The Olympian (WA) -Online school provides public education at home

The Olympian (WA)
Online school provides public education at home
Heather Woodward

April 22, 2007

The classroom where Nathaniel and Josiah Gunderson spend school every day appears pretty typical, outfitted with desks, computers and bookshelves that line two walls near the doorway.

But to get there, the brothers just have to walk down a staircase and around a corner in their family’s home.

Previously enrolled in the Tumwater School District, Nathaniel, 11, and Josiah, 9, are among a growing number of students statewide who attend school through the Washington Virtual Academy — a public, K-8 school that operates primarily online.

A daily schedule of coursework pops up when the children log on to the program at the start of school each day. Once the brothers have finished required assignments and online assessments showing they have at least 80 percent mastery of material, the program marks the work as complete. That allows them to move ahead at their own pace.

“Sometimes, it’s a little hard, but I learn a lot, and I have more time for other things because I finish it quicker,” said Nathaniel, a sixth-grader, comparing the virtual academy with his previous school experience.

Rose Gunderson, who has one daughter who continues to attend Tumwater High School, decided to enroll her two younger children in the academy last fall because she didn’t think they were adequately challenged at school.

“My older son asked me to homeschool him because he was bored in school,” she said. “Every day he had extra time.”

Gunderson never thought she’d want to homeschool, in part because she’d have to research curricula and develop a roster of daily assignments and activities. The virtual academy takes care of that and connects parents with a Washington certified teacher whom they check in with regularly by phone or e-mail.

Gunderson still wakes up before her children to do some planning for the day ahead, such as choosing optional projects that she thinks will spark the boys’ interest. Then, she usually spends about a half hour reading with Nathaniel and Josiah before jumping into school work about 9 a.m. They typically wrap up around 1 or 2 p.m., though Gunderson can reorganize their schedule as needed.

Meanwhile, she also organizes other activities associated with traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

For example, Gunderson has taken her children on field trips to places such as the Olympic Flight Museum. And she often sets up playdates that give her boys the social outlets they’d otherwise have at recess or during extracurricular activities.

“When I see what they get to learn, I feel like they’re not missing out” socially, Gunderson said.

Overall, Gunderson has been thrilled with the program, which she said allows her children to advance more quickly through more rigorous work compared with a traditional school. Nathaniel already has finished with sixth-grade math and has moved onto the seventh-grade curriculum.

“Compared to a normal school, we don’t waste any time,” she said. “The pace is incredible. They’ve learned so much.”

Plus, there are daily lessons in English that cover vocabulary, spelling, grammar and reading comprehension that Gunderson and her sons see as a big benefit.

“It asks questions that are high levels of thinking and cause you to evaluate and comprehend and synthesize what you’ve learned,” Nathaniel said.

The Steilacoom Historical School District started the virtual academy in 2004. About 15 students enrolled in the first year and about 55 in the second. This fall, the academy opened its doors statewide. Almost 1,500 students are now enrolled, up from 1,100 in August. The Steilacoom district had projected that about 200 students would apply.

The enrollment should generate almost $5 million in state revenue for the program. Most of the money goes to K12 Inc., the Virginia-based, for-profit company that provides the academy’s curriculum and administration.
http://www.theolympian.com/112/story/86981.html