I was able to meet with the sixth grade science teacher online in her virtual office and discuss some specifics regarding her virtual school. I was interested in how the curriculum was designed and in the demographics of the school.
The curriculum was designed by an outside company. This company utilized the services of curriculum resource persons, teaching teams, subject specialists, and web designers to create and publish online the school curriculum. All courses, lessons, and assessments were designed by this group. The curriculum is aligned to the state standards. The school also has a global services division who has franchised and marketed their curriculum to other states.
Each teacher has a goal of completing 130 credits in a school year. One student who completes two semesters of sixth grade science would account for one credit. The science teacher said she began with about 200 students for the 07-08 school year. The school stagger-started the students. Many students began their work in May of 07; more entered in October and November. The pacing for the course varies from student to student, but most students try to complete a course according to the traditional pace of 32 weeks for a year course (16 weeks per semester). An accelerated pace would complete the course in 16 weeks. Students are allowed 2 weeks of vacation time per semester. Some students are allowed extended time to complete a course. These students require special permission from the school. The pacing would be designed collectively by school counsellors, teachers, parents, and students, and work off a individualized pace chart.
While the science teacher began the school year with about 200 students, a percentage of students have dropped the course for various reasons. Once a student begins a course, they have a 28 day grace period to drop the course. If a student wishes to drop a course after the 28 days, they would receive a Complete Fail if they have completed over 50% of the coursework, and a Withdraw Fail if they have completed less than 50% of the course. Reasons for dropping a course vary from student to student, but may include moving out of state, enrollment in a public or private school, illness, personal reasons, etc.
Many of the virtual school students are home-schooled, who require online support from qualified teachers as they complete the work required of a middle school and high school curriculum. Some students are completing their MS/HS coursework online because of other circumstances, such as travel, participation in competitive sports, illness, or other personal reasons. Some students have dropped out or been expelled from traditional schools, but desire to graduate from a high school. Whatever the reason, the virtual school provides excellent opportunity for any and every student to be successful at the MS/HS level, provided the student is willing to do the work.
I visted the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) at www.nacol.org to investigate other virtual schools. Click on a state to find out about the virtual schools in each state. I went to Georgia, and found some interesting information. Georgia currently has no state laws on the books regarding virtual schools. The state lists 5 virtual schools. Three are private schools, one is affiliated with a university; two are public schools.
Today I read about a ruling in California from late February that basically banned all forms of homeschooling in the state. This includes homeschooling that is coordinated through a public school district, homeschooling that is combined with online schooling, or homeschooling that is administered in a way that does not include full-time face-to-face instruction from a certified teacher. This ruling potentially may have an impact on virtual schools, and should be watched closely. Find the information at the following links:
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22205
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
The Governor of California and homeschooling advocates are challenging this ruling.
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2 comments:
I am shocked by the ruling in California with the vast amount of students within the state that will be affected. I understand that many school districts may be opposed to virtual schooling as it could replace the services that the traditional classroom provides, but I do not think that even those who are online learning advocates desire to replace the face-to-face classroom. The objective of online learning is to allow students to have the option to attend school at a different pace at a more convenient time and location. I believe that virtual education programs are becoming a vital part of the education system and a state mandate to make them illegal would be a mistake by any court.
I will definitely be following this interesting decision from the California courts to see what happens.
I am shocked as well by the ruling in California for homeschooling. Over the last several years, I have had many students whose only option for completing their school year has been homebound. It is where students have tele-classes with teachers who are certified and salaried employees of the school district. For various medical reasons, these students had no other option for completing their course work.
Thank you for the resources.
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