Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (WA) -Washington Virtual Academy nets students across state

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (WA)
Washington Virtual Academy nets students across state
Virtual schools, which allow children to learn online, have become increasingly popular the last several years.
By Maria P. Gonzalez

Sunday, March 25, 2007

COLLEGE PLACE -- From his home classroom, Alex Kjeldgaard, 7, finishes a lesson on French artist Henri Matisse by pasting colorful paper shapes into a scenic underwater collage. Sister Josie, 6, and brother Aaron, 3, assisted by cutting pieces and selecting shapes.

Although the Kjeldgaards learn at home, they belong to a public school district 300 miles away.

They attend Washington Virtual Academy, a kindergarten through eighth-grade online school operated by the Steilacoom Historical District No. 1, just south of Seattle.

“It's such an awesome program,” said Michelle Kjeldgaard, who heard about the program as she and her husband considered enrolling their children in a traditional school after years of homeschooling.

“It's harder than most homeschooling because you have to be more accountable for your time,” she noted. On the other hand, she found the structure and high-quality curriculum she was looking for.

Virtual schools, which allow children to learn online, have become increasingly popular across the state the last several years. One of Washington's first online schools, the Internet Academy, was established by the Federal Way School District about 10 years ago.

The schools have traditionally been used by older students to retake classes or to take electives not offered at their local schools.

Although still a niche, such schools' popularity continues to grow, and they are increasingly being utilized as an alternative way to attend school.

There were at least 26 such schools in the state last school year, according to statistics from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Steilacoom district originally established its online school to serve local students, but opened its doors to students across the state with the 2006 school year.


Washington Virtual Academy administrators said they expected about 250 students to open-enroll. They accepted closer to 1,300 requests.

Local districts are taking note, and reacting.

College Place School District Superintendent Tim Payne brought up virtual academies at the latest board meeting, noting that about six local students have enrolled in such programs.

Payne said the district will continue to research the academies and will consider bringing something similar to College Place.

“We may try to join an already existing program, or try to do something of our own,” he said.

The schools are like any other public school, minus the building. The curriculum must meet state standards. Districts receive state funds for the students enrolled, and students receive curriculum and instruction for free.

Students must communicate with instructors, although new standards allow those meetings to take place via phone or e-mail, instead of face to face.

“It's not what you would consider a typical public school,” said David Talley, principal of Berney Elementary in Walla Walla. Talley also heads HomeLink, a program offered by the district for homeschool families.

Talley said some HomeLink students have enrolled in the Steilacoom district part time. He is not aware of any local students enrolling full time.

Yet the popularity of the schools is apparent.

“They've grown very large, very quickly,” Talley said. “Online learning is growing at an incredible rate. It's kind of a brand new territory.”

Talley said something similar may soon be adopted in Walla Walla. The hope would be to offer such a program to meet local students' needs.

“Our goal would be to offer very similar pieces to build those relationships locally,” he said.

Washington Virtual Academy was born about three years ago, as the Steilacoom District looked for ways to better serve homeschool families who often turned to the district for materials.

“We were short on textbooks and had to say no sometimes,” said Arthur Himmler, Steilacoom's superintendent.

The district partnered with K12 Inc., which supplies the curriculum and hires out teachers for the online school.

Once the academy opened its doors to students across the state, enrollment boomed.

Other districts could benefit from exploring online schools as an alternative way to teach, said Martin Mueller, assistant superintendent for student support with the OSPI.

“We want schools to think creatively to meet the needs of students,” Mueller said. “Using techonolgy to do that is one route that they can take.”

Walla Walla may explore setting up an online program to open the door to more electives, administrators said.

“What I'm excited about is the possibilities,” said Linda Boggs, the district's assistant superintendent.

But like any alternative, the online schools will really work only for certain students, educators note.

“I don't see this type of schooling becoming a dominant form of instructing students,” Himmler said. “It's a niche for particular type of students.”

Talley expressed interest in the programs, but said the Walla Walla district is not worried about losing students.

“I don't think it's going to replace the brick-and-mortal schools, but it could be an addition that would allow schools to serve students better,” he said.

For the Kjeldgaards, the program has been a perfect fit.

After homeschooling for several years, Michelle Kjeldgaard realized her children needed more direction to meet standards in subjects.

“I was looking for the best way to stay organized and get better curriculum,” she said.

She thought public or private school would be the only choices. Her 10-year-old son, Dominick, already attends Assumption Catholic School.

Kjeldgaard said she has found balance between directing her children's instruction from home, but following the structure and curriculum offered by a public school.

The family plans to teach all their children from home next school year through Steilacoom's program.

And Kjeldgaard knows exactly how well her children are doing in each subject.

“If my kids only do 80 percent of what they're supposed to do, they're still above average,” she said.