Virtual Schooling in the News

Beginning with the ASCD Smart Brief.

All Florida districts to offer virtual classes by fall 2009
Next year, all Florida children will be able to earn their diploma entirely online without ever entering a classroom. Under a new state law, all districts will either be required to create their own online schools or work together with those who do. The Miami Herald/The Palm Beach Post (9/30)

Back to the regular Yahoo! News Alert for virtual school.

Program Could Turn Arkansas’ School Buses Into Classrooms
The Morning News Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:46 PM PDT
LITTLE ROCK -— A pilot program that has transformed school buses into mobile virtual classrooms in one Arkansas school district is worth expanding across the state, coordinators say.

New Florida law creating virtual schools
UPI Mon, 29 Sep 2008 9:14 AM PDT
ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 29 (UPI) — School districts across Florida are in the process of creating virtual schools online as part of a new state law, scholastic officials say.

New Florida law creating virtual schools
Moldova.org Mon, 29 Sep 2008 9:24 AM PDT
School districts across Florida are in the process of creating virtual schools online as part of a new state law, scholastic officials say.Florida Virtual School Chief Executive Officer Julie Young said every school district in the state must have its own virtual school or be affiliated with another online service by the time the next school year begins, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post said …

Program could turn Arkansas’ school buses into classrooms
Arkansas News Bureau Mon, 29 Sep 2008 6:46 AM PDT
By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A pilot program that has transformed school buses into mobile virtual classrooms in one Arkansas school district is worth expanding across the state, coordinators say.

Florida starts virtual school mandate
Miami Herald Tue, 30 Sep 2008 7:14 AM PDT
Starting next school year, the first generation of Florida students can earn a diploma from their public schools entirely online, without ever setting foot in a classroom from kindergarten through 12th grade.

S.D. Unified to launch virtual high school San Diego Union-Tribune Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:13 PM PDT
A virtual high school will open in San Diego this year to serve a growing number of students who want to get their education online and off campus.

Vanderbilt Virtual School Brings Election to 5th-12th Graders Across the Country
Newswise Thu, 02 Oct 2008 5:26 PM PDT
The 2008 presidential race offers a unique teaching opportunity for students of all ages. To bring this historic election straight into classrooms, the Vanderbilt Virtual School has created an interactive videoconferencing program that gives 5th through 12th grade teachers across the country a curriculum and a slate of expert instructors, including CNN commentator Lou Dobbs, to share with their …

Next the Yahoo! News Alert for cyber school.

Pennridge to look at cyber school funding
Perkasie News-Herald Wed, 01 Oct 2008 1:22 AM PDT
At the Sept. 15 Pennridge School Board meeting, Richard Davies, head of the legislative committee, railed against the amount of money the school district is spending on utilizing cyber charter schools.

Pa. cyber schools offer alternative education
The Herald-Mail Thu, 02 Oct 2008 2:23 PM PDT
WAYNESBORO, PA. Back-to-school sales had just gotten under way when the Richardson family received books, supplies and a pair of computers on its doorstep.

Moving on to the Google News Alert for virtual school.

Acton letter campaign
Boston Globe - United States
… the current school year, 25 high school students will have the option of enrolling in an online course for credit at the Virtual High School, govhs.org. …
See all stories on this topic

Virtual Environments and K-12 Education: A Tour of the …
RedOrbit - Dallas,TX,USA
In 1999, a National Science Foundation grant was awarded to create and research a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) for middle and high school students …
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OHS sets makeup days
Opelousas Daily World - Opelousas,LA,USA
Semester grades for dual enrollment, Louisiana Virtual School and half-credit courses were also considered when making up the schedule. …
See all stories on this topic

Glass examines American trends, fate of public education
Arizona State University - Tempe,USA
He added that the fastest growing trends in education, virtual school and home schooling, are a lucrative business that have “degraded education and created …
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Exeter receives distance learning grant
Cassville Democrat - Cassville,MO,USA
“This grant will allow us to purchase and install equipment that will tie our districts together and tie us to the virtual school at Miss

Finally, the Google News Alert for cyber school.

