K12 Inc. to Provide Curriculum and School Services to the New Utah Virtual Academy

The statewide virtual public school will serve 500 students in grades K-11 starting September 2008.

HERNDON, VA, September 13, 2007 – The Utah Virtual Academy (UTVA) is the latest statewide virtual public school to partner with K12 Inc. and offer the award-winning and nationally acclaimed K12 curriculum to students.

On September 7, 2007, the Utah State Board of Education approved the charter school proposal presented by Utah Virtual Academy Board of Trustees, the school’s independent non-profit governing board. The new virtual public school program will serve 500 students throughout the state in grades K-11 beginning in September 2008, and plans to offer twelfth grade the following year. Enrollment is expected to open in March 2008.

The Utah Virtual Academy joins 17 other statewide virtual public schools that provide students with the high quality and innovative K12 learning program. Four virtual public schools located in major metropolitan cities also offer the K12 program. The K12 curriculum is currently used by more than 27,000 students and 700 teachers in virtual public schools across the U.S. Many of the nation’s top-performing virtual public schools are using K12.

The Utah Virtual Academy and K12 will provide students across the state with the opportunity to receive an excellent public education regardless of their geographic, academic, or financial circumstances. Learning online at UTVA will give students the flexibility to work at their own pace and on a schedule best suited for them, with the public school accountability and teacher support needed to succeed.

Every student enrolled in UTVA will receive an individualized learning program using lessons developed by K12 in Math, English/Language Arts, Science, History, Art, Music, in addition to a complete menu of high school courses. Students will access lessons through the innovative K12 Online School (OLS) and use other K12 education materials (textbooks, workbooks, math and science supplies, hands-on projects, and much more) that will be shipped directly to each student.

A state-certified teacher will be assigned to every student enrolled in the Utah Virtual Academy. Teachers will assign lessons, provide instruction, guidance and support, and regularly communicate with students and parents via phone, email, Web-based “e-classrooms,” and face-to-face meetings. Teachers will also organize a variety of school outings for students and their families.

Because the Utah Virtual Academy is a public school, there will be no cost to enroll for residents of the state.

K12 Inc. currently provides its curriculum to online public school programs in Utah operated by the Alpine, Davis, Iron County, Uintah, and Washington school districts. The C.S. Lewis Academy, a K-6 brick and mortar charter school in Payson, UT, also uses the K12 program, delivering the Internet-based lessons into every classroom using laptops, projectors and interactive digital whiteboards.

“K12 is very pleased to have the opportunity to serve more children in Utah,” said Ron Packard, Chief Executive Officer of K12 Inc. “We are passionately devoted to our mission of helping children maximize their potential and achieve academic success. We do this by focusing intensely on the unique abilities and needs of every child, and by delivering personalized education programs that make learning engaging, fun, and exciting.”

Lori Harmon, Chair of the Utah Virtual Academy Board of Directors, said, “We’re grateful to the Utah State Board of Education for approving our charter and we are confident our public school will make them proud. We believe the Utah Virtual Academy will be welcomed as a wonderful and innovative public school option for hundreds of families across the state. Next year’s ‘back to school’ will be an exciting time for many students, teachers and parents. We can hardly wait!”

About K12 Inc.
Founded in 1999, K12 Inc. is a leading national provider of individualized, one-to-one learning solutions for students in virtual public schools, distance education programs and traditional classrooms.

Developed by renowned and respected education experts—including scholars, writers, teachers,and designers—the K¹² curriculum is based on time-tested and research-based methods of instruction. Central to the K¹² learning program is the Online School which hosts more than11,000 interactive, engaging and comprehensive lessons presented in a mix of printable and multimedia forms. The K¹² Online School also includes lesson assessments, planning and progress tools, and an attendance tracking system to determine the number of instructional hours completed by each student.

The K12 program enables a diverse group of children to achieve mastery through a combination of individualized learning approaches, passionate teacher engagement, rich and engaging content, and adherence to the best educational research that has been conducted over the past several decades about how young minds really work.

Recently, K¹² Inc. received national certification by the Commission on International and TransRegional Accreditation (CITA), making K12 the largest national K-12 virtual school provider to be certified by CITA.

© 2007 K12 Inc. K12 is a registered trademark, and the K12 logo is a trademark of K12 Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.