Video: Online high school program sees growth
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Online H.S. program sees growth Posted: Aug 25, 2014 2:43 PM EDT Updated: Aug 25, 2014 8:02 PM EDT By Alexei Rubenstein - bio | email SPRINGFIELD, Vt. - With the start of school just a few days away, empty desks at Springfield High School will soon be buzzing with students, but just down the hallway, at the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative, classes have been going strong all summer long. Eleventh grader Tess Wilkinson is checking in with her Algebra 2 teacher -- Julie Parah. The South Burlington High school student enrolled in a Summer Semester course that will allow her to get ahead and take Chemistry. "I did want to get ahead, so my guidance counselor gave me some options of what I could do and this seemed to be the best because it it was quick and it was over the summer and it didn't take up a huge amount of my time," Wilkinson said. Dozens of students from across the state have been involved in Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative courses this summer -- from American History to physical science. Like this session on Google Chat, All are taught online by teachers from 36 partner schools in Vermont. "I think the hardest part is the students underestimating the discipline required and how much more discipline is required to do it online as compared to in the classroom, when you don't have a teacher that you're working with every single day face to face," said Julie Parah, a teacher at Green Mountain Union High School. Reporter Alexei Rubenstein: Do you end up knowing the subject material better than you would in a normal class? Tess Wilkinson: You're kind of forced to figure it out yourself and forced to read the whole thing because its the only way you will understand it. Last month VTVLC wrapped up a different program -- Summer Learning Recovery -- That's for those students that did not pass a class during the year -- or just need extra help. It's not the typical Summer School of yesteryear. "They have video, they have practice problems, they have notes to read. There are usually two or three different ways to approach the same topic and different students learn better in different ways," Parah said. Since its start five years ago, enrollment in all VTVLC programs has jumped nearly 50 percent annually. One of the biggest reasons is flexibility. "That's really the advantage of being able to offer these online. It removes the barriers of travel, distance, location -- as well as time -- students can do these 24/7," said VTVLC Director Jeff Renard. "If I had to learn AP Calculus at 7:30 in the morning, there's no way I would be successful, but let me take it at 2 in the afternoon, I could probably do it." And with the push towards school consolidation, the program is likely to play an even larger role in the future. "This is one of those opportunities where we can step in and say, don't stop offering that. Let us work with your school, offer those seats to all the other schools around the state and then in return, your school can have access to all these other programs that might be offered in a similar way," Renard said. While students in the summer programs pay up to $300 for classes, the cost of courses during the school year is covered by partner schools in the program. A recent national study found that while virtual K-12 schools account for a small portion of overall school choice, they are one of the fastest growing forms of school. "I don't think there's any question of it ever replacing what happens in the traditional classroom, but it is good to have it available as a high quality option for people who simply can't -- for whatever reason -- engage in the classroom," said Mark Parker, Chair of the Continuing Studies program at Norwich University. "It was good because now I can be ahead in math -- which will give me an edge for everything I want to do," Wilkinson said. Getting ahead in school -- on her own time..