Cyberschool software well-received by 25 schools
Newsnet - Harare,Zimbabwe
Since the development of cyberschool software it has been well-received by 25 schools in Zimbabwe as an essential tool in teaching science subjects. …
See all stories on this topic

Ligonier Student Earns National Merit Commendation
PR-CANADA.net (press release) - Murino,Montenegro
Anna Hanley, a senior in the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program. …
See all stories on this topic

Ligonier Student Earns National Merit Commendation
IT News Online - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
26 /PRNewswire/ — Anna Hanley, a senior in the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship …
See all stories on this topic <

Ligonier Student Earns National Merit Commendation
International Business Times - New York,NY,USA
26 /PRNewswire/ — Anna Hanley, a senior in thePennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been named a Commended Student in the2009 National Merit Scholarship …
See all stories on this topic

Free Enrollment In International Diploma Program

Last item from the NACOL forums for today (told you there was a lot of items for today)…

PLC.edu is accepting up to 500 free enrollments in the International Diploma pilot program. The program adheres to the AP/ID diploma recommendations by the College Board and students enrolled will earn credit that will transferred back to their own school. Because this is a pilot program, students will not pay fees and all fees will be absorbed by the Personal Learning Center.

PLC is currently seeking accreditation through SACS/CITA, all teachers are certificated in the state where they live, and all courses adhere to National and State Guidelines.

For more information about courses being offered, please see the course catalogue at http://www.plc.edu/ or contact admin@plc.edu for additional information.

Courses will begin in November with open enrollment all year long. The first semester will conclude in time for AP exams in 2009.

‘Home’ Work: City Bids For Online High Schools, New York Post

Another item from the NACOL forums.

‘HOME’ WORK: CITY BIDS FOR ONLINE HIGH SCHOOLS
By YOAV GONEN
New York Post

Posted: 3:53 am
September 29, 2008
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09292008/news/…_sch_131249.htm

The city is working to clear the way for students to be able to earn credits toward high-school graduation online.

Department of Education officials said they’re working with the state on getting a waiver of the requirement that students spend a certain amount of hours per year in a classroom - known as “seat time” - to get credits for a course.

That requirement has taken the online-course option off the table in New York high schools, even as nearly half of all school districts nationally offer their students some form of virtual education.

At the center of the city’s push for the change is a new, high-tech school in Manhattan, the NYCiSchool, which for the first time is teaching its ninth-graders two online courses that conclude with a state Regents exam.

For now, the school is meeting the seat-time mandate by having students take the online courses - global history and living environment - while still in a classroom supervised by a teacher.

The iSchool “is looking to change the way business is done in New York City,” Troy Fischer, senior director of the DOE’s Office of Instructional Technology. “I think once they set the precedent for [online learning] and receive a waiver, then we can expand that option to lots of schools.”

He said a waiver is not likely this year.

The co-principal of NYCiSchool, Alisa Berger, said she envisioned the online coursework eventually expanding outside the classroom - giving older students the option to take internships during the day and to study at night.

“We want 11th-graders to be able to take classes at 3 a.m. in their pajamas if they desire,” she said.

Susan Patrick, president of the North American Council for Online Learning, said New York trails the rest of the country in virtual education largely because of a lack of initiative.

Lawmakers in Michigan, by contrast, became the first in the nation to require an online course for high-school graduation in 2006, while educators in Florida have created the Florida Virtual School, which is expected to serve more than 80,000 students this year.

“This isn’t a new innovation anymore,” said Patrick.

The state Education Department did not respond to questions, but state Board of Regents member Saul Cohen suggested that New York couldn’t stay “silent” on the issue for much longer.

“It’s something we certainly are going to delve into very seriously,” he said. yoav.gonen@nypost.com

Districts Prepare For New Online School State Law, Florida

This was posted to the NACOL forums earlier today.

