You are here: Home / Archives for Online High Schools

Online class attracts savvy sixth-graders

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“There’s a real appetite for this,” said Naegle, noting that all students who signed up for the World Survey class are passing and none have dropped out. “The kids are so comfortable with technology.”

Not only that, the district’s Virtual High School, which opened in 2004 to offer an online alternative to brick-and-mortar high schools, experienced a 33 percent jump in students enrolled exclusively in online courses this spring after a flat fall semester enrollment of 150 students.

“That was a surprise,” Ebert said.

Also, the number of Clark County high school students taking just one or two online courses increased by 37 percent this year to 12,000.

For the rest of the article, go to Online class attracts savvy sixth-graders

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

The ABCs of virtual school success

April 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

But while many families are exploring full-time virtual schools as an option, it’s important to remember that this form of public education isn’t a good fit for every student, or every family.

“Virtual school is a great choice for many students, but it requires a commitment on the part of parents to be involved in their child’s education,” says Sylvia Pryor, director for community outreach at Connections Academy. “Although many students adjust quickly, not all students are suited to learning at home. At our information sessions for prospective families, we let parents and students know what they can expect in the virtual school setting. We want students to thrive in our program, and understanding how it works and what is required is essential.”

Families interested in full-time online school should consider the following “ABCs” of successful virtual schooling to determine if this form of education is a good fit:

For the rest of the article, go to The ABCs of virtual school success

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With: , ,

E-Schools Put Specific Measures for Success in Place

March 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When high school students attending the full-time online WOLF school in Reno, Nev., take midterms and finals, they find themselves in an atmosphere very different from a routine school day at home.

Instead of working from the privacy of their homes—where a majority of their academic time may be spent—those students must go to a testing center, show identification, and take exams under the watchful eye of a proctor. The goal is to make sure students are doing the work and demonstrating knowledge without inappropriate assistance, says Sandi Foster, the coordinator for WOLF, which stands for Washoe School District Online Learning for the Future and is run by the 62,300-student Washoe County public school district.

“If they haven’t done the rest of the work on their own, they aren’t going to score well on those exams,” Foster says.

For the rest of the article, go to E-Schools Put Specific Measures for Success in Place

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Plato Launches Virtual Academy

March 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Accreditation for the academy will be provided by the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) with the virtual academy designated as a distance education school. Established in 1917, NWAC is engaged in school accreditation in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

“Our goal is to help schools and districts to improve student achievement. The Plato Virtual Academy is an important step forward in doing that,” said Jamie Candee, Plato Learning vice president of product and marketing. “We are here to partner–not compete–with educators to meet the needs of 21st century learners.”

For the rest of the article, go to Plato Launches Virtual Academy

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Sandoval urges charter school panel to expand parent choices

February 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval called for members of a new board overseeing charter school education to provide more choices for parents and children who deserve the right to select the type of education that meets their personal needs.

At the inaugural meeting of the Nevada Public Charter School Authority on Friday, Sandoval said members will ensure that the state’s 15 charter schools meet all state academic standards and lead to creation of more and better charter schools.

Because of the approval of a Sandoval-backed bill last year, the Charter School Authority was established to sponsor and oversee charter schools, which are considered public schools in Nevada. They receive the same amount per pupil in state support as do other public schools.

Before creation of the Charter School Authority, local school districts, state universities and colleges and the state Board of Education sponsored and oversaw charter schools.

Conaboy had nominated Robert McCord, a longtime Clark County educator, as president. She said she wanted to avoid any conflict of interest because she has represented the Nevada Virtual Charter School.

But other members said that they were not concerned about a possible conflict and that her government experience was invaluable. She then was elected unanimously.

For the rest of the article, go to Sandoval urges charter school panel to expand parent choices

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With: , ,

Virtual High School lets kids go to school at home

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) – The Virtual High School lets kids go to school in the comfort of their own home. CCSD says this type of online learning could help the ailing graduation rate.

Instead of waking up early and rushing to class, 150 high schoolers get up when they feel like it and take their classes online.

“You get to eat breakfast, (you) don’t have to wake up super early and be afraid you’re going to miss the bus,” Dakota Schneider said.

Schneider is a junior at VHS. He went to Basic High School his freshmen year, but struggled.

“I noticed I couldn’t concentrate a lot with kids constantly tapping on desks, making noise.”

The shy student also worried about bullying, and says some of his friends were victims. Schneider researched VHS and gave it a try.

Dominique Quattrini is a Virtual High School senior.

She battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma the summer before high school. After beating it she went to Silverado High School her freshman year. Quattrini relapsed the following summer and enrolled in virtual school from her hospital room, “For me, even though I was dealing with all the treatments, I wanted to – as best as I could – stay on track and finish.”

