Prosser, WA (PRWEB) October 31, 2012
Washington State has some of the highest enrollment numbers in accredited online high schools. Over 1.5% of Washington students are currently enrolled in an online learning program, or almost 16,000 students. This number is an amalgamation of students taking both full-time online learning classes and those enrolled in supplemental courses. The state has at least 15 statewide online high schools, and there are another 20 single district programs available for students in the state. Red Comet is thrilled to be rated first amongst all the state-wide online providers in terms of student satisfaction in arecent state survey that was conducted by OSPI-DLD organization.
Red Comet offers a complete online high schoolprogram that is both rigorous and engaging. Red Comet, which was approved as a “Multi-District Online Course Provider” by OSPI-DLD in May 2011, is now approved as an “Online School Program Provider” by OSPI-DLD.
For students and parents, making the right choice in a virtual high school is vital. While it might seem different, choosing a virtual academy is very similar to considering traditional schools. The primary consideration is going to be accreditation – where possible, choose accredited online high schools.
Another important consideration when choosing an online school is if it is fulltime or supplemental. Fulltime schools provide the same education as would be found in a traditional public classroom, as well as being responsible for administering all state-mandated tests to students. In a supplemental course situation, the student takes only some courses from an online provider while completing most of the remaining courses at his high school.
Yet another consideration is whether the online school offers high school ‘dropout and recovery’ programs, as well as the credit transfer options for those who need to make up a course. Credit retrieval is another important consideration for parents and guardians when determining the best online high schools for their children.
One other criteria for parents of student athletes would be to choose an online program whose courses are approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Red Comet’s core courses are approved by NCAA. All Red Comet course credits for high school classes are accepted by most High Schools throughout the United States of America. This applies to credit recovery as well. Aspiring athletes can now use the comprehensive Red Comet online curriculum towards NCAA eligibility for collegiate athletics.
The question of cost will arise during any consideration of online high schools. As mentioned previously, some schools receive state funding and are available to students in Washington at no cost. Other schools do not receive any state funding, and tuition must be paid by the student’s parents or guardian. This will obviously make a significant difference in the school chosen.
Students throughout the country use Red Comet’s online program that include all the core subjects as well as numerous high school electives. A variety of students use Red Comet’s online learning program – students in need of credit recovery; students attending public high schools who need additional credits to graduate; students attending private schools who are looking for electives; home school high school students; student athletes who were not able to attend their high school classes; students with part-time jobs; students who dropped out of school; etc.