Districts prepare full-time online K-12 schools under new state law

By LAURA GREEN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, September 28, 2008
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content…chool_0929.html

Next school year, the first generation of Florida students can begin to earn a diploma from local public schools entirely online, without ever setting foot in a classroom from kindergarten through 12th grade.

A new state law requires districts to create their own full-time virtual schools, collaborate with other districts or contract with providers approved by the state.

The law is believed to be the most wide-ranging virtual mandate in the nation.

“The rest of the country will be watching to see how it goes,” said Julie Young, president and chief executive officer of Florida Virtual School and a board member of the North American Council for Online Learning.

By August, school superintendents must settle everything from how to provide the needed technology to how to engage squirmy kindergartners who lack the attention span to sit at a computer for hours.

The state already funds two online schools catering to students in kindergarten through eighth grade as well as the Florida Virtual School, which offers middle and high school courses.

During the 2007-08 school year, more than 57,000 students took at least one Florida Virtual School course. But very few committed to an all-online experience.

The new law is expected to bring Web-based education to many more students and increase the number who take all of their classes in a virtual world.

But the law provides only a vague reference to providing computers and Internet access to students “when appropriate.” Each district can decide what that means, raising concerns that the program may not benefit students whose families cannot afford home computers and reliable Internet access.

In Palm Beach County, district officials said it would be too expensive to provide computers to all virtual students to use at home. Administrators have proposed opening school computer labs.

Shemifhar Freytes is one of Palm Beach County’s few full-time online students, finishing her senior year at Palm Beach Gardens High School without entering a brick-and-mortar classroom.

A night owl who does some of her best work at 2 a.m., she likes the flexibility of Florida Virtual School.

“You don’t have to be stuck in one lesson that you perfectly understand because the rest of the class doesn’t get it,” Freytes said.

She also likes the variety of ways in which lessons can be taught online.

In her Advanced Placement government class, Freytes attended a Web seminar about constitutional amendments. Students logged on at a set time and viewed slides of photos and text that the teacher created on the right side of the screen and chatted via instant message on the left side.

“This is a new world, and children have different learning modalities,” said Debra Johnson, principal of what will become Palm Beach County’s virtual school. “We need to be preparing ourselves for not only the future, but we need to be addressing students’ needs now and providing different opportunities.”

This school year, the district is starting with 12 county students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are registered for online school through a state program.

Administrators will interview the students, their parents and teachers to learn what works and what doesn’t as the county crafts its program.

At first blush, the law appears to be a boon for school districts that will get to pocket student funding without having to build schools to house them. But districts still must pay teachers, revamp their curricula for the online world and buy new technology. They also can pay a private company to do that for them.

The law cites several companies approved by the state, which some view as a back-door invitation to for-profit companies to get a foothold in public schools.

“I can’t see how (districts) would make money with it,” said Bill Thomas, director of educational technology for the Southern Regional Education Board, which serves 16 states from Delaware to Texas. “The only thing I’ve heard is the frustration from superintendents about the requirements to implement it.”

In Palm Beach County, Johnson said the district likely will buy online curriculum but oversee its own school, run with county teachers. Virtual students must meet state standards and take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Susan Patrick, president of the North American Council for Online Learning, said it would be a mistake for all 67 Florida counties to create virtual schools from scratch.

“There’s a lot of planning money to reinvent the wheel that may not be necessary,” Patrick said.

Angela Specketer, principal of the Minnesota Virtual Academy, knows what Florida districts are facing.

In 2002, her school district launched its full-time virtual program. It bought the curriculum from a proven virtual education vendor, but there still was a lot to learn. That included grappling with how different it is to teach a high school junior and a first-grader online.

“Whereas a high schooler can be very independent - they can have a conversation or work on the computer or phone - with an elementary student, you need to bridge that gap,” she said.

Specketer sends plastic tubs full of books and teaching materials to the homes of elementary school students. Only 20 percent of the curriculum is taught online, and parents must commit to walking their children through the rest of their lessons.

