I recently enrolled my step daughter in an accredited online high school. She dropped out of public high school. Not wanting to give up on her, we immediately started looking for alternatives to traditional public school. My step daughter's stumbling block was the standardized testing mandated by the state under "No Child Left Behind".
She had been held back twice in earlier grades, but was catching up. In fact, in her first year of high school, she made the honor roll. I was really proud of her. What happened next was quite a shock, however. Shortly after making the honor roll, she badly failed the state exams.
She now faced being held back a third time. The data indicated that being held back twice causes over a 90% chance of dropping out of high school. Somehow, I had hoped that she would defy the odds. It didn't happen.
When someone says that they support standardized testing, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Where are those "standardized children? With today's schools reduced to test prep centers, where is the opportunity for creativity?
Our children are unique individuals. Should we run them through a grinder, until we get some texture-less mass? In many countries, rote memory is what school is all about. There is no tolerance for creative ideas. Creativity is what has set America apart. Let's not stifle that great strength. School kids need space to be themselves.
I am a fierce advocate of self paced lessons. This is not possible in traditional public schools. I think that a child should be able to work through one lesson at his own pace until it is completed, and mastered, before moving to the next one.
A self paced school just seems logical to me. Traditional schools present lessons to a mass of students. Some students are slow, some are bright and bored, but the lesson will be aimed at those "average" students in the middle. Typical classroom teaching is an extremely blunt instrument.
I happen to think that online schools can do self pacing quite easily. In fact, given the obvious problems with "No Child Left Behind", more and more students are going to be pushed into seeking alternatives to public education. Online schools are here with the answer.
Another of the impressive points about online high school is the expanded course offering. For economic reasons, public school can only offer the basics, and a few electives. Online schools can offer much more. This is another plus that increases creative choices. Boring high school students with narrow, test focused classes is not doing them any favor.
For my step daughter, and myself, we decided on an online school with good accreditation, challenging curriculum, and 100 courses to choose from. The decision took days of shopping, and elimination. The high priced schools didn't fit my budget. The free schools tied to the public system were also rejected because of the same old testing regime. If you decide to explore online alternative schools, shop carefully. - 29891
She had been held back twice in earlier grades, but was catching up. In fact, in her first year of high school, she made the honor roll. I was really proud of her. What happened next was quite a shock, however. Shortly after making the honor roll, she badly failed the state exams.
She now faced being held back a third time. The data indicated that being held back twice causes over a 90% chance of dropping out of high school. Somehow, I had hoped that she would defy the odds. It didn't happen.
When someone says that they support standardized testing, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Where are those "standardized children? With today's schools reduced to test prep centers, where is the opportunity for creativity?
Our children are unique individuals. Should we run them through a grinder, until we get some texture-less mass? In many countries, rote memory is what school is all about. There is no tolerance for creative ideas. Creativity is what has set America apart. Let's not stifle that great strength. School kids need space to be themselves.
I am a fierce advocate of self paced lessons. This is not possible in traditional public schools. I think that a child should be able to work through one lesson at his own pace until it is completed, and mastered, before moving to the next one.
A self paced school just seems logical to me. Traditional schools present lessons to a mass of students. Some students are slow, some are bright and bored, but the lesson will be aimed at those "average" students in the middle. Typical classroom teaching is an extremely blunt instrument.
I happen to think that online schools can do self pacing quite easily. In fact, given the obvious problems with "No Child Left Behind", more and more students are going to be pushed into seeking alternatives to public education. Online schools are here with the answer.
Another of the impressive points about online high school is the expanded course offering. For economic reasons, public school can only offer the basics, and a few electives. Online schools can offer much more. This is another plus that increases creative choices. Boring high school students with narrow, test focused classes is not doing them any favor.
For my step daughter, and myself, we decided on an online school with good accreditation, challenging curriculum, and 100 courses to choose from. The decision took days of shopping, and elimination. The high priced schools didn't fit my budget. The free schools tied to the public system were also rejected because of the same old testing regime. If you decide to explore online alternative schools, shop carefully. - 29891
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To have a look at the online high school that we chose Go to National High School website. You will certainly select the one that best serves your needs. This is a good place to start.
