OnlineHome-School Blog

A Wisconsin appeals court ruled last week that the Wisconsin Virtual Academy online school was violating state law by allowing parents to assume the duties of state-licensed teachers.

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With CollegeKey, Laurel Springs 9th to 12th grade high school students work closely with their own personal mentor including weekly conferences throughout the entire college preparation and admission process. One-to-one coaching helps students develop their personal, academic and professional goals as they mature through the high school years.

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The Florida Virtual School landed high marks in a recent study by a Florida taxpayer watchdog group.

Students in the school - celebrating its 10th year as an online option for middle school and high school students on the Internet - consistently outperformed their traditional school counterparts in Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores, Advanced Placement scores and overall grades, a Florida TaxWatch study found.

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An enrollment drop in 10 of 14 Snohomish County districts has school leaders wondering where the students have gone.

Enrollment declined across the county by more than 300 students, slipping to 107,445, according to head counts taken by the districts last month.

What’s most perplexing is the dip is occurring while hundreds of new homes across the county are being built and moved into.

One answer:

The Edmonds School District surveyed families earlier this year and found more than 40 students who said they were planning to enroll in an online school this fall. Edmonds is now considering starting its own online program.

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Only Steilacoom, which has a burgeoning online school, posted a big increase in students. Enrollment in the state’s oldest school district is up nearly 39 percent over 2006, according to Oct. 1 student head counts reported to the state.

But most of those new students get their classes online through the district’s Washington Virtual Academy, said Lark Moore, director of finance for the Steilacoom Historical School District.

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Not enough students enrolled so it wasn’t self-sufficient, but then it offered a limited number of courses. Online schools are doing well when done right.

As other school districts launch or expand online instruction programs, the Peninsula School District is suspending its effort.

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Another charter school has added an exciting facet to the mix: iQ Academies at Wisconsin through the School District of Waukesha. The online high school (among the first of its kind in the nation) allows Wisconsin teens to complete their course work online at home. It’s a perfect match for kids on the go with sports or arts performances, kids with physical, medical or emotional challenges, or kids who want to set their own pace for learning.

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The YMCA of Grays Harbor and the Hoquiam School District have teamed up to give students of all ages a chance to take classes outside a formal classroom environment.

The program is part of a new districtwide initiative that allows students to take classes online with the Y’s facilities and equipment.

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The state’s first online charter high school was unveiled at the Tuck Learning Center Monday, making it the first of its kind in New Hampshire and possibly New England.

The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School will offer New Hampshire students college-preparatory classes, advanced placement courses and special interest courses such as biology, computer science, calculus, economics or English and will benefit high school students who attend districts that do not have the student population or funding to offer advanced classes in these and other subjects.

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For years, fear of what might befall their child when the time came for higher learning made some parents reluctant to teach their kids at home through high school – or even at all. But that fear has dissipated as colleges become friendlier to the home-schooled – and more area home-schoolers show they can make it on campus – even at ages younger than their traditionally educated peers.

Homeschooling is widely accepted at public and private universities. Admissions officers are looking for students that can handle college. Where and how they obtain the skills and knowledge base isn’t as important. Most online homeschool programs offer support for the admissions process in the forms of transcripts and other services.

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