“Not every parent wants to be engaged at that level,” Specketer said.

For some students, she said, virtual education can rekindle their love of learning.

“It has more to do with whether this is a good way for (each) student to learn. To me, I look at online learning not as something that’s going to be the savior of education,” she said. “This is one alternative.”

I just wonder if it is going to be legislation that actually makes sense for K-12 online learnig or are we setting ourselves up for another restrictive legislative regime or possible court challenges (like we have seen in other states).  Hopefully Florida is far enough along in this area to avoid this concerns.

Virtual Schooling in the News

Beginning with the ASCD SmartBrief.

Wyoming district leader hopes virtual K-12 school would draw home-schoolers
Teacher Magazine/The Associated Press (9/18)

Back to the regular Yahoo! News Alert for virtual school.

Cheyenne district seeks virtual charter school
Scottsbluff Star-Herald Fri, 19 Sep 2008 8:25 PM PDT
CHEYENNE (AP) - The school district in Cheyenne is looking into starting a virtual charter school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Students enrolled in the school would take classes online.

Portland board takes virtual tour
Ionia Sentinel-Standard Tue, 23 Sep 2008 4:59 AM PDT
PORTLAND - It’s not the classroom setting your parents used to have, but classes offered by the Michigan Virtual High School are fast becoming a mainstream method to educate today’s youth.

Public invited to school workshop
The St. Augustine Record Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:36 PM PDT
Updates on home schooling and a kindergarten-eighth grade virtual school are among items on today’s St. Johns County District school board workshop agenda. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. at the District Office, 40 Orange St.

Colorado Connections Academy Meets State and Federal Accountability Standards
PRWeb via Yahoo! News Tue, 23 Sep 2008 0:01 AM PDT
Leading virtual school, Colorado Connections Academy, has met the federal mandated No Child Left Behind targets in reading, math and overall Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the 2007-08 school year.

Virtual school pumps up enrollment
Basehor Sentinel Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:02 PM PDT
Enrollment numbers are up again this year in the Basehor-Linwood School District.

Power Outage Closes Cincinnati Virtual School
Local 12 Cincinnati Thu, 25 Sep 2008 7:53 AM PDT
No afternoon session

Online school program pushed in Palm Beach County
Sun-Sentinel Wed, 24 Sep 2008 9:06 PM PDT
Real students. Real teachers. Virtual classrooms.

No physics teacher is no problem at Brandywine High School
22 WSBT South Bend Tue, 23 Sep 2008 3:24 PM PDT
NILES — The shortage of science teachers is hitting home for Brandywine High School. Physics students are taking a virtual class online until the district can hire a new teacher next year.

BCF ‘virtual’ classrooms in online environment growing
Florida Baptist Witness Tue, 23 Sep 2008 2:20 PM PDT
GRACEVILLE (BCF)—For many college students back-to-school time is associated with thick textbooks, new friends, moving into dorm rooms, and freshly-printed syllabuses.

Next the Yahoo! News Alert for cyber school.

New Director Tackles Challenges of PA Cyber Charter School
PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance Thu, 25 Sep 2008 2:02 PM PDT
As a 6-7, 305-pound offensive tackle for the University of North Carolina, Andrew Oberg used his intimidating size to protect his quarterback.

Ligonier Student Earns National Merit Commendation
PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:59 PM PDT
Anna Hanley, a senior in the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Moving on to the Google News Alert for virtual school.

