News

State school program ranks No. 2 in nation

December 2, 2009

Only two years after its inception, South Carolina’s Virtual School Program has shot through the ranks to land at No. 2 in the nation, according to The Center for Digital Education.

More than 5,000 students are enrolled in the online program that allows students to make up classes, get ahead on the credits needed for graduation, or take courses not offered at their school.

In the last year, the program has experienced unprecedented growth with 80 percent more enrollments over the 2008-09 school year.

The CDE, a national research and advisory institute, ranked states based on existing policies around online learning. The group said it produced the report in an effort to inform elected officials about best practices to focus on to encourage transformation of academic environments.

“Last year we were No. 18,” Jody Yates, a teacher for the Virtual School Program who lives in Greenwood, said. “The goal this year was to be in the top 10. No one expected this.”

The program was launched as a pilot in 2006 and legislation officially created the Virtual School Program, to be administered directly through the state Department of Education, in May 2007. South Carolina is one of 25 states offering public, statewide online programs, up from 15 only a year ago.

“The rapid expansion of digital learning opportunities in South Carolina has been really exciting,” state superintendent of education Jim Rex said in a press release. “And there’s no doubt their popularity and usefulness are growing.”

About 60 classes are offered through the online program, ranging from fine arts to physical education. Credit recovery courses are offered in all of the primary subject areas as well as some advanced placement classes, SAT prep classes and unique courses that may not be found in every high school, including Latin.

Tracy Sanders, technical program manager for the program, said students take classes for a variety of reasons including content recovery, accelerated graduation, personal preference, to balance academic and extra curricular activities, and hospitalization or homebound situations.

In the 2008-09 school year, Sanders said 61 percent of students enrolled in the program were seniors who completed one or more courses to fulfill their high school graduation requirements. She said she expects the online option will contribute to a significant decline in the high school dropout rate for the state.

Yates, who earned her master’s degree through the University of Phoenix and taught in a traditional classroom at Emerald High School for 16 years before becoming part of the first round of full-time teachers hired for the Virtual School Program, said the online option could represent a salvation for students who are frustrated with classroom learning.

“In high school, a kid would take your class and fail and then take it again next semester and fail,” she said.

Both students and teachers build expectations of each other and become frustrated with the cycle. The greatest asset of online learning is self-pacing, which requires students to do a minimal amount of work on a deadline, but they are free to move ahead if they choose, Yates said. The highly interactive method of learning also forces students to take responsibility for their own education, she said.

“It’s them actively engaged in their learning and in the age of Wii and PlayStation that’s compelling,” she said.

Studies also show online learning works for highly motivated and disciplined students who are looking to get ahead, Sanders said. And in the wake of budget cuts, more and more high-achieving students may be driven to the Web for challenging and unique classes as schools are forced to pare their curriculum to accommodate a reduced faculty.

Originally post by the Index Journal