DALTON — Josh Littrell knew early on he wanted to take more challenging classes as a student at Southeast High School.

“They didn’t go in depth,” he said of his regular classes. “They just scratched the surface.”

So when he moved past the regular and honors classes his freshman year, he immediately began enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. With a test score of 3 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best), high school sophomores, juniors and seniors can receive credit at most colleges and universities in addition to their high school credit.

Northwest Whitfield has 206 students enrolled in AP classes, including 12 who take the classes online through Georgia Virtual School, an entirely Internet-based campus.

At North Murray, counselor Karen Harkleroad said the school works continuously to prepare students for college and careers.

“Since North Murray opened its doors three years ago, we have been working on creating a college-going culture, and AP courses are a big part of that for us,” she said. “We started our first two years with two or three AP courses, and by the 2012-2013 school year we will have eight AP courses to offer our students.”

For the rest of the article, go to Schools tout AP classes as students look toward college

Online learning would become a requirement for graduation in schools across Georgia under a bill passed Thursday by the Senate, despite objections from some lawmakers who said it chipped away at local control.

Starting next year, Senate Bill 289 would require school systems to allow all students access to online instruction from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Ninth-grade students starting in 2014 would have to take at least one online course before graduation, according to SB 289. The bill would also require schools to give all end-of-course assessments online starting in 2015.

Schools could use private online education providers, courses offered online by other public systems or by colleges as well as the Georgia Virtual School, which is run by the state Department of Education. Districts would have to pay the department as much as $250 per student for tuition, materials and fees if a course is taken through its virtual school.

For the rest of the article, go to Georgia Senate passes virtual learning mandate

A new program to help fifth-year Columbia County high school seniors get their diplomas more quickly starts Monday at the alternative school in Grovetown.

Called Saving Our Students (S.O.S.), the program specifically targets seniors who would benefit from an alternative to the traditional high school setting. They’ll work in the alternative school’s computer lab 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, taking online courses on the Georgia Virtual School system under the tutelage of high school graduation coaches.

Many fifth-year seniors detest having to learn in a typical school setting, with some feeling too old, said alternative school Principal Dr. Ja’net Bishop.

“The motivation to complete their classes can be lackluster and adds to the dropout rate,” Bishop said. “With the S.O.S. program, what we hope is that giving them the benefit of starting their day a little bit later and ending earlier, they’ll still be motivated to get their diplomas.

“We’re recognizing that they’re getting older and want to move on with their lives, but we’re also recognizing that they should not completely move on until they’ve completed their high school requirements.”

Others opted for the S.O.S. program for the structure.

The first semester of the program features just 18 students chosen by graduation coaches. They will be allowed to socialize only with other S.O.S. students, are allowed no more than five absences, are expected to work on assignments outside of class, and must provide their own transportation.

For the rest of the article, go to Program to help 5th-year seniors earn diplomas