Schooling via the screen
Baltimore Sun - United States
Although the school district sought bidders for virtual instruction earlier this summer, the information was still being reviewed, and will be on hand as …
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Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends (Webkare)
Washington Post - United States
It?s also possible to meet other boys later in the story, which uses a virtual high school as the main setting. Interaction is quite limited, …
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Family leaves home behind to travel the world
Bradford County Telegraph - Starke,FL,USA
“We agreed to put him in contact with one of the Spanish teachers at Florida Virtual School, and hopefully they can develop a meaningful, long-term exchange …
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Schools on a Shoestring: Future of class size limits in doubt
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando,FL,USA
Wise said that another cost-saving idea is to shift brick-and-mortar classes to online courses at Florida Virtual School, and idea that leaves some …
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What’s Wrong with Helping Neville Students, Don’t We Love Them All?
Monroe Free Press - Monroe,LA,USA
The principal and his staff went to work to make things happen for their students, using AP classes, virtual school, and a lot of off the clock energy from …
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‘Virtual’ schooling: education outside school
Teaching Expertise - London,UK
Nisai is now working with the educational charity E-lamp to provide a virtual classroom for pupils on the move. In the past, being educated out of school …
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Finally, the Google News Alert for cyber school.

Leechburg Area weighs future with Lenape
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Karen Bayer, R-Lehigh County, who is concerned about cyber-school accountability. • The board turned down, 5-3, a grievance settlement related to an …
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Online Charter Schools Face Roadblocks On Student Enrollment - OREGON

This was posted to the NACOL forums earlier today.

Online charter schools face roadblocks on student enrollment

BY ANNE WILLIAMS
The Register-Guard
Published: September 24, 2008
http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/stor…&sid=105&fid=35

At least a half-dozen Oregon school districts, including Eugene, are refusing to grant permission for students to attend one of the state’s newest online charter schools.

The Oregon Virtual Academy, which opened this month in North Bend, enrolls students in grades kindergarten through eighth from throughout the state, offering an online, at-home program operated by a Virginia-based, for-profit company called K12.

About 250 students have enrolled, spokesman Randall Greenway said, but another 60-plus have hit roadblocks. That’s because under the terms of a waiver granted by the State Board of Education last spring, local districts must sign off on releasing students from within their boundaries to the Oregon Virtual Academy.

Tom Henry, the Eugene district’s deputy superintendent, said doing so would violate the district’s alternative education policy, which says the district must first determine its own programs can’t meet students’ educational needs before referring them elsewhere.

“To my knowledge, that isn’t what these parents want,” said Henry, noting that many requests are coming from families who currently home-school — raising the philosophical question, one the board has weighed in on before, of whether public funds should be used to subsidize a home-schooled education.

The conflict is just the latest to flare up with the advent of online charter schools, which bear little resemblance to their bricks-and-mortar brethren. The first on the scene was Oregon Connections Academy, which opened in 2005 under sponsorship by the Scio district southeast of Salem.

As of this week, Connections Academy had 2,478 students enrolled, making it one of the largest schools in Oregon. Students work at home, using a blend of online and in-hand instructional materials, which are delivered to them along with computers and other supplies. Certified teachers work one-on-one with students, mostly through e-mail or other electronic means and by telephone.

By being able to claim those students, Scio’s on-paper enrollment has swelled from about 600 to more than 3,000 in four years. Per-pupil funding flows through the district, which keeps a portion to cover administrative costs.

Students don’t need permission from their home districts to attend Connections Academy — at least not yet. In 2005, after Connections won approval from Scio for a five-year charter, the Legislature passed a law requiring that, with any online school, at least 50 percent of students live within the sponsoring school district.

Connections Academy was grandfathered in, and school officials recently notified the state board they’ll argue the new law shouldn’t apply when the charter comes up for renewal next year. If that argument doesn’t fly, they’ll seek a waiver.

That’s what the Oregon Virtual Academy successfully did last spring, but the waiver came with strings attached — including a 600-student cap, a sunset date of 2010 and a requirement that any non-North Bend students have attendance permission from their resident districts.

“Sadly, what this often comes down to is money,” said Greenway, noting that the release requirement, especially, came as “a bit of a surprise.” “(Districts) don’t want to see the money (flow) out of the district budget. They are not making a decision that’s based on what’s best for the child.”

While some districts are simply saying no, others are granting permission on a case-by-case basis, which has created inequities, Greenway said.

