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It’s just an average day at school for the 8-year-old, who, along with brother Jeb, a kindergartner, attends virtual online school five days at week at home.
“I get to wear my pj’s in school,” Lucie said with a smile.
For the rest of the article, go to Some parents say flexibility of virtual school is perfect fit for their families
INDIANAPOLIS – After a whirlwind of activity on education in 2011, legislators are moving a bit slower in 2012 on bills affecting how K-12 schools operate.
With only about a month left in the session, a few education-related bills appear to have strong support while many others have dropped off the list.
Three bills that will be heading to the post involve making the state’s intervention law tougher; adding a virtual class requirement for schools; and changing how often students are counted for state funding purposes.
First up is accountability. The General Assembly passed the state’s original law in 1999.
Currently, schools rated in the lowest performance category (F) for six consecutive years can be taken over by state education officials, merged or face other options. Performance is based on annual student achievement test scores. This year was the first time takeover was implemented when the board voted in August to put private operators in charge of four schools in Indianapolis and one in Gary.
Some legislators and the Indiana Department of Education are looking to accelerate the accountability law so that any school receiving a combination of D’s or F’s four consecutive years is subject to takeover and other intervention.
For the rest of the article, go to Education bills less sweeping this year
A broad coalition of education reform groups helped organize the rally. Among them were School Choice Indiana, the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Stand for Children, Education Reform Now, the Indiana Public Charter School Association, StudentsFirst, and Indiana Virtual School Families.
In addition to enacting the Choice Scholarship Program—which boasted the highest first-year enrollment of any voucher program in history—legislators expanded the state’s scholarship tax credit program in 2011. This school year, more than 4,000 students participated in Indiana’s two private school choice programs.
For the rest of the article, go to Governor Daniels, State Legislators, and Education Reform Advocates Celebrate Victories, Pledge to Fight for Additional Reforms
Indiana high schoolers would be required to complete at least one virtual course to graduate under a bill currently in the state legislature.
The bill says, school corporations must offer high schoolers three virtual courses from the Core 40 curriculum, the state’s basic requirement for graduation, beginning next year. Schools could either operate their own virtual courses or purchase them from outside vendors.
Gary Democratic Representative Vernon Smith says he understands the need to better prepare students for the online courses they will need to take at the college level but thinks the requirement should come from classes outside the Core 40.
For the rest of the article, go to Bill Would Require High Schoolers To Take Virtual Courses
School choice in Indiana is often discussed in terms of policies that provide students with educational options, but we overlook the fact that teachers are also given options in their career choices as part of the school choice platform. The fact is every educational setting is a choice. In creating a profession for the 21st century, teachers in Indiana and across the country have begun to take advantage of environments like charter schools and virtual schools like never before. This is what school choice in action is all about.
The growth as a result of new and evolving educational settings has meant positive advancement in the profession. Once limited to rigid traditional school terms and schedules, teachers are employed in traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, parochial schools and online schools. Educators in turn have choices themselves when deciding when, where and how to teach kids with school choice options in play. In taking advantage of these options for teachers, the entire profession grows as a result.
For the rest of the article, go to School choice gives Indiana teachers options
Initiated by commissioner Bobby Cox, the IHSAA is holding a series of meetings throughout the state. Stops already have been made in Crawfordsville, Muncie, Seymour and Valparaiso, with another planned for Jimtown.
The discussion topic on Tuesday will be the potential for students in non-traditional schools (including home schools, non-accredited schools and virtual schools) to play for the IHSAA member schools in their residence area.
Cox said that 27 states allow non-traditional student participation, while 21 do not. Two states allow local districts to make that determination.
For the rest of the article, go to IHSAA will hold town hall meeting at Central on Tuesday night
Upon reading the article “Virtual Schools Boom As States Mull Warnings,” I reflected on the various facts and viewpoints expressed in article.
Indeed, online learning has become very popular and I wholeheartedly agree with the viewpoint that it can be very beneficial to students and that it can be a method of concern if not administered effectively.
In developing the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation Virtual Academy — which began in June 2010 — we have learned that the most effective and successful virtual education occurs when there is a committed student, parent and teacher involved. Our accredited online curriculum offers Core 40, Honors, and Advanced Placement to any student in the region.
For the rest of the article, go to COMMUNITY COMMENT: The hand of a teacher is important — even online
A survey last year by the Indiana Department of Education indicated 40 percent of school districts are exploring ways to provide a one-to-one digital educational environment for students.
One-to-one refers to the ratio between students and computers or other digital devices.The School Town of Munster initiated a program this year to provide take-home computers to students. The School City of East Chicago established the program in January for middle and high school students, but then required students to keep those computers at school, citing safety issues after reported theft problems and one armed robbery.
For the rest of the article, go to Technology in the classroom becoming the norm
Many Vanderburgh County high schoolers are able to get class credit and not even be in the classroom. The EVSC is offering online classes through the corporation’s Virtual Academy and school officials received approval to add 9 Advanced Placement courses. There’s already 19 classes available. Eyewitness News met with a high school senior who gave us the scoop on the ins and outs of the online classes.
For the rest of the article, go to More Online Classes Offered for EVSC High School Students
Stanczykiewicz says the online P.E. courses offer health and nutrition information, and students are required to take a physical fitness test with a proctor.
Indiana also has four “virtual” schools allowing students to take all of their classes online. In the 2010-2011 school year, 4,197 students were enrolled in these cyber schools, and enrollment is growing.
For the rest of the article, go to State School Districts Embracing Online Learning
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