More students, parents turning to online classes
POST FALLS -- Virtual charter schools are public, free and gaining popularity.
But it's not home school and it's not just sit, click and go, said Cody Claver, principal of Idaho Virtual Academy.
An attraction to online learning is that students study at home. A computer, text books and parent materials are provided by the school.
After a student is tested for grade, a certified teacher is assigned and the student is good to go.
But while learning from home sounds convenient, some disagree with the format and say the most important ingredient is missing -- the classroom.
"Technology is wonderful to enhance, to challenge, to reteach or remediate and that's where the teacher comes in. You can't replace them," said Karen Durgin, principal of Holy Family Catholic School. "If you really think about a child sitting with a computer ... I don't know. It should be more of a balance."
The balance, says Kristen Buckmiller whose two sons are enrolled in IDVA, is that half of the work is done on the computer, the other half from textbooks.
Another plus that creates balance is the social interaction virtual learners get when they attend classes outside the home and take part in class field trips.
Buckmiller made the switch from traditional home-schooling to online school with her sons four years ago because as the teacher her unit-study approach was difficult and she lacked direction.
Now, she likes the thorough curriculum and her kids respect the accountability. But, they "don't just sit in front of the computer by themselves."
"As a parent you are responsible," Buckmiller said. "There's nobody else to blame and nobody to take the credit."
IDVA's uses the K12 Curriculum, a nationwide program that is also used by about 70,000 students in nine other states.
Also new to the schools are "smart boards," large interactive chalk boards. Students interact with the screen by touching it with their hands, instead of using a mouse.
For IDVA teacher Kelly Roush of Boundary County, the curriculum works. Students and parents like it, she said.
"Parents can see the feedback, don't have to do all the planning and they spend less time wondering if they've missed anything," Roush said.
Students have constant access online and by telephone to Roush, who also meets with them in their homes and teaches workshops in a traditional classroom setting. Her duties include evaluating student progress and attendance and tailoring classes to each student's needs.
"We never have a child sitting in front of a computer six hours a day," she said. "K-3 students use the computer about 10 percent of the time. That percentage goes up a little in the older grades."
Two schools
Idaho has two virtual schools: The IDVA, which offers K-9 classes, and the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, which is for grades seven through 12.
Like Idaho's public schools, the IDVA is state-funded but does not receive local property taxes to operate.
It is also bound by the same rules as public schools. Students take the ISAT, Idaho Standard Achievement Test, in the spring and fall and the IRI, Idaho Reading Indicator test. Both are given via a mobile lab.
Also like public schools, IDVA receives transportation money from the state. But transportation doesn't have to mean fuel and buses. Virtual schools use the funds to ship packages.
Unlike Idaho's virtual school, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy is not a public school and does not have to comply with state regulations.
It was formed by the Legislature in 2002 and first funded with a grant from the J.A & Kathryn Albertson Foundation. In the past three years it has been funded by appropriations from the Legislature and last year received $900,000.
The IDLA has 85 courses, which are offered yearlong, and 70 teachers, some of whom are public school teachers by day, digital by night.
In North Idaho, digital enrollment is exploding.
In the fall of 2005, 195 North Idaho students were enrolled: the Coeur d'Alene district had 97; Post Falls had 15 and Lakeland 25.
Now, six months later, those numbers have more than doubled.
"Its (digital learning) strength is that it's not as time sensitive as regular classes and courses can be completed when the student has the appropriate time," said Post Falls superintendent Jerry Keane.
One reason for digital learning's popularity is because it offers classes the district doesn't. Students can take courses to enhance current classes, make-up lost credits or for extra credit.
But it's not free. One regular course is $100 plus a $25 registration fee. Advanced Placement, "AP" classes, are $25, but textbooks must be purchased. Both are paid for by the district.
The difference between what has become traditional virtual school, which has a strict six-class curriculum, and courses offered by the IDLA, is that students can choose to take only one course.
"Barriers that exist in the classroom don't exist online," said IDLA director Donna Vakili.
Claver, a former Idaho Falls public school teacher and administrator, said students enroll in virtual schools for various reasons including anxiety with traditional schools, medical reasons and because some parents want to be more active in their child's education.
"The concept of online education is not dwindling and we, too, will continue to evolve our model," Claver said. "That's technology."
