Boston – Aug. 27, 2024 – VHS Learning once more has a hand in setting national standards for quality online education. Amy Michalowski, the nonprofit’s Dean and an executive board member of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance (VLLA), is co-leading a refresh of the National Standards for Quality Online Programs. Her efforts are part of an overall update of the National Standards for Quality, a set of openly licensed standards designed to help evaluate and improve online education.
The VLLA collaborates with Quality Matters (QM) and the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC) to oversee the standards and ensure the standards are relevant. In addition to online programs, the NSQ leadership team is addressing the two other domains of the National Standards for Quality, online courses and online teaching. Michalowski has partnered with Dr. Chris Harrington of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute to co-chair the update of the online program standards.
A long-time supporter of quality education, Michalowski also contributed to the original authoring of the National Standards for Quality by providing general review and feedback of the standards. “Since its inception, VHS Learning has strived to provide schools and students with high quality courses they might not otherwise be able to access,” said Michalowski. “I’m pleased to be able to contribute to the maintenance of high-quality standards for the K-12 online learning community.”
As VHS Learning’s Dean, Michalowski is responsible for ensuring the quality of the nonprofit’s academic programs. Her responsibilities include:
- Overseeing curriculum and instruction
- Developing and managing strategic learning initiatives
- Securing accreditation with state and national agencies
- Administering VHS Learning professional development offerings
- Strategic planning
Michalowski has over 20 years of experience in online learning. She is a licensed superintendent and has participated in several virtual school evaluations as part of Massachusetts’ Digital Learning Advisory Council.
“VHS Learning has a long history of setting standards for quality online education. In fact, our design and delivery standards were the model used by the National Education Association when they created their standards for online learning,” said Michalowski. “We continue to focus on this commitment to quality by engaging with the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (now the Aurora Institute) in their development of the original version of the National Standards for Quality. I’m proud to work on this project and help ensure today’s students have quality online learning experiences.”
The revised standards will be available in early 2025 at the National Standards for Quality Online Learning website.
About VHS Learning
VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization with almost 30 years of experience providing world-class online programs to students and schools everywhere. More than 500 schools around the world take advantage of VHS Learning’s 250+ online high school courses — including 29 AP® courses, credit recovery, and enrichment courses — to expand their programs of study. VHS Learning is accredited by Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information about VHS Learning please visit https://www.vhslearning.org/ and follow on Twitter at @VHSLearning.
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