James W. Lanham, the state’s director of teacher licensure and school leadership, said his team will bring evaluation models to the Board in January or February. He said his goals are better professional development, lower teacher turnover and more equitable staffing.

The department is also moving forward on new guidelines and accountability procedures for virtual schools serving multiple districts. The issue of how the contractors will be paid is being left up to the General Assembly.

“We need to make sure, ultimately, that what is provided is good for the kids and is going to improve their learning and test scores,” said Lan Neugent, assistant superintendent for technology.

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There are several platforms for online programs. The simplest platform is an example like Verizon Foundaton’s Thinkfinity – recently named a “Best in Tech” website by Scholastic Administrator magazine. It offers lesson plans and supplemental aids for classroom teachers, students and home-school parents that will soon be linked to Virginia’s Standards of Learning by grade level and subject.

The oldest example is a state virtual school. Virtual Virginia, operated by the state Department of Education, offers more than 60 middle and high school courses ranging from Latin and AP Art History to Spanish and AP Statistics. But enrollment in Virtual Virginia is capped and has significant restrictions – one reason why, in 2008-09, fewer than 5,000 students were enrolled. In fact, Virginia’s enrollment ranks only midway among states with state virtual schools and is far outpaced by states like Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

For the rest of the article, go to Delivering Education Direct to the Desktop

HERNDON, Va., Jun 28, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Over 1,000 students graduated this year from virtual schools using the award winning, nationally-acclaimed K12(R) curriculum and online school program.

K12 Inc., America’s largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, operates public virtual schools in 25 states (and D.C.) in partnership with charter schools and school districts.

The majority of graduates — 93 percent — plan to continue their education at colleges and universities, according to K12′s 2010 senior survey. The survey also indicated that K12 graduates received over 1 million dollars in combined scholarship money.

K12 students from this year’s class have been accepted to many of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities, including Cornell, Duke, Middlebury College, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, Vanderbilt, University of Southern California, and many more schools across the U.S.

“All of us at K12 are extremely proud of these students,” said Ron Packard, founder and CEO of K12 Inc. “These students are tomorrow’s leaders. Their achievements are the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and perseverance. The parents, family members and friends of these graduates also deserve praise for providing encouragement, love and support through the years. Congratulations to the Class of 2010.”

For the rest of the article, go to K12 Virtual Schools Graduate Over 1,000 Students