![]() ![]() “In today’s fast-paced world, our online school gives families the ability to schedule schoolwork around other commitments and passions - be it traveling, music lessons, or volunteering in the community. “Flexibility is key for a lot of families who switch to virtual learning,” said Brittany Zahler, an ORCA fifth-grade teacher from Stayton. And others need a flexible schedule because their kids are star athletes or actors,” ORCA Executive Director Allison Galvin said. Some students have special medical conditions. Many families live in rural parts of the state and want a broader selection of classes for their children. “There are a number of reasons why our virtual public school is growing in popularity in Oregon. “Generally speaking, much of the online activity in elementary schools tends to be skills software in math and ELA (English language arts), while in high school there are more full courses that are online.”ĭiscussions about blending and online enrollment in general elicit a recurring word: flexibility. “There are countless combinations of online and face-to-face instruction,” Watson said. “Courses continue to evolve and improve, and there are more and better options now than in years past, but students were able to take a full load of courses online since the early 2000s, if not before.”īlending has become, perhaps, the fastest-growing phenomenon within the virtual trend. “The number of courses continues to increase, but most core courses and many electives have been available for 10 years or more,” Watson said. The Oregon Department of Education lists ORCA’s official enrollment last year at 3,558, up from 3,405 the previous year.īroader curriculum possibilities have come with that growth. Within Oregon, ORCA’s numbers reflect a microcosm of that trend: The academy had 650 students its inaugural year, 2005, and grew incrementally the next several years, adding high school courses in 2008. That year we estimated 175,000 students in those schools,” Watson said. “We have tracked the number of students in statewide fully online schools dating back to the 2008-09 school year. John Watson, founder of Evergreen Education Group, which provides K-12 digital learning market, policy research and advisory services, has seen a steady increase in the strictly online enrollment nationwide. “This number is easier to calculate and keep track of as they are schools rather than supplemental online programs.” “Last year, roughly 300,000 students were enrolled in full-time schools,” she added. This is a student taking one or more courses in addition to their school day, not being enrolled in full-time online schools. “Back in 2013, it was estimated that about 5 million students were enrolled in an online course. ![]() “In many states, courses are not listed as being online or face-to-face on a student’s transcript, so it is a very hard number to collect,” said Allison Powell, vice president of state and district services/new learning models for International Association for K-12 Online Learning. Many students attend school in the traditional face-to-face setting but also enroll in online courses, a mixed schedule described as blending. Gauging virtual-education growth trends can be an elusive task, especially since the strictly online students, such as the Bumanlags, are but one piece of the measure. We get it done while we do our school work,” Chloe said about homework.Ĭhloe’s preferences provide some insight to the trends, at least from a student’s point of view. “My friends are always complaining about their homework.They are complaining about how they have to get up early, then go to school for hours, and then they have hours and hours of homework. “What I really like about the academy is it’s different from public school,” said Chloe, whose mom, Heidi Bumanlag, describes her as somewhat independent. Those virtual schools mirror a national trend they are predominantly growing in their numbers and appealing to students and parents alike for a variety of reasons. ![]()
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