reasons, one- the student will start in the course at an appropriate place to begin new learning and two- if the student didn't retain or wasn't taught topics they will have the opportunity to learn them.  The links above will help you understand the process a little more.  Students move at their own pace through the work as long as the work is completed by the last full day of school for students in June.

Middle school students who take Algebra 1 math with A2Virtual+ will learn not only the high school Algebra topics but are required to learn 8th grade/pre-algebra prerequisite topics during the first semester.  Our course is structured slightly different than the course offered in the middle school buildings.  We offer these prerequisite topics during our first semester while the in-building classes tend to intersperse the topics throughout the year.  We will evaluate the benefit of completing the prerequisite section for students who join our second semester on an individual basis.   The links above will help with understanding the competency-based mastery math process we utilize.  Students move at their own pace through the work as long as the work is completed by the last full day of school for students in June.  The work is completed very independently.  A teacher will be assigned and will monitor the work and provide office hour assistance.  The student is expected to contact the teacher by email for assistance or drop into the posted office hours.  A student who needs regular teacher support is not a good candidate for this type of math work.

Proctoring is being waived for the 2021-2022 school year.  (When restrictions on the number of persons who can attend school return to full-regular daily attendance the following is a brief summary of how proctoring will be implemented.  Students in high school level courses (Algebra1 and above) are required to have a minimum of three tests proctored for each semester, six for a year, by the A2Virtual+ staff.  Students in Math 6 or Math 7 will have two proctored tests each semester and one district common assessment at the end of the course.  The proctoring sessions in the past were held on Tuesdays from 4:30-7:00 pm at Skyline High School Media Center and on Thursdays at Balas on State St. where students need to arrive between 7:15-8:15 am and can stay until the test is completed.  Times such as during mid-term and final weeks, we offer additional opportunities for proctoring and those days and times can be found on our calendar.  Parents are required to provide transportation.  All proctoring sessions are drop-in center-based and students come when they are ready, no appointment required.  At the Tuesday night proctoring center, we also have teachers available to assist students on a drop-in basis. During mid-term and final weeks as shown on the academic calendar, we do not provide teacher assistance as all staff is occupied with testing students.)

When students return to the buildings they would normally work in the media center during the dedicated online hour that replaces the math class in the building.  Students can move from online to traditional building classes during the semester break as long as the sequence is available in the building.

If you were looking at possibly having your student complete more than one year of math we call that math acceleration.  Students are required to pass the course final and district common assessment with a specific minimum grade.  More on math acceleration can be found on our webpage.  Math acceleration is only available for students in grades 5-8.  Students in high school can only take one year of math per year unless they add additional math classes as an elective.

Math course sequence guide for parents.

Any questions about online in middle school can be directed to your building counselor or our counselor, Allan Loeb, loeb@aaps.k12.mi.us.