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Rule requiring online high school courses advances

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A rule requiring high school students to take online courses has made its way to the Idaho State Board of Education, despite heavy opposition at public hearings across the state.

A subcommittee of the Idaho State Board of Education voted Thursday to recommend that the full board pass the rule, which would require the class of 2016 — and all students coming after — to take two online courses to graduate.

The 6-2 vote came despite overwhelming opposition from people who testified at seven hearings around the state. Only eight of the 76 people who testified at the hearings or submitted written comments supported the new rule.

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Online charter school helping dropouts, others earn high school degrees

June 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Since Breland turned 18, her life has been what she describes as a roller coaster. She was married at 18 and pregnant at 19. Now 20, she is in the process of a divorce. She’s moved multiple times to different states and now resides with her family in Hansen, but through all of the changes she’s had the stability of education.

Breland found iSucceed Virtual Charter School in spring 2009, after she dropped out of a traditional, public school. Three years after she started taking online courses through the free virtual high school, Breland proudly took her diploma home last Saturday.

The charter school was formed in 2008 to help Idaho dropouts continue their education, and caters to a diverse set of students. Some are young single parents, athletes who must keep rigorous training schedules or students with an illness that keeps them at home or in the hospital. The school started small with only 13 graduates, but has grown to Saturday’s graduating class of 80 students, 16 of whom call south-central Idaho home.

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Virtual education boom hits the states

March 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many states are increasingly learning the same lesson. A combination of higher proficiency standards and tighter budgets are prompting school officials to look more closely than ever at online education. In recent years, several states have put forward plans to expand the reach of virtual schools. Most prominent is Idaho, where state Superintendent Tom Luna wants to require students to take online courses in order to graduate.

“Budgets are being cut,” says Susan Patrick, president of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. “We can’t do more with less by continuing to do the same thing we’ve always done.”

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Virtual School Facing Budget Cuts

July 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Budget cuts are not only hitting traditional classrooms in the state of Idaho, but also virtual classrooms.

With another click of the mouse and a few taps on the keyboard, class is in session for online junior high school student Dannah Knight.

“You’re in your own classroom, except you’re doing it from the comfort of your own home,” said Knight. “You still are learning through the textbook because you have the online textbook in front of you.”

Knight has taken a few online courses, giving her freedom to learn at her own pace.

“I like that she can do it on her own time and she can fit it around her schedule,” said mom Melissa Knight.

“I don’t have to worry about the distracting kids in the background that won’t shut up so that the teacher can continue to teach us,” added Knight.

But the freedom to take which classes Knight wants is now being capped.

“It’s hard because that is something I really look forward to because I know I can come home and I can do it,” said Knight. “But if I don’t have it, then that’s kind of a problem.”

The Idaho Digital Learning Academy is being forced to put a cap on the number of students allowed to take courses.

IDLA is sponsored by the state, which limited its budget to $5 million this next school year — a budget that doesn’t allow for growth.

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