You are here: Home / Archives for admin

N.H. Schools Embrace Competency-Based Learning

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“The federal accountability system is based on a 20th-century model, and our state expectations are based on this new model,” said Paul K. Leather, the state’s deputy commissioner of education. He expressed hope, however, that new assessments being designed for the Common Core State Standards will help bridge those two models. Plans for those tests include some performance-based tasks.

Online learning can play a part in competency-based approaches, in part because of its potential to let students pace their coursework as they like. Students at Newfound Regional High can use New Hampshire’s Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, or VLACS, to take coursework online. In this rural community, where dial-up Internet service is not uncommon, students can do VLACS coursework at Newfound’s computer lab, or from home if technology permits.

But while online learning facilitates the “move-on-when-ready” approach that is ideal for competency-based learning, it’s not a complete solution if a state’s educational vision includes real-world learning, Ms. Sturgis said.

For the rest of the article, go to N.H. Schools Embrace Competency-Based Learning

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With: ,

School board seats won’t be contested

September 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Higgins, who resigned in January from a longtime post as a teacher at Concord High School, said students will also be tops on her priority list. She currently works as a teacher for a virtual high school program, she said.

“Coming right out of the classroom, and with a degree in special education and a daughter with (special needs), I could see concentrating on the instructional committee and assessment issues as leaning where my strengths are, as an educator and a fan of kids,” she said.

Higgins and school administrators have all refused to comment on why she resigned from her post. District administrators cite confidentiality laws that limit their ability to discuss personnel matters.

“All I can say is that resignation seemed like the best choice for me at the time. I can’t say anything about the specifics,” Higgins said. “I don’t blame people for being curious, and it doesn’t upset me that people want to know. I would tell my story, but a lot of it isn’t my story to tell. I shook a hand, and made an agreement, and I’m honoring my word.

“If there were a reason that I shouldn’t be involved with children or in a school district, I wouldn’t continue to operate camps or work in clubs run by seasoned veterans in the community, so I would ask that people please keep an open mind. There are a lot of reasons that people in all types of jobs would resign their positions,” she said.

Higgins, who lives in Ward 4, and Metalious, who lives in Ward 9, both said they support a ward-voting proposal that voters will also consider in November, as part of the Concord School District Charter Commission final report.

The commission was formed to draft the rules that would dictate district operations, which currently are part of state law. A proposed charter amendment will appear separately on the ballot in November, switching the school board from nine at-large members to three at-large members and two each from three ward clusters.

Such a move would bring more geographic diversity to the board, said Higgins, who lives within a few blocks of five current board members.

For the rest of the article, go to School board seats won’t be contested.

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Could Internet spell the end of snow days?

June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Okay, so we know that many of you are enjoying your first days of summer vacation. And probably the last thing on your mind is snow.

But there are reports going around that one of kids’ favorite technological breakthroughs, the Internet, could mean the end of one of kids’ favorite winter traditions: snow days.

Yep, some school districts are experimenting with having students do lessons online during bad weather, allowing classes to go on during even the worst blizzard.

For the rest of the article, go to Could Internet spell the end of snow days?

Filed Under: Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

Virtual Learning Grows in N.H.

June 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The number of students taking courses online is on the rise. According to the Sloan Foundation, which promotes online education, more than a million non-college students use some form of online learning. And that leaves some critics wondering whether these virtual classes are as effective as face-to-face instruction. New Hampshire Public Radio correspondent Sheryl Rich-Kern has the story.

Bekah Gregory is a senior at Salem High.

On this busy morning, she’s at school.

But she’s not always able to attend.

“I’ve been sick a lot and I’ve been in and out of hospitals.”

Despite her illness, Gregory is determined to graduate with the rest of her class.

To make up for missing credits, she’s been taking classes online from New Hampshire’s Virtual Learning Academy Charter School.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual Learning Grows in N.H.

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page Tagged With: ,

Nashua School District seeks to open charter school

June 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If Nashua were to open a charter school, it would be eligible for a portion of the federal grant to help with start-up costs.

There are 10 public charter schools in the state, including the Academy for Science and Design in Merrimack. It also includes the Virtual Learning Academy, which provides online courses to students across the state. Students either take individual classes or enroll as full-time students.

