This isn’t the first time the high school has tried to weight course grades to better reflect academic challenge and achievement. In 2009-2010, the school attempted to implement a new GPA system for the entire school, but they reversed course and dropped it because of the negative response from students and parents. The system didn’t include weighting A.P. classes; instead it awarded three tenths of a point more for an A-plus than an A. Some students called the change unfair, saying they would have put in extra effort to receive an A-plus if they had known it would have a greater weight. The school now treats an A and an A-plus the same when it comes to calculating GPA.

Other changes in grade weighting system could follow, as some students and parents push to make the system more accurate. Students who get an A for a Middlebury College course they take, for example, now boost their GPA by the same amount as a student who gets an A in one of the high school’s less-challenging classes. The same is true for students who take rigorous online classes through Virtual High School.

In both cases, the absence of weighting creates incentive for some grade conscientious students to avoid enrolling in challenging classes.

For the rest of the article, go to Change Will Give Greater Weight to AP Course Grades

“A social studies book, for example, when it hits a child’s desk with a copyright of 2013, it’s two years old already with its information,” he said.

Academic offerings could also be expanded if each student had a computer to use, Gallagher said. “Every youngster (would have) access to all programs. So if a child wants French 5, we could do it right here through a virtual high school.”

Csizmesia said everybody is excited about the possibilities.

Last year, Mount Anthony Union Middle School in Bennington bought netbook computers for each of its students. At MAUMS, the purchase was done more for the purpose of increasing educational opportunities than computers replacing textbooks. At the time, officials believed MAUMS was the first school of its size in Vermont to offer one-to-one computing.

For the rest of the article, go to Arlington School District explores book-free future

Last year, Vermont and Montana launched their first state-run virtual schools, while Michigan and Massachusetts created full-time online programs. This year, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman told lawmakers he wants to use $8.5 million in lottery funds to create an online high school to bring new courses to the state’s students. “In rural Nebraska, it can be difficult to hire foreign language, math and science teachers,” he said in a January speech. “A virtual high school would allow rural schools and rural communities to survive.”

For the rest of the article. go to Virtual education boom hits the states

Other participating Vermont schools are Champlain Valley Union High School, Colchester High School and Mount Anthony Union High School. Students are able to attend classes 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Virtual High School is a nonprofit organization that offers credit-bearing high school courses to students around the world. Currently, 11,000 students are enrolled from 662 schools in 33 U.S. states and 32 countries. There are 336 courses offered.

For the rest of the article, go to Winooski students attend high school virtually

Off-campus programs such as the Center for Technology in Essex and Burlington Technical Center would continue, and Winooski students would be expected to attend those programs.

Virtual High School Students would continue with their classes in the event of a strike. The Vermont Student Assistance Corp. has offered the use of a computer lab at its downtown Winooski offices between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekdays for Virtual High School students to continue their work.

Any missed school days would be made up in the spring.

For the rest of the article, go to Talks go late on eve of possible Winooski teachers’ strike

Anotherprogrammatic change this school year is the addition of Virtual High School, which allows up to 25 students each semester to take an online course from a wide array of listings.

Students taking a Virtual High School course do weekly assignments and interact with the teacher and classmates from around the world through the Internet.

“It adds additional opportunities for kids to take course work in their areas of interest even if the courses aren’t offered at MAU,” Principal Sue Maguire said.

Additionally, students get the experience to take an online course, which could benefit them in the future.

“It also gives students an opportunity to try an online course before going off to college where they will often be expected to work in an online environment,” Barnes said.

For the rest of the article, go to Netbooks for middle schoolers among changes in MAU

The classes, which are done completely online, will be offered through Virtual High School. It has hundreds of classes with curriculum designed by teachers from across the world.

MAU teacher Diane Moore is formulating the curriculum for an anatomy and physiology course for Virtual High School and in return MAU receives the opportunity for 25 students to take one of the Virtual High School offerings each semester, many of which are not taught at the high school.

“It gives us the opportunity to expand course offerings for kids,” said Kristyn Harrington, a school-based clinician who is acting as co-site coordinator with Virtual High School.

For the rest of the article, go to Online classes a virtual reality at MAU