FAQ

Felix is a Massachusetts Commonwealth Virtual school with in-person meeting spaces and in-person support staff. We are launching hub sites across Massachusetts at beautiful community centers like Boys & Girls Clubs where kids can learn every day. 

No. The wonderful thing about the hub site is that it allows students to learn independently but never alone and always with the support they need. All students will have many adults in their day to support them academically, socially, and emotionally.

Learning Guides - our core subject matter teachers - are 100% virtual. They are available in real-time to students in our virtual campus. Success Coaches and Enrichment Teachers are all available in-person at hub sites, and can also meet virtually if necessary.

Click here to see some class examples.

Competency-based learning means that students move at their own pace and move through courses as they demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This is different from most schools, where the whole class moves at the same pace with all students doing assignments and tests on the same schedule. At Felix, students must reach a threshold of competency in each course they take. These benchmarks are based on standards, and students must demonstrate a certain level of understanding before being able to move on to a higher-level course. Students meet Mass Core guidelines and are required to take a certain number of courses in various subject areas.

Tutorial sessions are adaptive to students’ skill levels. As a student masters a subject, the tutorial will scale up with them. 

No. Competency-based learning helps students catch up, as well as allows students to pace themselves ahead of grade level if they want to go faster.

Every student has a pace plan for each class, that allows them to stay on track for completing their courses. Students may move quickly through lessons that come easily to them and can move slower when they need more time to fully learn the material. The goal is to ensure each student fully understands the material they’re learning. We don’t want to push  them to the next level if they’re not ready, nor do we want to hold them back if they are ready to move on.

Upon enrollment Felix School staff will work with every student to create a Personalized Learning Plans that maps each student’s unique path to a high school diploma. It includes a sketch for when the student will engage in learning during the day, week, month, and year, and also includes extra and co-curriculars, like internships.

Components of a Personalized Learning Plan:

• Support Personnel: assigned Advisor and Success Coach(es)

• Diagnostic Results: ExactPath initial results against current results for literacy and math

• Path to Graduation: from time of enrollment to graduation

• Weekly Schedule: some students will have more flex blocks, others a more prescribed schedule

• Pace Plans for each enrolled course that track student progress towards goals set by the student and Advisor.

Yes! As part of the competency-based approach, Felix embraces the concept that students can demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways and leans into Universal Design Learning. It’s about what you know, not how you show it. Formative learning assessments within each course give opportunities for students to submit their work in a way that interests them, with guidance from their Core Learning Guides.

For example: If a student has a STEM assignment to design a building or structure and the student is learning how to apply geometric principles (symmetry, angles, shapes, proportions) to design a building or structure... They could make a blueprint, 3D model, digital design, web portfolio, multimedia presentation, artwork, physical model with video explanation, or even an Augmented Reality simulation.

No. These are  part of the required learning experiences that students will engage in each week. Tutorials dive into content-specific learning with a subject-matter expert in a small group setting virtually. Seminars are weekly interdisciplinary opportunities to engage with their community of “House” peers. Attendance is required at both of these.

Yes. All students are welcome at Felix -- including neurodiverse students and those with disabilities and special needs. In addition to their General/Literacy Success Coach, neurodiverse learners receive additional 1-1 support from a second Success Coach specifically trained in working with students with disabilities. Students with IEPs/504 will receive all services and supports outlined in their plans. Felix also uses adaptive tools and technology to enhance learning for neurodiverse learners. For example, Microsoft Immersive Reader is embedded in all course content so that students can have content read aloud, translate entire blocks or words into 50+ languages, and get a visual of how to read the words with the syllables broken out. Check out a snapshot of our digital accessibility features here

Yes. All multilingual learners are welcome at Felix. In addition to their General/Literacy Success Coach, multilingual learners receive additional 1-1 support from a second Success Coach specifically trained in working with language learners. Felix also uses adaptive tools and technology to enhance learning for language learners. For example, Microsoft Immersive Reader is embedded in all course content so that students can have content read aloud, translate entire blocks or words into 50+ languages, and get a visual of how to read the words with the syllables broken out. Check out a snapshot of our digital accessibility features here. 

Yes, and it’s a team approach! Not just one person is responsible for making sure students are successful as they prepare for college. Different roles focus on different angles of the student college success pathway. 

Advisors: Every student is paired with an Advisor, similar to an advisor you would have in college who is one of the professors. Advisors help students figure out which academic classes they should be taking to ensure they will be successful at quickly gaining access to college-level coursework, in addition to applying and preparing for college. 

College/Career Learning Guide: Once a student starts to take a college-level course or work for credit, they enroll in a special tutorial with a College/Career Learning Guide with other students. Students meet weekly in a small group as part of this “core” class to work on projects, talk about challenges, support each other, and work on executive functioning skills that will lead to success. This is the “101 of how to be a successful college student.” When the time is right, this weekly tutorial will also include helping students identify colleges that are a good fit, preparing and submitting applications, navigating financial aid, preparing for interviews and college visits, selecting a school after acceptance, and navigating the emotions and questions that arise along the way. 

Success Coaches: Every student has a Success Coach to ensure they are tackling any challenges that may be getting in the way of success. As students start to take college-level coursework and begin to think about life beyond Felix, support will naturally shift to ensure students are prepared to take these next steps. For some students, it may mean helping to schedule visits to college campuses or talking together with their caregivers about options for thier next step. 

AP Courses: In collaboration with the Advisor, students may take a range of AP courses. 

College Credit: In collaboration with the Advisor, students have the opportunity to earn college credit by taking college-level courses through Arizona State University. ASU is our curriculum partner, and we have developed the curriculum so that students can start earning college credit as soon as they’re ready. 

College Test Preparation: Felix offers SAT and ACT test prep!

Yes! At Felix, course content is available and can be accessed at any time of the day or evening, this allows students to study independently at a time that works best for them. Student schedules will be set between the student and their Advisor during Orientation Week. The cadence of scheduled time for student learning versus flexible time will be based on individual student needs. 

Felix provides a mix of learning: 60% asynchronous (independent virtual) and 40% synchronous (live sessions with Learning Guides and peers).

Overall, the student to instructional adult ratio is 1:8

Instructional staff ratios:

Learning Guides: 1:17

Success Coaches (General/Literacy): 1:50

Success Coaches (Special Education / Multi-language Learners): 1:20

All staff are available virtually. Success Coaches are also available in person at hub sites.