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Fort Smith High Schools announce spring learning options

During the Spring Semester, high school students may choose between Virtual or On-Site Instruction.

FORT SMITH, Ark. — With registration open for all Fort Smith Public Schools students, Northside and Southside High Schools are announcing changes to current instruction options.

During the Fall 2020 Semester, students at both high schools have had the opportunity to participate in classes offered through the Pearson Connexus Virtual Learning or choose to participate in a Blended Learning model of on-site instruction. 

This allowed students to listen to lectures, complete assignments at home, and attend on-site classes when they believed they needed help with the material. It also gave them the flexibility to attend one, several or all classes during the school day.

According to the district, blended learning, as it is structured now, has demonstrated very limited success, and warrants a change to ensure future success and progress toward graduation for all students. 

During the Spring Semester, high school students may choose between Virtual or On-Site Instruction.

Blended Learning will only be available for current blended learning students who qualify.

  • To qualify for blended learning, students must have no grade lower than 80% at the end of the first semester of 2020 - 2021 school year.
  • Students may be provisionally approved for blended learning based on grades prior to the end of the semester, but be removed if their final grades include a grade that falls below 80%.
  • Approved blended student’s grades will be reviewed at each 4 ½ week period. Any blended students who do not maintain grades of 70% or better in any class will be returned to a full face to face student, and will not have the option to return to blended status.
  • Blended students who engage with the curriculum from home will be marked as “virtually present.” Blended students who do not engage with the curriculum will be marked as unexcused.

Virtual or On-Site

Students can register for the Spring 2021 semester to continue with virtual instruction through the Pearson Connexus platform, change from on-site to virtual instruction, or change from virtual instruction to on-site instruction by using one of the form links below:

Registration will remain open through Tuesday, Dec. 15. 

Families who have students enrolled in on-site instruction for the Fall 2020 semester and wish to continue with on-site instruction for the Spring 2021 semester do not need to complete any of the registration forms.

Modifications to the School Day in Spring 2021

  • For full virtual students, courses that students have been enrolled in that are not available in Pearson may be taken as a full virtual class using the teachers’ Schoology curriculum. Examples may be AP Research/Seminar, Transportation and Logistics, etc. This will impact students who choose to move from blended to full virtual.
  • Campus will close and students will be expected to remain on campus each day from 8:10 - 3:05.
  • Students will no longer have the ability to check themselves out.

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