Thursday, February 16, 2012

State Board Approves Change in Online Course Requirement

The State Board of Education approved a change today to allow more flexibility and local decision making for students graduating in 2016 who will be required to take two online courses. A pending rule will be presented to the legislature in 2013, and if approved, the change will become permanent.

Students entering the 9th grade in the fall of 2012 will still be required to take two online learning credits to graduate from high school, but if the rule is approved, the credits can both be earned through a synchronous or blended class. The previous rule required that at least one of the two credits be earned from an asynchronous online class.

An asynchronous online class is one in which students move at their own pace and at varying times with at least 80 percent of the content delivered through the use of technology. A synchronous class is one in which a student and teacher are online together at a specific time. A blended course can include elements of both synchronous and asynchronous instruction as long as technology is used to deliver at least 50 percent of the course content.

The change allows local districts additional flexibility in helping students earn the two credits required.

To learn more about the Idaho State Board of Education, please visit http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/.

No comments:

Post a Comment