The Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) provides Texas students and schools with equitable access to quality online courses and instructors. It is a valuable resource for interactive, collaborative, instructor-led online courses taught by state-certified and appropriately credentialed teachers trained in effective online instruction.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) under the leadership of the commissioner of education, administers the TxVSN, sets standards for and approves TxVSN courses and professional development for online teachers, and has fiscal responsibility for the network. Education Service Center (ESC) Region 10 oversees the day-to-day operations of the TxVSN network. The TxVSN is made up of two components—the TxVSN statewide catalog of supplemental high school courses and the full-time TxVSN online schools program.

Statewide Supplemental Course Catalog

The TxVSN statewide course catalog provides supplemental online courses for high school graduation to public school age students. The catalog offers students across the state opportunities to enroll in high school, Advanced Placement, and dual-credit courses offered through the network by approved providers. The TxVSN catalog works in partnership with public schools to meet the needs of students. To view available courses, visit the TxVSN online course catalog. To learn more, visit the TxVSN website.

Full-Time Online Schools Program

The TxVSN Online Schools (OLS) program offers free, full-time virtual instruction to eligible Texas public school students in grades 3-12 who enroll in one of the six TEA-accredited public schools approved to participate in the program. Instruction provided through the TxVSN OLS is 100 percent virtual. Students in the program are not required to be physically present on campus during instruction.

Courses

All courses offered through the TxVSN must meet the state curriculum requirements, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS, and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) National Standards of Quality for Online Courses . Courses are also reviewed for alignment with accessibility standards (PDF, 232.02 KB). TxVSN courses are taught by teachers who are Texas-certified in the content area and grade level of the course or meet the credentialing requirements of the associated institution of higher education. They are also trained in best practices for delivering online instruction. Students do not need to be physically present at school during instruction of TxVSN courses.

State Law and Rule for the TxVSN

See the following links for the law and rule about TXVSN:

Texas Virtual School Network – Online Schools Program

The Texas Virtual School Network Online Schools (TxVSN OLS) program provides full-time online instruction to eligible Texas public school students in grades 3-12 through enrollment in one of the TEA-accredited public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools approved to participate in the program. These free online public schools offer 100 percent virtual instructional programs to students across the state who are not physically present on campus. Students who enroll in a TxVSN online school are public school students.

Courses comprising the TxVSN OLS program are reviewed to ensure they meet the state curriculum standards, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and national standards for quality online courses. Courses are aligned with accessibility standards. Teachers are required to be Texas-certified in the content area and at the grade level they are teaching and must be trained in best practices to deliver online instruction.

Authorized by Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 30A, the TxVSN OLS program is administered by TEA under the leadership of the commissioner of education. The TxVSN OLS program currently has six TEA-accredited schools that provide full-time online instruction to public school students throughout Texas.

The following are the TxVSN online schools for 2015-2016:
(Please note: A TxVSN online school may plan to add additional grade levels beginning in 2016-2017.)

iUniversity Prep
Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District
County/District/Campus Number: 220-906-007
Kaye Rogers: kaye.rogers@gcisd.net, 817-305-4898
Established in 2013-2014
Enrollment as of October 2016: 484
Serves grades 4-12

Texas Connections Academy at Houston
Houston Independent School District
County/District/Campus Number: 101-912-100
Willie C. Spencer: wspence1@houstonisd.org, 713-556-6931 ext. 311
Established in 2008-2009
Enrollment as of October 2016: 5947
Serves grades 3-12

Texas Online Preparatory School
Huntsville Independent School District
County/District/Campus Number:
236-902-108–elementary
236-902-048–middle school
236-902-008–high school
Debbie Homann: dhomann@huntsville-isd.org, 936-435-6327
Established in 2013-2014
Enrollment as of October 2016: 142 elementary, 372 middle school,  422 high school
Serves grades 3-12

Texas Virtual Academy
Premier High Schools (Charter Holder: Responsive Education Solutions)
County/District/Campus Number: 072-801-145
Lonnie Morgan: lmorgan@responsiveed.com, 972.316.3663 ext 236
Established in 2015-2016
Enrollment as of October 2016: 2980
Serves grades 9-12

Responsive Education Virtual Learning
Texas College Preparatory Academies(Charter Holder: Responsive Education Solutions)
County/District/Campus Number: 221-801-022
Lonnie Morgan: lmorgan@responsiveed.com, 972-316-3663 ext. 236
Established in 2008-2009
Enrollment as of October 2016: 3419
Serves grades 3-8

The most up to date information can be found at https://www.txvsn.org/OLS-Campuses

TxVSN OLS Students

Students in grades 3-12 who reside anywhere in the state, who are eligible to attend public school in Texas, and who meet the other eligibility requirements of the TxVSN OLS program may enroll in the full-time virtual instructional program. They will participate in rigorous, interactive online courses that emphasize extensive communication between the Texas-certified teacher and student and among students.

The full-time virtual TxVSN OLS program is available to students who meet eligibility requirements defined in TEC, §30A.002. A student is eligible only if the student meets requirements for enrollment in the Texas public education system and

  • was enrolled in a public school in this state in the preceding school year;
  • has been placed in substitute care in this state, regardless of whether the student was enrolled in a public school in this state in the preceding year; or
  • is a dependent of a member of the United States military, was previously enrolled in high school in this state, and does not reside in this state due to a military deployment or transfer.

Commissioner’s Rules for the Texas Virtual School Network

Administrative rules governing the TxVSN OLS program are available online. The rules provide guidance for districts & charter schools participating in the TxVSN, in accordance with the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 30A.

TxVSN OLS Funding

Eligible independent school districts and open-enrollment charter schools earn funding for a student enrolled in courses offered through the TxVSN OLS program in the same manner that the school earns funding for a student who is enrolled in a traditional classroom setting, provided that the student successfully completes the courses.

Resources

The following links are resources about TxVSN: