Global Online Academy
BFIS has partnered with Global Online Academy, a nonprofit fully accredited online school which provides relationship and intellectualy rigorous online courses that go beyond the confines of the BFIS school curriculum, offering students the opportuntity to explore topics they’re passionate about through additional responsive and relevant courses.
BFIS is pleased to be among top leading independent schools from around the world in offering online courses as a member of the Global Online Academy.
BFIS GOA Site Director
BFIS Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator, Miranda Cryns, is the BFIS GOA Site Director. She is the person managing GOA student enrollment and support, and connecting GOA to the school community. As Enrichment and Differentiation Coordinator at BFIS, Miranda understands the current needs and interests of our students, and in doing so, she can foster strategic collaboration that supports the growth and development of GOA programs on campus.
Miranda Cryns
GOA Course Catalog
Summer 2024 courses and courses for school year 2024-2025
GOA Courses
The majority of GOA courses are one semester – 15 weeks — long, but students can also find a few yearlong classes and a wide variety of summer courses.
GOA courses are primarily asynchronous, meaning that students do not need to attend pre-determined class meetings times. Instead, teachers design and publish coursework and calendars, and students can, within that framework, work on their own schedules. All student work is submitted and assessed in their Learning Management System. In addition, students communicate frequently with teachers and peers via tools like email, chat, and video call. Students can expect to connect synchronously with teachers and classmates via video on a weekly or biweekly basis. GOA and BFIS value the centrality of relationships between their teachers and students
Who can enroll in GOA courses?
At this moment, BFIS GOA courses are available to Grade 9 and 10 students, before students embark on the IBDP in 11th grade. Summer courses are available to all high school students.
Students can choose 1 semester course per year as a substitute to a BFIS semester elective, as long as the GOA course selected is not already offered by BFIS. Students can also enroll in summer courses that are condensed versions of semester courses.
Students cannot enroll themselves in GOA courses. Enrollment is done through the BFIS GOA Site Director, Miranda Cryns, and it is tied to the high school elective process each Spring.
Important Dates
- Monday, June 17: Summer Courses Begin
- Friday, June 21: Last day to ADD/DROP summer course with no penalty (June 25th: 50% refund)
- Friday, August 2: Summer Courses End
GOA Elective Courses for School Year 2024-2025
- March 31, 2024: 2024-25 Enrollment Period Open
- August 28: Semester 1 and Yearlong Courses Begin
- September 6th: Last day to ADD a Semester 1/Yearlong course and DROP with no financial penalty. (September 16th: 50% refund)
- October 18th: Grading period 1 ends
- December 13: Semester 1 (Yearlong Grading Period 2) Ends
- January 8: Semester 2 Courses Begin/Yearlong Courses Resume
- January 17th: Last day to ADD a Semester 2 course and DROP with no financial penalty (January 24th: 50% refund)
- February 28th: Grading Periods 1 (semester) and 3 (yearlong) end
- Friday, April 25: Semester 2 (Yearlong Grading Period 4) Ends
GOA Teachers
GOA learning experiences are led by expert teachers who are committed to knowing students, to connecting them to relevant academic content, and to engaging them in rigorous work that deepens understanding and builds skills that matter in school and in life.
GOA classes are designed and taught predominantly by teachers from Student Program Member Schools. In some cases, GOA hires experts from outside member schools to teach specific courses.
GOA Summer Courses
Summer 2024 will run from Monday, June 17 to Friday, August 2, offering over 20 of GOA’s most popular semester courses in an intensive seven-week format for all high school students. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, GOA provides an official transcript after course completion, which may be eligible for school credit at students’ home schools
Explore the opportunities here.
Please contact our GOA Site Director, Ms. Miranda Cryns.