There is no tuition for charter schools. They receive a per-pupil stipend from the state and students can attend and if more students apply than there are spots, a lottery must be held. However, some have certain admissions requirements. For example, the Merrimack school has an exam students must pass to be accepted.

For the rest of the article, go to Nashua School District seeks to open charter school

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page Tagged With: ,

The Role of Charter Schools in New Hampshire

June 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What are charter schools doing in New Hampshire? Five years ago, former Exeter Superintendent of Schools Skip Hanson and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Steve Kossakoski had an idea to create a virtual charter that would offer a range of courses beginning in middle school through high school that would be available to every student in New Hampshire. If a small rural high school could not offer AP Chemistry, the student could take the course virtually. The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) employs emerging distance learning technologies to provide any-time any-where access to a rigorous competency-based, personalized education. The VLACS meets the needs of a wide variety of students and fosters 21st century skills, self-directed learning skills, literacy, problem-solving skills, time management, and personal responsibility. The school offers programming to both full-time and part-time students and has a course enrollment of over 8,000 students.

For the rest of the article, go to The Role of Charter Schools in New Hampshire

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page Tagged With: , ,

Potential for 11 school layoffs

April 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If the positions are eliminated, it would save the district $158,616 — $88,120 for the full-time French teacher and $70,496 for the part-time teacher (.8 of a position). However, first- and second-year French programs would no longer be available to students. Students’ options would include enrolling in French through the Virtual High School program in SAU 16 or taking Spanish classes.

Reid also spoke on the necessity of the librarian position, emphasizing that the state requires a librarian for each school.

School Board members also discussed whether to keep in place the 2 percent increases in salaries for administrators and personnel on the top of the pay scale.

“I can’t stomach the fact that people would be getting raises while others are losing their jobs,” said School Board member Kelly Foster.

The superintendent said the 2 percent increase, amounting to about $30,000, would act as a pool of funds rather than an across-the-board increase. He said some personnel, such as custodians and secretaries, have not received raises since 2007.

At the School Board’s next meeting on April 7, members will decide on which positions and/or programs to eliminate as a way to address the potential budget gap.

For the rest of the article, go to Potential for 11 school layoffs

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page Tagged With:

The Universal Notebook: Are virtual schools real schools?

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“Maine’s schools face a number of challenges in the years ahead, but digital learning holds the promise of improving student outcomes at a time of declining school funding and plunging student enrollment. The time has come for a major digital learning initiative, led by Maine’s next governor. With the right policies in place, Maine could ensure that all of its students have access to the digital learning programs they need to assure their success in school and beyond.”

Bowen then goes on to tout the virtues of the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School in New Hampshire as a model of what he foresees for Maine. The N.H. school serves some 7,000 high school kids with an online curriculum borrowed from the Florida Virtual School.

For the rest of the article, go to The Universal Notebook: Are virtual schools real schools?

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With: , ,

School districts weigh options as snow days pile up

February 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With Wednesday’s snowstorm marking the fifth school cancellation for Londonderry this year, district officials are considering following in the footsteps of the Kearsarge School District, where virtual classrooms remain “open” regardless of the weather.

Using “blizzard bags,” or packets of school assignments teachers assemble in advance, students can learn the day’s lessons, both at home and online. Once schools reopen, teachers assess the students’ work, and a “snow day” becomes a “school day.”

For the rest of the article, go to School districts weigh options as snow days pile up

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:

NH friendlier, but still ‘severely constrains charter school growth’

January 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

New Hampshire has 10 charter schools, including the Academy for Science and Design in Merrimack. The school features an advanced curriculum focused on math, science and engineering for students in grades 7-12. The school is adding sixth grade next year and is expanding enrollment by 50 percent.

Also available to local students is the Exeter-based Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, which offers tuition-free online high school courses to New Hampshire students. Students can enroll on a part-time basis, taking courses beyond their own high school work, or full-time.

As of the 2009-10 school year, there were 816 students enrolled in charter schools in the state. State officials have been encouraging school districts, especially those in urban areas such as Nashua, to consider applying for part of the federal funding to create a charter school. Charter schools can be approved by the state Board of Education or through local authorization.

For the rest of the article, go to NH friendlier, but still ‘severely constrains charter school growth’

Filed Under: BestOnlineHighSchools.com, Home Page, Online High Schools Tagged With:
« Older Posts