How do Virtual Public Schools Operate?
The Nuts and Bolts of Online Learning
By Emily Puro
The concept of a “virtual education” can be a bit hard to grasp. Here’s a Q and A that provides some of the basic information on how these learning institutions operate.
Q: Who can enroll in a virtual public school?
A: In Washington, the state legislature passed a law allowing virtual schools operating in the state to enroll students residing anywhere in the state beginning in 2006. In Oregon, it’s a little more complicated. Current Oregon law requires that 50 percent or more of the students enrolled in a charter school offering online courses reside in the district sponsoring the charter. The Kaplan Academy, operating out of the Reynolds School District, is bound by that requirement. Neither the Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA), which operates through the Scio school District, nor the Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA), operating out of the North Bend School District, are similarly bound. (ORCA was granted a charter before the law was passed; ORVA requested and was granted a waiver.)
To complicate matters further, while ORVA’s charter includes a waiver for the 50 percent requirement, it limits the school to 600 students in kindergarten through eighth grades and requires each out-of-district student’s home district to give written permission for the student to attend ORVA. There is no such requirement for ORCA. Both ORVA’s and ORCA’s charters will expire at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, so these requirements likely will be revised. (See “The Future of Oregon’s Virtual Public Schools” for information about Senate bills currently under consideration.)
Confused? Just wait; there’s more… Insight High School operates as an alternative school in Oregon, partnering with individual districts and enrolling students only in those districts. Insight currently partners with about 20 districts in the state including Portland Public Schools and the Hillsboro School District. SK Online is a district-run program serving students only in Salem-Keizer Public Schools, with exceptions made on an individual basis.
Q: How are state tests administered?
A: Students in virtual public schools, whether charters, district-run or alternative programs, are required to take the same state tests as students in traditional public schools. The tests are administered at sites throughout the state and are proctored by the schools’ state-certified teachers.
Q: How do virtual schools monitor attendance and tests taken at home?
A: “We have an honor code that all our kids sign saying they’re going to do their own work,” says ORCA Principal Jerry Wilks. Teachers can verify test results by talking to students during regular weekly phone calls and live lessons, ensuring they’ve mastered the skills and knowledge as demonstrated on their tests. The learning coach – usually one or both parents – records daily attendance. Students are required to meet the state’s minimum attendance hours for their grade levels. Virtual schools also track student progress to ensure they complete all lessons in a timely manner.
Q: How many students are currently enrolled in virtual schools?
A: According to the North American Council for Online Learning, there were 173 virtual charter schools serving 92,235 students in 18 states in January 2007, up from 60 virtual charters in 13 states during the 2002-03 school year. Oregon’s largest virtual public school, the Oregon Connections Academy, has seen enrollment increase from 700 students in 2005-06, their first year of operation, to 2,800 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in 2008-09. Enrollment at the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA, formerly the Steilacoom Virtual Academy) exploded from 35 students in the Steilacoom School District to about 1,300 statewide in 2006 when the legislature opened enrollment in Washington virtual schools to students around the state, says Jim Keogh, a spokesperson for the advocacy group Washington Families for Online Learning. WAVA has since expanded its course offerings from K-8 to K-12, Keogh adds, enrolling about 3,800 students statewide in 2008-09.
Emily Puro is a Portland freelance writer and mom.
June 12th, 2010 | Category: Special Online Learning
