Sumner County reports 1,900 students used online courses this year as district expands Patricia Brown Virtual Academy

Dr. David Hallman, district staff, told the Sumner County School Board on April 22 that roughly 1,900 students "have taken or are taking online courses" this school year and that online instruction is being used for initial credits, credit recovery and to widen course access across high schools.

The district's Patricia Brown Virtual Academy (PVVA) has served 62 students so far this year, Hallman said, and 19 students completed graduation requirements in the first semester with eight more expected to finish this semester. "Next year, we think we can offer that opportunity to up to 100 students," he said.

Why it matters: Board members and staff framed the online program as a tool to keep students on track toward graduation, to supplement in-person course offerings (for example, enabling students at schools without a particular world language to continue in the sequence online) and to provide instruction for students placed at R.T. Fisher School or removed from campus for disciplinary reasons.

Staff and presenters described how online courses are delivered and supported. Rachel Sawyer, district staff, and Hallman said the district partners with Imagine Learning and Edgenuity for teacher-of-record and curriculum services. Each online course includes a Tennessee-certified teacher of record and a live-tutor function accessible through a “tutor” button in courseware. Hallman said teacher-record courses include scheduled office hours and live whiteboard help for math and other subjects.

Hallman and Sawyer described student monitoring and intake procedures. High schools operate learning labs with lab coordinators who run daily "red reports" on student progress; lab coordinators and counselors receive weekly usage reports. For expelled students and other urgent placements, staff said they aim for a 48-hour turnaround to provision courses: "We do have 48 hour turnaround when students are expelled to get their courses," Sawyer said, adding the district typically completes the setup sooner.

On accountability and engagement, staff described activity monitoring: course platforms log time online and mark idle time. Sawyer said weekly emails go to parents with progress reports, and each high school's lab coordinator follows up with students who fall behind. Hallman said online courses are rigorous: "My daughter's wellness class is not an easy course," he said, while noting the platform requires student engagement.

Use cases cited by staff included flexible scheduling for athletes, access to AP and dual-enrollment options, world language continuity for transfer students, and serving students with behavioral disciplinary placements. Hallman said 36 students who otherwise might have earned no credits were served via online instruction this year, with a projected pass rate around 74 percent for that group.

Cost and access: Board members asked whether families pay for online courses. Sawyer said courses are provided to students at no charge. The district pays curriculum vendors via district contracts; Sawyer said the district pays a per-high-school package for the basic product and pays for a pool of teacher-of-record seats that will be increased next year.

Hallman noted outcomes for other specialized sites using online instruction: Middle Tech College reported a rise in U.S. history EOC averages after adopting teacher-of-record courses; R.T. Fisher added roughly 40 courses this year to broaden offerings and enable students to catch up.

Ending: District staff said they will continue expanding teacher-of-record seats, monitoring student engagement and refining placement procedures as they scale PVVA.