Elena Molina of Eugene, who wanted to enroll her seventh-grade daughter, Soleil Oxendine, at the Oregon Virtual Academy, took her case to the school board earlier this month, but board members have expressed no interest in revisiting the policy, district spokesman Barb Bellamy said.

Molina thought the Oregon Virtual Academy’s program sounded perfect for her daughter, with its emphasis on working at one’s own pace, rich foreign language offerings and occasional opportunities for field trips and activities with other students.

“It’s not that she didn’t do well in public school,” Molina said of Soleil, who previously attended Kelly Middle School, “but I think that (the Oregon Virtual Academy) focused more on individual students’ talents, as well as bolstering the things that she’s not so good at.”

Molina said she had looked into other online options, including Connections Academy and the Marcola Web Academy, but wasn’t as impressed. Though it initially sought the same kind of waiver as Oregon Virtual Academy, the Marcola Web Academy opened this year under the 50 percent rule. Officials were optimistic there would be enough leeway within the state-adopted attendance rules for online charters to piece together enough “full-time equivalent” students from Marcola to pull off a 50 percent match, or close to it. By offering online courses and curriculum to students in the Marcola schools, the Web academy can count them toward the 50 percent as part-time students.

Marcola Web Academy Vice-Principal Daniel Huld said it’s working out so far, with at least 100 students enrolled. Nonresident students can also enroll in the academy’s online sister schools in Estacada and Sisters, should slots fill up in Marcola, Huld said.

“The whole goal is to do what’s best for kids and make sure they’re being served and they have a teacher who’s going to take care of them,” Huld said.

The complexities and questions surrounding online charter schools prompted the state board earlier this year to form a subcommittee to study the issue, said Jan McComb, the state board’s executive officer. By the end of this month, she’ll post a survey on the state education department’s Web site and distribute it to various education organizations, seeking feedback on policies governing online education and potential alternative models.

For instance, she said, one option might be requiring school districts to seek bids for the provision of online education.

“Instead, right now, these vendors are shopping for school districts,” said McComb, noting that some of her board members are “troubled” by the current governance structure.

The Virtual Subcommittee may bring a report to the full board by December, McComb said.

Obama Calls For Ed-Tech Investment

Following up on an entry I made a little while ago - Obama Opposed to K-12 Online Education - here is an item that appeared in the NACOL forums this morning.

Here’s the story. Read and decide for yourselves what it means.

This is posted to the NACOL community for informational purposes only.

QUOTE

sSchool News: Wed, Sep 17, 2008 Obama calls for ed-tech investment http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=55253 News analysis: GOP largely silent on 21st-century skills By Dennis Pierce, Managing Editor, eSchool News

That looks good in a headline. But a bigger issue for us all may be that so much tax $$ is about to got into the “economic bailout,” it’s unclear how much Fedeeral budget will be left for supporting Federal educational programs; including entitlements like Chapter 1.

Regardless of who becomes our next President, budget will be their most “persistent” problem.

What we can do about it as a “community” is to all work very hard to create new jobs and generate as much new economic activity as we possibly can.

So let’s all DEVELOP!!

Virtual Schooling in the News

Beginning with the Yahoo! News Alert for virtual school.

Virtual school leads way
The Hendersonville Times-News Sun, 14 Sep 2008 7:09 AM PDT
Brandon Warren leans back in his chair, staring at the computer screen.

News briefs for September 15
The Danville Advocate-Messenger Mon, 15 Sep 2008 8:55 AM PDT
Area news briefs for September 15 regarding Junction City Fire Department, Kentucky Virtual School, Stanford chili cookoff and meetings of the Danville Housing Authority and City of Danville Sister Cities Committee.

Districts move toward online learning
The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:09 PM PDT
Remember carrying big, heavy books and using typewriters at school? Well, those days are long gone. Today, technology, such as the online textbooks used in Avon and “virtual computers” being tried in Avon Lake, are changing the way students learn. Both high-tech tools are being rolled out this school year. “Our children [...]

