Whitfield school board to meet Monday

Georgia Virtual School provides classes online to any student in Georgia.

For the past fall semester, close to 6,000 students across the state were enrolled in classes through Georgia Virtual alone. Of those, 12 were at Coahulla Creek High School, 10 were at Northwest, 14 at Southeast Whitfield High School and three at the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy. Nine students in Murray County Schools were enrolled in at least one course, and there were 22 at Dalton High School.

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3 finalists named for online K-12 teacher award

The finalists are: Leslie Fetzer from North Carolina Virtual Public School, Tracy Seiler from the South Carolina Virtual School Program and Asherrie Yisrael from Georgia Virtual School.

The winner will be announced March 1 and will receive a trip to the Virtual School Symposium in October.

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Program to help 5th-year seniors earn diplomas

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.

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Board wants online classes for students

“So it might be something like health online,” Lembeck said. “It could be an advanced placement course online. It could be credit recovery for students who are behind and need to make up a class.”

The class may be taken within the walls of the high school or at home through the Georgia Virtual School, she said.

Lembeck is also preparing to roll out a plan that allows students to bring their own technology to the high school.

“If students are able to bring some of their own technology, No. 1, they’ll have a resource and a tool that they’re comfortable using, but also it will enable us to maximize the technology that we already have because you can only stretch so many computers among so many students,” she said.

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Clarke School Officials Move On Plans To Build Schools

The five projects were at the top of a list of other projects the county will embark on over the five year period of the sales tax, school officials said.

“We’re not only in a tremendous position, but we’re moving at a tumultuous pace,” Superintendent Philip Lanoue said.

School officials also signed off on a memorandum of understanding between the University of Georgia and state Department of Education, spelling out how each party will share resources and expertise in the creation of a digital learning environment for teachers and students.

The agreement will allow the school district to offer online curriculum through the Georgia Virtual School, a state-funded online program with more than 100 courses for middle and high school students, and offer teachers more opportunities for professional development, officials said.

Under the agreement, the state Department of Education will offer access to online course content, technical assistance and professional development. The University of Georgia will continue to offer professional development for teachers and research related to instructional best practices, student learning and design.

The agreement also stipulates that the school district may serve as a model and provide guidance for other districts in the implementation of a digital learning environment.

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Increase allowed in virtual class limit for students

Thanks to some recent rule changes, Georgia students now possess greater choice and flexibility in how they choose to tailor their educational experience, according to top state education officials.

In July, the State Board of Education increased the amount of Carnegie units that a student is eligible to take per semester. This change no longer limits students to the one full unit per semester but increases the amount of Virtual School content available to a student per semester, and even permits students to take their entire course load through the Georgia Virtual School with FTE funding.

“My vision is to Make Education Work for All Georgians,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “This change to allow students to take more courses through the Georgia Virtual School is a huge step toward making education work for our students.”

“We are happy to see that the state has taken this positive step to increase educational choices for Georgia students,” said Andy Geeter, school director for Newnan’s Odyssey School, which is actively involved in online learning through the Georgia Cyber Academy (a separate program from the Georgia Virtual School).
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Forum: Innovation needed in school funding

In addition to the Georgia Virtual School, the Georgia Cyber Academy provides full-time enrollment for K-12 students throughout the state. The Cobb, Gwinnett and Forsyth County school systems also have created their own virtual schools. Finally, high school students can take dual-credit classes online from Georgia’s many technical colleges and universities. Unfortunately, schools are not encouraging these options because they “lose” funding. As these options expand, the state should develop an easy way for students to review their many options and provide for a seamless funding process.

As efficiency and slower population growth reduce demand for facilities, we should consider expanding the flexibility of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. First passed in 1996, this law has funded more than $15 billion in capital improvements. Today, Georgia spends more money per student on capital outlays than all but six states, and more than every Southeastern state except Florida.

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State Pushes World Languages in Schools

Georgia education Superintendent John Barge in June traveled to Saxony to sign an agreement with the German state to increase teacher and student exchange. Also, the German government is relocating Petra Reuter, its Southeastern educational consultant, from Miami to the Atlanta consulate in August. That’s partly thanks to the large number of German programs and companies here, Mr. Valentine said.

A fountain of information about language education in the state, Mr. Valentine cited other innovations like the Georgia Virtual School, an online program that allows high school students to take courses that augment or replace classroom studies.

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Virtual classroom gives students opportunities

The Georgia Virtual School is a state Department of Education program that operates in partnership with schools and parents and offers a complete high school curriculum with Advanced Placement and college prep level courses. The school provides a teacher-led, virtual classroom environment.

In 2000, Glynn County was one of the districts chosen to participate in the virtual pilot program called Georgia e-Learning. In 2005, former Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the Georgia Virtual School bill into law establishing the first official state virtual school.

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Georgia Virtual School registration is open

Registration for Georgia Virtual School, the online program for students in grades 6-12 offered by the Georgia Department of Education, is now open to all public school students for the summer 2011, fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters. A wait-listed registration process is also available now for private school and home-schooled students.

“My vision is to Make Education Work for All Georgians,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge in a department news release. “A major component to making it work for our students is to offer more relevant courses. The Georgia Virtual School is a perfect way for students to take courses that may not currently be offered in their school. I encourage parents and students to look into all of the courses available and enroll today.”

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