After beating cancer the second time, she almost went back to her traditional school but decided against it.

Despite the physical distance with online learning, students say they actually get more one on one time with their teachers.

“They’ll check in at least once a week and we have an instant messenger program so we can message them anytime they’re online and we need help. So, it’s definitely more personable here,” Quattrini said.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual High School lets kids go to school at home

Filed Under: Home Page, News, Online High Schools Tagged With: ,

Virtual High School: District program appears to be working

November 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Virtual High School is growing, the Review-Journal’s Trevon Milliard reported Sunday. The 7-year-old program has 12,000 students this year and a goal of enrolling 30,000 by next year.

For the vast majority of those students, online classes give them a chance to retake courses they’ve failed. For years, high school campuses have struggled to provide enough makeup classes to the students who need them. Putting these teens in classrooms before school, after school and during summers has proved inflexible and expensive.

Now more students are being encouraged to take such classes through Virtual High. The online format might seem impersonal, but it holds students and teachers plenty accountable. Students must motivate themselves to work through the material. Teachers are available via phone, email and text messaging, and they provide personal instruction for struggling students. Meanwhile, district administrators have the ability to log into any class at any time from their desks to verify progress.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual High School: District program appears to be working

Filed Under: Home Page, News, Online High Schools Tagged With:

County students at Virtual fulfill graduation requirements online

November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Fifteen-year-old Jared Smith sat in a high school classroom for the last time on Monday.

No, he’s not a Doogie Howser kind of genius graduating early. He’s not being home-schooled by his mom. And he’s not dropping out.

He’ll still be taking the same Clark County School District classes as other sophomores, but through Virtual High School, a sort of “Tron” educational environment where he completes homework, takes test and even communicates with his teacher and classmates on the Internet through instant messaging and in chat rooms.

No extra cost is involved and there’s still a student prom. A campus at Flamingo Road and McLeod Drive provides a meeting place for students who want face-to-face help.

“For some students, I will go the entire semester and not hear their voices,” said Kelli Sommer, chairwoman of Virtual’s English department.

Virtual High School — opened in 2004-05 — is nothing new. It has 150 full-time students, but projects 12,000 total enrollments this school year. That’s because online courses are now available to students at all 49 district high schools this year, allowing them to remain at their home schools while retaking a class or two through Virtual.

For the rest of the article, go to County students at Virtual fulfill graduation requirements online

 

Filed Under: Home Page, News, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Business savvy lets VegasPBS grow, deliver popular programs

October 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s not that being a PBS affiliate has suddenly become a gateway to riches. The nonprofit station has diversified its business to include an online virtual high school, online courses for teachers and unemployed workers and certified professional careers.
The station has also benefited financially from the never-ending War on Terror, landing Department of Homeland Security grants to build a regional emergency response support system.

While VegasPBS still relies on more traditional grants and donations made during pledge drives to help keep the station on the air, its diversification strategy is paying dividends.

“We have weathered the recession pretty well,” said Tom Axtell, general manager of KLVX-TV, Channel 10, which is branded as VegasPBS.

Operating revenue was $18.21 million in 2010. Operating expenses were $11.43 million, with the resulting surplus allowing the station to repay $6.38 million of the $18.1 million it borrowed from the school district to build its $70 million headquarters on East Flamingo Road in 2010. The final $1.5 million loan payment to the school district should be made by the end of fiscal 2012, he said. The majority of the construction was financed through a $40 million capital campaign before work began.

Axtell said the increase in the station’s assets is a direct result of capabilities that came with that new 112,000-square-foot building.

FOCUS ON EDUCATION

As television came into vogue in the 1940s, Congress reserved some broadcast frequencies for educational purposes, many of them licensed to colleges and large school districts that operated radio stations. In 1953, the University of Houston signed on the nation’s first noncommercial educational TV station.

For the rest of the article, go to Business savvy lets VegasPBS grow, deliver popular programs

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Leading Virtual School, Connections Academy, Launches Blog

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Connections Academy, a leading national operator of K-12 virtual public schools, announced today the launch of a new blog geared toward families interested in K-12 virtual education and school from home. The blog is called Virtual Learning Connections and will offer insightful commentary about virtual school and learning from home, helpful tips for parents, celebrity guest bloggers, and more. Connections Academy presently operates fifteen public virtual schools in fourteen states as well as a national private virtual school.

For the rest of the article, go to Leading Virtual School, Connections Academy, Launches Blog

Filed Under: Home Page, News, Online High Schools Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts