The WI Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Report Cards, was recently released to the public. Merrill Area Public Schools’ Bridges Virtual Academy (BVA) scored a 76.5, which equates to an “Exceeds Expectations” rating. For the second straight year, Bridges Virtual Academy earned a greater overall rating than any of the other rated K-12 virtual charter schools in the state. Bridges Virtual Academy provides instruction to over 700 students statewide in grades K4-12. There are 24 virtual charter schools in Wisconsin that serve students in Grades K-12 and a total of 39 virtual charter schools.
“Once again, we are pleased with this year’s rating,” stated John Hagemeister, BVA Director. “We are working to address the areas in which we can still make improvements. I am very proud of our students’ performance and proud of the commitment by all of our stakeholders: students, parents and staff; and, to the process of continuous improvement of our instruction. Our school has demonstrated its effectiveness and is being modeled by other districts throughout the state because we have established an innovative way to blend a variety of instructional strategies to personalize student learning from the home.”
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has provided School Report Card ratings for all public schools since the 2013-14 school year with a gap year in 2014-15. Since that time, BVA has consistently ranked in the top five of all of the virtual charter schools, and in the top three among schools of similar size serving all grade levels. BVA was founded as a virtual charter school of Merrill Area Public Schools in Fall of 2012. Currently, there are 715 students in grades K4-12 enrolled in BVA, with 37 teaching and administrative staff members working together to provide quality educational opportunities for students.
“The entire BVA program continues to evolve,” said Dr. John Sample, Merrill Area Public Schools Superintendent. “They remain focused on student achievement while meeting the needs of families throughout the state. Receiving top honors two years in a row doesn’t happen by mistake. Distinction comes as the result of consistent effort from everyone in the BVA family.”