Lawrence Virtual School Makes the Case for Virtual Education in Kansas

Today, more than 1 million K-12 children in the United States are engaged in some form of online learning. Whether
it is called online, virtual, or distance learning, the number of schools implementing supplemental onlinelearning is growing—fast.

How fast? Since 2005-2006, K-12 public school districts alone reported a 47 percent increase in students taking an online course—and projections see an annual 22 percent increase, according to a 2009 report by the Sloan Consortium, “K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators.”

In fact, the Heritage Foundation, in a January report, asserted that online learning is “revolutionizing education.” Dan Lipps, senior policy analyst, said that “virtual and blended-learning programs will enable mass customization in education, allowing students to learn at their own pace in ways that are tailored to their learning styles and interests.”

Actually, the future is now…

The fact is that online learning is being implemented more and more in public school districts throughout the country because, simply, it works. Advancements in high-speed, interactive, and real-time multimedia technology, coupled with cutting-edge online “mastery-based” learning methodologies, combine to create curricula that improve student performance.

Lawrence Virtual School Expands

 Since its founding in 2004, the Lawrence Virtual School (LVS) has continued to be the fastest growing tuition-free* virtual public school in Kansas, with more than 1,000 students enrolled in 2009. And, LVS has successfully met—and exceeded in many subject areas—federal and state standards. Moreover, in 2009 LVS received the state’s Standard of Excellence rating based on assessment scores for certain grades in reading,
science, and writing.

This is quite an accomplishment, considering the Lawrence Public School District Board voted only six years ago to create a new virtual K-8 public school program, in cooperation with K12, the
leading online learner provider in the country for grades K-12.

In fact, because of the rapid success—and demand—for LVS, the district approved the launch of LVS High School starting in the fall. The new high school program will start with grades 9 and 10 and offer all core math, science and language arts courses, plus an array of electives, including music, art, world languages, and more.

One of the critical reasons why the Lawrence School District selected K12 is because the curriculum is built from
scratch by a team of educational professionals. Learning experts, teachers, cognitive scientists, and course designers collaborate to design and develop courses for online delivery from the outset. Learning objectives are outlined using state and national standards, employing assessment and testing tools. And, most importantly, courses are designed for student achievement because they are masterybased. That is, students progress at their
own pace as they master core concepts and then move on to the next level of learning when they are ready.

Citing 2009 data from the U.S. Department of Education, the Heritage Foundation report noted that students who took all or part of their classes online performed “better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.”

The Difference…

While some online education providers just scan a textbook and post it on the web and stamp it as an online learning “course,” the LVS curriculum is a cutting-edge, knowledge-based virtual learning program. The courses are crafted for students to achieve at their own pace, and offer a full arsenal of online text, graphics, charts,
illustrations, interactive demonstrations, offline reading materials or activities, and interactive online instruction and discussions with Kansas-licensed teachers. The difference between the high-quality, tuition-free* LVS public school and other learning providers is akin to performing calculations with a slide rule versus a computer.

Says Gary Lewis, LVS Head of School: “Because the K12 curriculum is engaging and interactive, the technology is the easy part of the learning process ... I am very much impressed with the curriculum…the K12 program is what I
would want for my own children.”

For more information on K12 and enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year, order their 56-page Program Guide and find a complete list of upcoming events—both in-person and online—at K12.com/KS. Or, call 866- 644-8320.

*Materials and technology fee for all students enrolling in grades K-8.