Is an Accredited Online High School Best for Your Teenager

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   HSanAlimposted 13 years ago

   Our family has three years of experience with this situation. Three years ago we placed our two teenage daughters in an online distance learning high school.
   
   For our family it was the best decision we could have made, both for our daughters, for their future and for our family as a whole.
   
   Would you do that; could you do that?  We are willing to answer what ever questions my be asked, to share our experiences and perhaps help another family make a similar decision.

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      eternaltreasuresposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      are your teenagers disabled or have health problems? I know online high school has its own benefits but it is also worth experiencing the real physical school.

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         HSanAlimposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         My daughters are not disable, nor do they have health problems. They both went to public schools through junior high school. From this base they have their social contacts. In fact they spend better quality time with those friends now than they did when they saw them, albeit briefly, everyday.
         
         This is growing by leaps and bounds. Students lucky enough to participate find they get a much better education and do not have to waste time with useless, or even dangerous at times, peer pressure; although my daughters never had an issue with that type of thing.
         
         Bottom line - we are totally convinced this is the wave of the future.

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      kerrygposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I was homeschooled during high school, and ended up taking some online AP classes that I enjoyed a lot. The internet has improved by leaps and bounds since then (mid - late 90's), so I imagine it could be an even better option now, for families with the motivation to take advantage of online educational opportunities. Of course, not all families have that!

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   How does a high school that is online get Accredited? Who gives them credit?
   
   The interaction of society within schools is important to the character building process in children.
   
   Cheating is too easy for children with regards to online schools.
   
   Just my thoughts on it.

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      HSanAlimposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Cheating is not easy with an accredited online distance learning high school. Plagiarism is spotted just as easy as posting a hub that is copied from someone else content. Tests are double - one by computer that is open book and one graded by the human teacher.  The school has scheduled social activities and opportunities and students get together to study, both online and in person, just as in a traditional school.
      
      There are several types of online school. The one I am familiar with is the Insight group of schools. The one in Washington State is a branch and part of the accreditation of the normal traditional school.  Thus the distance learning portion had to meet or exceed the accrediting standards just as the traditional schools did.
      
      I believe the key is for students to attend traditional schools through junior high school or at least the 8th grade. Our girls have certainly profited by attending the Insight School of Washington, both socially, physically and academically.

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   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   What do you do about classes that require hands-on?  Things such as science classes with a laboratory, music or choir classes? Drama perhaps?  Classes such as woodworking or auto mechanics comes to mind as well.

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4. 67

   NateSeanposted 13 years ago

   Now, this may sound hypocritcal. Because I am all for someone who wants to homeschool their children. But the Internet is not a substitute for a structured education.
   
   I'm sorry, but if I were an employer I would not accept an online High School diploma as proof of a HS education. It's either a genuine diploma or a GED, hands down.

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5. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   Our school district has a virtual learning program which works in conjunction with the school district and the Florida Virtual Academy. It is accredited by the same regional accrediting agency as the school district. There is an elearning team of professionals, i.e., certified teachers. We have one for both K-5 and 6-12 grades.
   
   There are real teachers who monitor the students progress and have face to face communications with them as well as emails, etc. The curriculums are the same content as the regular schools. I think they are fantastic and if a student has the proper environment at home, he/she may learn much more than in today's classrooms.

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      NateSeanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Under those circumstances, yeah. But when I hear accredited online school all kinds of unsavory connotations come to mind.

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   Hugh Williamsonposted 13 years ago

   If students can advance academically and socially on an even par with those in standard classrooms, then why not have this option available?
   
   I suspect this method works best with the parents being very involved...but then again, so does conventional education.

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