Virtual Learning Academy - Fall '26
August 11th, 2026
Welcome! 😄
Howdy, folks!
Dr. Harrell here. The 2026 school year starts Wednesday, August 12. VLA's calendar matches LISD's academic calendar this year.
Students access their course materials by logging into lhub.lisd.net and clicking the Canvas icon. From there, courses should appear on the Dashboard. If they're not there, go to Courses and favorite them.
Students should start each course with the welcome module. The welcome module includes this program orientation video. Parents should watch it too to learn program expectations!
Students should also check their LISD email accounts for a welcome message from their virtual teachers.
Dr. Harrell and Ms. Parrish
Introducing Mrs. Rebecca Bonner
New Requirement: Daily Virtual Attendance
Due to new law and guidance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), students will now be required to complete daily check-in questions in each virtual course for attendance credit. These TEKS-aligned questions will be found in Canvas and be similar to “bellringer” style questions in an in-person classroom. Students will receive attendance credit based on completion of this question in the required timeframe.
For virtual courses scheduled during the school day in periods 1, 3, or 4, students have a 24-hour window daily from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm to complete the daily check-in question in Canvas for each virtual course.
For virtual courses scheduled during the school day in 2nd period, students must complete the daily check-in question no later than 12:30 pm daily. The difference is due to how Texas’ daily attendance snapshot works.
IMPORTANT: Students who do not complete their daily check-in questions in Canvas in the required timeframe will be counted absent. Students who accrue excessive absences in their online courses may be subject to removal from the online setting to an in-person course in addition to any other consequences prescribed by the LISD Student Handbook or Student Code of Conduct.
Parents: Monitor Your Child's Progress
There are two main places that parents should go to check on how their children are performing in their virtual courses: Qmlativ, LISD's student information system and official final gradebook, and Canvas, our learning management system.
Parents: How to Create a Family Access Account in Qmlativ
General Program Expectations
VLA is NOT Self-paced: VLA online courses are not self-paced classes. However, students do have a lot of latitude in the when and where the learning happens. Most successful online students engage in the learning activities for their virtual classes daily. Keep in mind that these classes cover the same standards and material as the courses taught in physical classrooms. Students should plan for about 90 minutes of work each day five days a week. Some students will take more time, some may need less. There are hard deadlines within courses and late penalties for submissions after the deadline.
Pacing Guides: Students should follow their course pacing guide to complete their online courses on time. Students who fall behind may fail to complete a course, earning a lower grade than desired. Students can work ahead of the pacing guide.
Plan Ahead: Successful VLA students look at their schedule and set aside time each day to complete the work necessary to remain on pace and meet all of their deadlines. If your campus requires you to remain on campus to work on your VLA class, you should work on your class during this time. In the end, it is up to the student to find the best time to complete VLA coursework.
Course Orientations: Virtual teachers will include instructions about their course orientation sessions in their welcome email. Students should make every effort to attend one of these sessions. However, the sessions will also be recorded and posted in the class should a student be unable to attend.
VLA Terms and Conditions: Read our terms and conditions at this link.
💡 Need Help?
Teachers are available for questions and concerns!
Instructors are here to help students with questions, issues, and concerns. Instructors can be reached by WebEx and email.
Our team is here to help!
The Virtual Learning Academy can be reached at virtuallearning@lisd.net.
For more information, check our website.
