This week, Lubbock Independent School District announced a partnership with Texas Tech K-12 to create a new online program called Lubbock ISD Virtual Education, or LIVE.
The program is made up of self-paced, tuition-free courses taught by certified teachers with Texas Tech K-12 and students will be enrolled in Lubbock ISD.
Students do not need to be part of LISD to apply, but those who do live within the district boundaries will be able to participate in the University Interscholastic League activities, or UIL, and Career and Technical Education, or CTE.
As full-time, public school students, state-mandated testing does apply and in-person attendance will be required.
In order to be eligible, students must live in Texas, be reading on grade level, and have reliable internet access and at-home support from an adult. The district will provide a Chromebook to all students. They will also have access to LISD counseling, academic guidance, and technical assistance.
Lubbock ISD’s chief academic officer Misty Rieber said she sees the program as an opportunity to reach more families.
“So families that need a unique choice, maybe due to family lifestyle or jobs, they travel quite a bit. We have some students that are professional in sports or events outside of school that need some flexibility, and then we have some students with some medical fragility or some illness that they need temporary support, or they have high anxiety and they need a transition,” Rieber said. “That's been what we're seeing most right now.”
Rieber said the families she has spoken to have been relieved that they can have a more flexible learning structure within their own community.
Students’ attendance and grades will be tracked every week, and Rieber said there will be time with teachers, discussion boards and ways to engage other learners, and online tutorials.
“We learned a lot in COVID, for good or for bad,” she said. “It's important to learn reading and math, but it's also important to connect to people, and that matters. And so, there's a lot of built-in ways to do that as well.”
Along with the service element, Rieber is excited by the innovation the district gets to take part in, something that does not always feel immediately attainable in education administration.
“If a handful of kids, this is an innovative approach that they need, it was worth the lift,” she said. “But we want to look at each child to see: was this a successful fit for them? We'll work with TTU and with our own campuses to make sure that we're putting kids in the right spot.”
While spots are limited for the program, Rieber said the district has not put a hard number on it just yet.
Families will have another chance to apply ahead of the spring semester. Students who are in the virtual program will also be able to consult with LISD about transferring back to an in-person campus at the end of an academic semester.
Applications are open now and will close on August 10.
The school year for those in the program will begin on August 12.
You can find applications, frequently asked questions, and more information at LubbockISD.org/live.