[ back ]
Kenston to be on cutting edge with online courses
(by Sue Hoffman - June 23, 2010)
Kenston to be on cutting edge with online courses
By SUE HOFFMAN
The Kenston School Board plans to offer online courses through the Online School for Girls, President Anne Randall said Monday.
The district is the first public school system to participate in the program, Kenston High School Principal Nancy Santilli said.
"We are definitely in on the ground floor," Mrs. Randall said. She said that she and Mrs. Santilli recently were involved in a 1 1/2-hour teleconference on the program.
"We're going to have one student who will take a course this year who will be our alpha and beta testing person," Mrs. Randall said. The student will be taking Advanced Placement psychology. "We're anxious to see how that goes," she said.
Mrs. Randall said the Online School for Girls was established by Laurel School in Shaker Heights and other independent girls' schools. Sixty-two girls participated in the program last year, she said. "The statistics that they gave us were that in the year 2020, half the students in independent schools in the United States will be interactive online. She said the program gives girls opportunities to interact with others throughout the country. "You're sharing notes with kids from all over."
Cost of the program is $2,000, school officials said. A student fee is also associated with online courses.
"One of the things they're emphasizing is languages -- languages we can't provide," Mrs. Randall said.
"It's pretty exciting to be on the cutting edge," Mrs. Santilli said.
Mrs. Randall said a boys' online program also may become available.
The program provides languages and AP classes not provided at the high school, school officials said. Online classes are limited to 20 students and generally can fit into the high school's block schedule.
However, there will be some conferencing time with the instructor that may not fit into the block schedule, and some flexibility will be required, Mrs. Randall said.
"It fills a void for gifted and talented students to advance," School Superintendent Robert A. Lee said about the online program. "This provides an avenue in which students can progress in areas not offered."
The district has been offering classes through Lincoln Interactive, Dr. Lee said. Available for boys and girls, Lincoln Interactive provides online courses for home-bound students and others needing to catch up with credits to stay in their graduating class.
"In the future, online opportunities will be expanded to open course offerings for all students," Dr. Lee said.
[ back ]
