ANNOUNCEMENTS 2007-08

ONLINE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF SERVICE

North Carolina's online virtual public school has just completed its first full year of operations with plenty to celebrate.

After its launch in June 2007 by Lt. Governor Bev Perdue, the State Board of Education and the NC Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina Virtual Public School has grown from an initial student base of 4,100 to serving more than 17,000 students enrolled in more than 72 courses.

The Virtual Public School's strong enrollment in year one proves that our students and teachers are ready for this 21st century learning option," said Lt. Governor Bev Perdue. "This kind of e-learning will help prepare our students for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future."

Dr. Bryan Setser, executive director of North Carolina Virtual Public School and Learn and Online, said, "North Carolina's first year in e-learning at the K-12 level has seen an incredible response all across the state. Student enthusiasm, creative support from educators, continued legislative support from the General Assembly and innovative leadership across our 115 school districts will continue to make North Carolina a front runner in the national e-learning scene for years to come."

Students from all across the state have taken advantage of courses in order to gain additional high school credits, to earn college credit, and to participate in Advanced Placement courses that were not available in their local schools.

Students participate in the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) both on their school campuses as well as independently from their own homes. The most popular courses for online students are Advanced Placement and foreign languages due to the lack of these offerings in local schools. Many school leaders see the NCVPS as an opportunity to broaden opportunities for all students – regardless of where they live or the size of their school or community.

Isaiah Simpson, a senior at Union Pines High School in Moore County, comments, "My online courses have given me an opportunity to learn a language and literary history in a spirit of creativity and individual development. It is very clear from my time spent working on these courses that I have grown in my academic and artistic independence. I have been renewed with a sense of self that is often lost in a normal classroom setting. This is not an experience I will soon forget."

Just like Simpson, many students are finding the online courses challenging and beneficial. School districts are using the online public school to help alleviate scheduling issues while providing additional opportunities and access to high quality courses to their students.

NCVPS also took this year to refine processes and procedures for helping districts and schools better serve online students through a special pilot process that districts signed a Memorandum of Agreement with NCVPS to participate in. The pilot is a partnership in which NCVPS and districts work in partnership to develop best practices for marketing and supporting online students. Intense professional development and specific activities are defined and coordinated within the district and then results are disseminated to all districts in North Carolina.

Dr. Kathy Spencer, Onslow County Public Schools' superintendent, signed on early to be one of the NCVPS pilot districts. "As we move forward locally, regionally, and in the entire state with the goals of preparing students for a global economy and workplace, the use of technology to communicate, learn, and impact others has become a focus for our schools. NCVPS has had a positive impact upon students throughout our pilot work this year. We look forward to continuing this work and providing quality educational experiences to our students as the program continues to grow and enhance education reform across the state," comments Spencer.

Leadership in the 10 pilot districts continues to participate in focused professional development to help define best practices for integrating online courses into students' middle and high school experiences. Success for the NCVPS depends on close cooperation between local school districts, schools, the NC Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education. This cooperation ensures that students in the NCVPS have the opportunity to take high quality courses that align with the expectations of the State Board of Education and its goals for 21st century learning.

In January 2008, NCVPS also became the coordinator for Learn and Earn Online (LEO) services between UNC-Greensboro's iSchool, the North Carolina Community College System and the Department of Public Instruction. Dr. Setser commented, "I can think of no better example of PreK-20 collaboration than LEO and NCVPS. This is a perfect vehicle for meeting the State Board's Goals of Future Ready Students and for fueling the economic future of North Carolina by providing every child with a free chance to participate in the community college and university systems while in high school."

Learn and Earn allows North Carolina public high school students to earn college credits through a special initiative called Learn & Earn Online. Qualified students in participating public high schools can take a variety of online college-credit courses at no cost to them or to their families. Students earn both high school and college credit for completed courses. Enrollment in Learn and Earn Online has also seen increases and currently, over 4000 students are taking these courses.

In July, NCVPS/LEO will release their first year report entitled, "State of NCVPS/LEO: A Promising Year for E-Learning in North Carolina," which will be available as a video and downloadable report from their Web site. For more information on the North Carolina Virtual Public School and Learn and Earn Online, visit www.ncvps.org or call 919.513.8550.