Michael Horn Will Offer Keynote Address at NACOL’s Virtual School Symposium
PR Newswire via Yahoo! News Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:30 PM PDT
The North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) is pleased to announce that author Michael Horn will be the Virtual School Symposium keynote speaker on Tuesday, October 28 at 8:00 a.m. in Phoenix, AZ. His address is titled, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, and his keynote will cover the case studies and themes of his book of the same …

Correction: School grades story
Miami Herald Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:23 AM PDT
In a Sept. 9 story about appeals of state school grades, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the school that had its grade raised. It was the Florida Virtual Academy, not the Florida Virtual School. The Florida Virtual School is not graded by the state.

Cheyenne district seeks virtual charter school
Billings Gazette Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:03 PM PDT
CHEYENNE - The school district in Cheyenne is looking into starting a virtual charter school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Students enrolled in the school would take classes online. …

Cheyenne district seeks virtual charter school
Billings Gazette Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:53 AM PDT
CHEYENNE - The school district in Cheyenne is looking into starting a virtual charter school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Cheyenne district seeks virtual charter school
KIFI Idaho Falls Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:16 AM PDT
Associated Press - September 18, 2008 2:06 PM ET CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The school district in Cheyenne is looking into starting a virtual charter school for students in kindergarten through…

Next the Yahoo! News Alert for cyber school.

Board briefed on cyber school
Lebanon Daily News Fri, 12 Sep 2008 9:31 PM PDT
FREDERICKSBURG — Nate Byler, coordinator of the Northern Lebanon High School Virtual Academy, presented the Northern Lebanon School District board with a progress report on the V3

PA Cyber Charter School Weathers Remnants of Hurricane Ike
PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance Wed, 17 Sep 2008 2:08 PM PDT
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School continued nearly normal operations in spite of power outages which closed school headquarters for two days as remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Western Pennsylvania.

Moving on to the Google News Alert for virtual school.

Virtual school leads way
BlueRidgeNow.com - Hendersonville,NC,USA
The school has 35 students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, who take high school courses through North Carolina Virtual Public School. …
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School board approves new online high school
Siuslaw News - Florence,OR,USA
For each class, students participate in a “virtual classroom” where they interact with the instructor and other students by using a two-way …
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Obama, McCain Push Different Visions for Schools, Teachers and …
NewsHour - USA
On September 10 he delivered a major education policy speech in the key election state of Ohio, calling for big increases in federal school spending and …
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Finally, the Google News Alert for cyber school.

New ice rink opens in Campbelltown
The Patriot-News - PennLive.com - Harrisburg,PA,USA
He attends cyberschool, to give him more time to practice the sport he dreams will some day take him to the Olympics. With the opening this weekend of the …
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Madison Central school enrollment is up
MADISONet.com - Madison,SD,USA
Chester Area School dropped from 373 students last year and now boasts 365. This doesn’t include the cyber school enrollment, which went down from 248 to …
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Cyber high school completes transformation
Newport News Times - Newport,OR,USA
By Terry Dillman of the News-Times The Oregon Council for Online Learning (OCOL), the board of directors for Insight School of Oregon (ISO), …
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Online Learning Resource from eSchool News

This came through my inbox and was also posted in one of the NACOL forums.

Online learning for high school success

Preventing high school dropouts has become a key focus of education stakeholders and government officials across the country, as the skills taught in high school are imperative to students’ success. But with online credit recovery programs and virtual learning becoming more accessible to more students, many are able to regain momentum and graduate with high school diplomas.

With the generous support of CompassLearning, we’ve put together this collection of stories from the eSchool News archives, along with some additional resources, to help you use technology as effectively as possible while keeping students on track for graduation.

–The Editors of eSchool News

http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/onlin…school-success/

New Laws For Online Testing

This item showed up in my inbox this morning courtesy of eSchool News.

New law aims to validate online learning
Some experts call legislation aimed at online cheating ‘redundant,’ ‘insulting’

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=55224

I’ll let you read the article for yourself, but I wonder how long it will be before we start seeing legislation on this topic at the K-12 level.