by Dave Nagel
Colorado's Julesburg School District has partnered with Insight Schools to launch a new online virtual public high school that's being offered tuition-free to students throughout the state. The new virtual school, Insight School of Colorado, will launch its first semester in August, with course selection taking place this month.
The Insight School of Colorado is a full-time, diploma-granting online high school targeted particularly to students who have not been successful in traditional learning environments or who are served better in non-traditional environments. According to Insight, these include advanced learners; home-schooled students; full-time wage earners; students with health or physical challenges; and those who may have struggled socially in a traditional school.
It's also targeted toward students who are homeschooled or have barriers to attending physical school, such as those live in remote areas or have disabilities. It's also aimed at those looking to fast track courses or make up for lost credits.
The school is offering more than 120 courses online initially, from remedial to AP-level courses. It's also offering an "iMentor" program, 24-hour support, tools for parents, and various interactive features for students to chat, meet, and otherwise socialize online and in person. (In person activities include traditional field trips and school dances.)
Laptops are being provided by the school.
Information sessions are being held throughout the state May 15 through May 22. Course selection begins this month, and the fall semester starts Aug. 25. Insight Schools serve about 2,500 students presently in California, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin. Further information about the Colorado school can be found here.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Going Virtually to High School
OregonLive.com
7/25/2008
Reynolds High School students will have the option of attending class entirely online this year.
The online school, which will be run by Kaplan Inc., will begin with 150 students in grades 9-12, with plans to expand to a 7-12 school the following year. It will be the first online charter school based in east county.
The school board approved the school, Oregon Virtual Education Partners, at its June meeting.
The move follows statewide debates about the scope of online charter schools. Since Oregon''s first online charter, Connections Academy, opened in 2005, the state has imposed stricter regulations on how many out-of-district students virtual schools can recruit. Now, 50 percent of students attending an online school must live in the sponsoring school district. Students attending out of district must have permission from their home districts. New online schools also are limited to about 100 students per grade level.
Connections Academy, which has a contract through 2010, received a waiver. Sponsored by the small Scio school district in Linn County, that for-profit K-12 Web school has about 1,800 students. Last year, 99 percent of the students at the academy lived outside the Scio district.
Full Story
7/25/2008
Reynolds High School students will have the option of attending class entirely online this year.
The online school, which will be run by Kaplan Inc., will begin with 150 students in grades 9-12, with plans to expand to a 7-12 school the following year. It will be the first online charter school based in east county.
The school board approved the school, Oregon Virtual Education Partners, at its June meeting.
The move follows statewide debates about the scope of online charter schools. Since Oregon''s first online charter, Connections Academy, opened in 2005, the state has imposed stricter regulations on how many out-of-district students virtual schools can recruit. Now, 50 percent of students attending an online school must live in the sponsoring school district. Students attending out of district must have permission from their home districts. New online schools also are limited to about 100 students per grade level.
Connections Academy, which has a contract through 2010, received a waiver. Sponsored by the small Scio school district in Linn County, that for-profit K-12 Web school has about 1,800 students. Last year, 99 percent of the students at the academy lived outside the Scio district.
Full Story
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Distance Learning in New Mexico
New Mexico Launches Statewide eLearning Initiative
As part of its Innovative Digital Education and Learning (IDEAL-NM) initiative, New Mexico is launching a statewide program to standardize on a single electronic learning platform--Blackboard--spanning K-12, higher education, adult education, and government. The initiative will also support a new statewide virtual high school.
The initiative will see new Mexico consolidate 22 existing systems into a single Blackboard system through Blackboard's Managed Hosting service. The initiative spans the state's 89 public school districts and 25 public colleges and universities, adult education, and workforce development programs, as well as state agencies, which will use the platform for training purposes.
Click to continue:
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=1406253:885984
As part of its Innovative Digital Education and Learning (IDEAL-NM) initiative, New Mexico is launching a statewide program to standardize on a single electronic learning platform--Blackboard--spanning K-12, higher education, adult education, and government. The initiative will also support a new statewide virtual high school.
The initiative will see new Mexico consolidate 22 existing systems into a single Blackboard system through Blackboard's Managed Hosting service. The initiative spans the state's 89 public school districts and 25 public colleges and universities, adult education, and workforce development programs, as well as state agencies, which will use the platform for training purposes.
Click to continue:
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=1406253:885984
DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM RECEIVES $11M TO REACH EVERY HIGH SCHOOL
Montgomery Advertiser, AL
Money from a $1 billion bond issue will be used to expand a distance learning program to every high school in the state.
At a press conference today, Gov. ...http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080708/NEWS/80708013
Money from a $1 billion bond issue will be used to expand a distance learning program to every high school in the state.
At a press conference today, Gov. ...http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080708/NEWS/80708013
Virtual school loses half its students
Friday, June 20, 2008
By Lindy Bavolek
Southeast Missourian
Joanna Thomsen compares her experience with Missouri's virtual school to childbirth: something she is glad she did but would never want to repeat.
"We went through a lot of work; the kids did a lot of growing. But by the time the year was over we were all totally exhausted and never wanted to go through it again," she said.
Her thoughts echo complaints raised statewide. In Missouri's Virtual Instruction Program's inaugural year, 3,200 students attempted the program, but only 1,800 completed it. Both the families the Southeast Missourian followed in November, the Thomsens and the Nanneys, finished the online courses but will not be re-enrolling.
"I attribute that mainly to people not knowing what they were getting themselves into," said Curt Fuchs, director of the program known as MoVIP. "It is a new program, and I think there were some mental ideas that it would be easier than it actually was. Online classes are not a fit for everyone."
(click on Virtual school loses half its students for complete article)
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