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Online schools make gains

Enrollment jumps as students enjoy benefits of telecommuting to school

By Venice Buhain | The Olympian • Published December 01, 2008

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She said district officials recognize that other districts might have something to offer some families.

"We want to help each student find a niche. It's great to retain kids, but if this is working for those kids, then we need to recognize that and help them find a place that they can be successful," she said. "For some students, a traditional classroom setting doesn't seem to fit."

Olympia

IConnect differs from the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), Insight School of Washington and iQ Academy, which have been marketed throughout Washington in that iConnect students are required to take their mid-terms and tests in person at the Olympia Regional Learning Academy building at 2001 26th Ave. N.E., administrator Joy Walton said.

That requirement ensures that the student is doing his or her own work, she said.

The program has about 58 students from the Olympia district and 12 others who are from districts from as far away as Yelm and Shelton, she said.

Most of the students are in high school, although the program also is available to younger students, she said.

The program has grown slowly in the past two years through word-of-mouth, but the district plans to publicize it more to its own students, Walton said.

"We started with a handful of students," she said. "I think that as people get to know more about online learning and that we are here, that will continue to increase. We would stop taking students from other districts if we got to a point where we were full. We're just not near that."

She said there are no plans for widespread marketing in other districts.

"Right now, we're working on putting together more information about our program and making it have more of a Web-based presence, so when people are looking into online programs, they can find us," she said. "We won't be going to recruit by any means. The plan is we'll just have a better Web presence and they'll see that this may be an option, but not to go out and actively recruit."

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