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Registration for the third semester of IPS’ Virtual School is now open.
The third session runs from May 1 to June 29. Registration closes May 4.
Virtual School allows students to work at their own pace, providing a chance to earn credits for classes that don’t fit into their daily schedule or to accelerate their learning and graduate early.
For the rest of the article, go to IPS Virtual School’s third semester registration begins
More and more Indiana students are trading their text books for computers full time.
This is the first school year in which virtual charter schools could offer K-12 curriculum and enrollment has jumped. Now, more families than ever are looking into the option for 2012-2013.
Dimitri and Wyatt Taylor were earning A’s and B’s on tests while at public school two years ago, but their mother was frustrated that their overall grades were always lagging behind.
“They were making all F’s in their in class work,” said Stacy Taylor. “So my wonderful twins were overly social.”
For the rest of the article, go to More Indiana students trade in text books for computers
“I owe my daughter, and I want to give her an education that fits her,” parent Melissa Nattress said.” “I’m very impressed. Not only did I find a school for (my daughter), I also found college options for myself. RTV6 did a fantastic job!” One of the featured institutions, the Indiana Connections Academy, is the state’s only Kindergarten through 12th grade virtual charter school.
“Virtual school is where a learning coach, sometimes a parent, signs up with their student for a public school curriculum that is completed at home through the computer or virtually,” administrator Cassie Pugh said. “We’re thankful for RTV6′s advertisement about the School Expo, and Indiana Connections Academy is glad to be a part of this movement.”
Christel House DORS is a school that works to help non-traditional students earn a high school diploma.
For the rest of the article, go to Thousands Attend RTV6 School Expo
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
Virtual schooling is in the era of a fundamental shift in its development that should be embraced, not feared, said authors and sponsors of the 2011 version of the Keeping Pace annual report on virtual schooling here at the Virtual School Symposium in Indianapolis Thursday.
While most virtual school advocates in the past may have focused on gaining exposure for their programs, they should shift toward emphasizing accountability and transparency in those programs to a community at-large becoming more aware of virtual education, the panel said. And despite some recent negative press about online schooling’s benefit or lack thereof, they agreed that many virtual providers are doing this.
“When these programs started, they started out of a point of pain,” said Andy Scantland, the vice president of sales and marketing for Advanced Academics Inc., the Oklahoma City-based provider of public and private online programs, and a sponsor of the report from the Evergreen Group of Durango, Colo. “As a result, there wasn’t a lot of measurability or a lot of accountability. I think that’s changed a lot, and the report reflects that.”
For the rest of the article, go to Virtual Education Sees Shift to Accountability
A new program at a Berrien County high school allows kids to go to a public school without leaving their home. Brandywine High School began offering a virtual high school option this year. And more schools are expected to follow.
So far, two schools in our area off the program: Coloma and Brandywine schools districts. There are 26 schools in the state offering virtual classes online through a for-profit company called Job Skill Technology, Inc. While some schools offer just a few online classes for students to take on top of going to school, Brandywine is offering a total virtual high school. They call is Brandywine Virtual High School and one student says it is a perfect fit for him.
For the rest of the article, go to Futuristic learning now: Public high school classes without leaving home
The 2011 school year marks the introduction of Hoosier Academies Virtual School (HAVS). HAVS is a tuition free, full-time online public charter school that will serve students in grades K through 10 across the state. Hoosier Academies uses the award-winning K12 online school program, which is offered in online public schools in 29 states and the District of Columbia.
Recent legislation expanded online public school options in the state of Indiana. As a result, Hoosier Academies will expand the Indiana Virtual Pilot School to create a new statewide online public school for families, with classes beginning August 8th.
For the rest of the article, go to Hoosier Academies Begins 2011-2012 School Year with Newly Established Hoosier Academies Virtual School
Not content with fetching dropouts back into the fold, the system is taking steps to accommodate the large proportion who have been long out of school and don’t fit into the traditional environment.
Child care could be provided to a parent enrolling in a credit recovery program. A self-taught hairstylist might gain certification in cosmetology and go to work in a salon. Then there’s the Virtual School, wherein returnees earn credits online at home.
For the rest of the article, go to A time for second chances at IPS
Virtual schools aren’t new. Indiana already offers online charter schools, and the online-only WGU Indiana offers undergraduate and graduate degrees with the state’s blessing. In fact, Indiana is behind in the digital world; 27 states already offer virtual high schools.
As with other nontraditional education options, virtual high schools have drawn opposition. Critics, including a spokesman for Indiana’s largest teachers union, question whether online students lose out on the social benefits of interacting with peers in the real world. Homeschool students have faced the same criticism for decades, even though research is largely in their favor.
For the rest of the article, go to Online high school expands options
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett on Tuesday hailed Indiana’s first statewide all-online public high school as a “revenue generator” and a model for how cash-strapped school districts can save money.
“This is in many ways a breakthrough for the state,” Bennett said at a news conference Tuesday formally announcing Achieve Virtual Education Academy, which will be available to Hoosier students this fall. Wayne Township will run the accredited school, which will award regular high school diplomas.
Achieve Virtual allows for the school corporation and its teachers to be entrepreneurial while also allowing children to learn in a way that suits them, Bennett said, making it a “win-win-win opportunity.”
For the rest of the article, go to Education chief a fan of virtual school
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