More than 29,000 K-12 students, including the Tidwells, attend school online in Ohio, about five times more than did seven years ago.

They log onto their computers from home without ever stepping into a classroom.

Some are in kindergarten.

Through Ohio Virtual Academy, the Tidwell children take core classes like science and English, as well as honors courses, arts, foreign language and electives like journalism and anthropology.

For the rest of the article, go to Local family is part of growing e-school trend

“It was a nice experience being in brick and mortar,” said Shelly. “It just was not right for our family.”

So the Tidwells returned to virtual school with the Ohio Virtual Academy, based near Toledo, which has seen its enrollment grow to about 8,400 students in nine years.

It is one of Ohio’s 27 online schools offering education to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The e-schools are public charter schools that receive taxpayer dollars. They are operated by sponsors that might be a for-profit corporation, a school district or other educational entity.

Because the online charter schools are public schools, there are no tuition costs. Charter school students are counted as part of the funded enrollment base for school districts and payment to the e-schools are deducted from the foundation payment of the school district where the student lives. That cost is $5,718 per pupil, but e-schools receive more for special education students.

For the rest of the article, go to E-schools offers flexibility, backers say

Letters were recently sent to families with students at schools identified as “in need of improvement.”

The law allows students to attend a similar publicly funded school, charter school, community school or virtual school that has entered into a cooperative agreement with Winton Woods to accept students.

For the rest of the article, go to Winton Woods meeting set Sept. 14

Polish said in 2009 about 150 students left the district for other online or charter schools.

The administration hopes the online courses will help bring back some of those former students who still want to study online, Polish said.

“Unlike other online or charter programs, these kids will be able to participate in athletics, clubs, band, choir, and they’ll receive their high-school diploma from Austintown Fitch,” she said. “Those are pluses they don’t get the opportunity to have when they leave.”

Colaluca said in approving the new initiative, the school board has a growing vision for the future of the district.

For the rest of the article, go to Fitch offers alternative school, online program

Letters were recently sent to families with students at schools in the district which have been identified as “in need of improvement.” The law allows students to attend a similar publicly-funded school, charter school, community school or virtual school that has entered into a cooperative agreement with Winton Woods to accept students and is not in “School Improvement.” Since Winton Woods has no mutual cooperative agreements with publicly-funded school options for the 2010-2011 school year, parents were provided with a list of virtual schools in Ohio that are not in School Improvement. Additionally, students who have not met proficiency in reading and math are given first priority for Title I-funded tutoring services, or “supplemental educational services.”

AYP is an accountability feature of the No Child Left Behind Act which requires all schools, districts and states to show that students are making adequate yearly progress in reading and mathematics. The act requires states to establish annual performance targets that will result in all students scoring at the proficient level on the state’s assessment by 2014.

For the rest of the article, go to Winton Woods Superintendent Addresses District’s Future

TOLEDO, Ohio, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Online classes begin Wednesday for students enrolled in the Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA), the state’s premiere online school (e-school). The academy, which serves thousands of students from kindergarten through high school, is a high-quality, tuition-free public school known for its individualized online learning experiences for each child, using the award-winning K12 curriculum. In addition to providing students with individualized learning opportunities, OHVA also provides the curricular structure, administrative and teacher support, and regular opportunities for students, teachers, parents, and school administrators to come together as a learning community throughout Ohio.

“Ohio Virtual Academy is proud of the record of success in providing excellent education programs, customized to each individual child. This enables children to learn at their own pace and in a way that suites their unique learning abilities,” explained Head of School, Jeff Shaw. “This is an exciting time of year for Ohio Virtual Academy’s students, and we’re looking forward to another successful year.”

For the rest of the article, go to Ohio Virtual Academy Students Begin 2010 e-School Year

IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) — The new Ironton High School has raised the learning bar to a completely different level, students and staff say.

Wednesday marked the first day of school in the nearly $21.5 million facility, and it drew rave reviews.

Chemistry teacher John Distel says he’s beyond impressed. Among the new building’s features are carbon filtration systems in all the science lab sinks to the electronic and openly visual entryways and 54-camera digital school security system.

Distel is among many who agree the local tax and matching state dollars spent on the new Ironton High School were worth every penny — and more.

For the rest of the article, go to New Ironton High Receives A+ from Students and Staff

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) August 18, 2010 EDified Online, a new division of the Cincinnati based online curriculum provider Sevenstar Academy, is now able to provide award winning online curriculum to Catholic schools nationwide.

Partnering with Catholic schools with grades 6-12, EDified Online is able to offer over 70 core courses such as Algebra, Chemistry, American History, Government, and Latin to supplement existing school course selections, address schedule conflicts, expand summer school options, and introduce possible revenue generation opportunities. Other course possibilities include Advance Placement classes, unique electives (digital photography) and SAT/ACT test preparation- all from an “online” classroom environment.

For the rest of the article, go to New “Virtual” Curriculum Available for Catholic Schools

While educators say blends of traditional and virtual learning are ideal, all-virtual classes could create an opening for strapped states to save money by slashing the ranks of teachers they employ in traditional classrooms. “If the same virtual lesson recorded in Seattle can educate 8,000 kids in Ohio, how many teachers might not be needed that Ohio has historically employed?” Finn asks.

Taylor, of the teachers’ union, is concerned about budget cuts with the coming changes in Ohio. “There may be a few districts that are financially strapped in this climate who may see [credit flexibility] as a chance to see budget slashing, but if they do, obviously it’s going to be done to the detriment of effective student learning,” she warns. On the contrary, she thinks districts should hire more teachers, with some taking on more supervisory and advisory roles in overseeing credit-flexibility experiences. “If a teacher has 125 students in a day, it’s not going to be feasible for [him] to help to design and work with each and every student,” she says.

For the rest of the article, go to States Experiment With Out-of-Classroom Learning

More than 29,000 K-12 students attend school online in Ohio, about five times more than did seven years ago.

They log onto their computers from home without ever stepping into a classroom.

Some are in kindergarten.

Doug and Linda Sellers of Beavercreek took the virtual leap from the traditional bricks-and-mortar public schools when they enrolled their four children in an e-school three years ago. The couple said it was a difficult decision and a tough sell to relatives, many of whom are teachers.

For the rest of the article, go to E-schools see rapid enrollment growth in Ohio