High school students enjoy online option

The program, open to all juniors and seniors, allows students to select from a highly focused list of academic courses on the college preparatory, honors and advanced placement levels.

Narragansett is one of four towns in Rhode Island participating in virtual learning, along with North Smithfield, Scituate, Newport and Portsmouth.

Once enrolled, students are part of a class taught by a high school teacher in a different part of the country. “Students have the opportunity to meet online with teachers and talk to other students to make it feel like they are part of the class,” Pince said.

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Effort to improve Providence schools developed from bottom up

PROVIDENCE — Longer school days.

An extended year for teachers.

Additional time devoted to English and math.

Virtual classes at the high school.

Wraparound social services at the elementary schools.

These are just some of the measures that four Providence schools, identified by state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist as among the worst in the state, have devised to turn themselves around after years of low student achievement.

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Virtual High School Comes to PHS

Portsmouth High School has gone virtual—literally.

Four students of PHS are testing a new program this school year called Virtual High School.

Virtual High School, a nonprofit, offers classes for students online. The students e-mail teachers from throughout the country and complete homework online for this program.

School Committee members questioned the school administration about the pilot program at Tuesday night’s meeting.

“I’m anxious to learn about Virtual High School,” said School Committee member Cynthia Perrotti, who is running for election this year.

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Virtual schools clicking with students

“In today’s economy, online education bridges the gap between what the schools offer on site and what their kids want to take,” said Carol Arnold, spokesperson for the Massachusetts-based Virtual High School (VHS).

VHS started up 15 years ago as a pilot program in Massachusetts, funded by a federal Department of Education grant. The program was so successful, said Ms. Arnold, that it became a nonprofit and was offered worldwide. The educational consortium now has 662 member schools around the world and 32 participating U.S. states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Mt. Hope High is one of a handful of Rhode Island schools offering VHS (the others are St. Mary Academy Bay View in Riverside and Portsmouth High School, which is starting a pilot program this fall).

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Video: Virtual Learning Academy

Virtual Learning Academy

Rhode Island has new online high schools site

Welcome to yet another state-specific website for online high schools. Brought to you by Best Online High Schools, this gives you information on all that is going on in your state with online high schools.