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School board to consider creating a system of oversight for online classes

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:05:02 +0000

The school board’s policy and governance committee is recommending approval of the new policy on Wednesday.

A set of attached rules identifies three administrators – the director of curriculum, director of pupil services and assistant director of special education – who will review all online classes to ensure they meet the same standards as traditional classes.

The rules limit online classes to high school students only, and require a professional staff member to monitor students as they take the courses.

Board member Karl Lowenstein said he is skeptical of virtual education and would have liked to see more emphasis on oversight in the policy.

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As new school year begins, districts work to keep up with changing technology

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:29:27 +0000

The district adopted the Discovery Education Science program as the primary curriculum resource for science for children in second to fourth grades. Administrators say the online resource allows teachers to integrate curricula with virtual labs, reading passages, video clips and simulations.

The Bay Port iAcademy program provides tuition-free online education alternative for high school students. This is the first full school year the program is in place.

For the rest of the article, go to As new school year begins, districts work to keep up with changing technology

Wait-listed students will be offered spot in virtual charter schools

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:02:59 +0000

Wisconsin students wanting to enter a virtual school this fall will have a place, say state officials.

The state Department of Public Instruction says this year’s wait-list is “exhausted.” The news comes just before the start of the academic year.

For the rest of the article, go to Wait-listed students will be offered spot in virtual charter schools

Public School Students Alloawed to Take Online Classes This Fall

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:57:51 +0000

The Department of Public Instruction says a waiting list for Wisconsin’s virtual schools has been exhausted. But Julie Thompson of the Coalition of Virtual School Families says not everyone who signed up will get into the school they originally chose. And she said many parents had waited so long to see if they’ll get in, that they dropped out.

For the rest of the article, go to Public School Students Alloawed to Take Online Classes This Fall

No students left on virtual school waiting list

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:42:37 +0000

Just weeks before the start of the 2010-’11 school year, all of the students who applied to attend virtual charter schools using the state’s open enrollment program have been offered seats in the fall.

The state Department of Public Instruction announced on its website that the virtual charter school waiting list had been exhausted.

For the rest of the article, go to No students left on virtual school waiting list

UPDATE: Chippewa Valley receives $11 million broadband grant

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:47:05 +0000

A press conference was held Wednesday afternoon to announce our area will receive $11 million in Federal grant money to improve Internet services. The money will be used to lay fiber-optic cable to connect local government, schools and public safety.

“We currently do a lot with video distance learning, some with online learning, we’ve been limited in the past by the amount of work we can do because of the lack of bandwidth,” says Ross Wilson, CESA 10 Director of Education Technology. “This will give increased bandwidth to a number of school districts.”

For the rest of the article, go to UPDATE: Chippewa Valley receives $11 million broadband grant

Online Courses Offer Options, Support for Homeschooling Families

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 03:01:42 +0000

As more and more families seek alternatives to traditional school, we’re seeing an increase in students blending homeschool and online education. Every family and situation is different, but regardless of the circumstance, a tough decision has to be made when homeschooled students enter their high school years. In the past, the choices have typically been a) continue homeschooling through high school or b) start at/return to a traditional brick & mortar school.

Now, thanks to public online schools, like Insight Schools, families have a choice that offers different options for student-centered learning that didn’t exist just a few years ago – eliminating the either/or choice of the past. Insight Schools and other online education providers are allowing students to enroll full-time as well as part-time. A full-time option allows students to take a full course-load in the environment they’re accustomed to and still have their parent by their side, while part-time enrollment gives them the option of taking a class or two while still receiving instruction from their parents for their remaining courses.

For the rest of the article, go to Online Courses Offer Options, Support for Homeschooling Families

Are education credit recovery programs really effective?

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:34:03 +0000

Credit recovery programs can take many forms. Some look no different from traditional classrooms, with teachers at the front lecturing. Others consist of nothing more than a thin packet of fill-in-the-blank sheets that a student completes on his own time. As credit recovery grows in popularity, though, it’s becoming increasingly common for school districts to turn to online companies.

An Education Week chat explains how online credit recovery programs generally work. EdWeek recently reported that at least three major school districts – Boston, Chicago and New York City – offer online credit recovery classes. And states such as Missouri and Wisconsin have online credit recovery programs.

Online programs let students work at their own pace, and supporters say they present course material in a new way.

For the rest of the article, go to Are education credit recovery programs really effective?

On Campus: Conference in Madison to explore growth of online learning

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:23:45 +0000

A conference in Madison this week will explore the growth of distance learning. Sponsored by UW-Madison, more than 800 educators will converge on Monona Terrace between today and Friday to talk about online education for K-12, college, and industry courses.

Of course, parts of the conference will be offered online, too.

For the rest of the article, go to On Campus: Conference in Madison to explore growth of online learning

Wisconsin Virtual Academy doing ‘remarkably well’ in year one

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:54:59 +0000

A Things have gone “remarkably well” so far for the virtual charter school in its first year of operation, said Leslye Erickson, the head of the school.

The McFarland School District contracted with the nonprofit Wisconsin Virtual Academy and K12 Virtual Schools to run and provide the research-based curriculum for the school, which has 488 students enrolled in kindergarten through high school.

Students come from all over the state, Erickson said, so orientations were held before school began to allow students, parents and teachers to meet face-to-face.

For the rest of the article, go to Wisconsin Virtual Academy doing ‘remarkably well’ in year one