Virginia to use Internet as backbone of Education Project

Governor Mark R. Warner announced "Project Graduation," an innovative plan to help high school seniors meet next year’s requirements for a Standard Diploma. Project Graduation combines regional summer academies, expanded access to online tutorials, distance learning opportunities, and statewide dissemination of information on other effective models that help students.

"The great majority of students in the class of 2004 are ‘on track’ for graduation, but we must be prepared to walk that extra mile with students who need help and are willing to do their part," said Warner. "Project Graduation builds innovative partnerships so that school divisions can share their best ideas and programs to help students all across the Commonwealth."

Project Graduation consists of three pilot programs offering direct assistance to students, and a fourth demonstration project that highlights "best practices" for school divisions in tracking the progress of students in earning the credits required for a Standard Diploma. Project Graduation will be funded with federal dollars designed to underwrite innovative pilot programs to support statewide education reform efforts.

"By testing a variety of approaches this summer, we will identify what works for students, and share our results so school divisions will be in a better position to offer effective assistance in 2004," Governor Warner said.

In addition, Project Graduation will offer access to 200 students statewide to successful online tutorials in English, mathematics, social studies, and science developed by Chesterfield County Public Schools. The tutorials, which will be available by fall 2003, will be geared to the remediation needs of students who have passed courses but have not earned corresponding verified units of credit. Providing access to tutorials via the Internet will allow students to learn and prepare at their own pace and on their own time.

"School divisions have known since 1998 that eventually their students would have to earn verified units of credit to graduate," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jo Lynne DeMary. "The beauty of Project Graduation is that it allows students across the state to benefit from innovative programs developed in other school divisions."

A third component of Project Graduation will provide scholarships this summer enabling 100 rising seniors to take online distance learning courses in tenth- and eleventh-grade English. The courses were developed by Prince William County and York County, and are designed for students who need to earn standard units of credit in English to prepare for retakes of the English SOL tests.

Schools may enroll additional students in the English courses beyond the 100 scholarship positions, as well as other online courses, on a "space available" basis for modest tuition payments to the originating school divisions. Courses available online include: English 10, 11, 12; Algebra I, II; Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry; and World History and U.S. History. Registration for the courses offered by Prince William County is open through June 26. Registration for York County courses is open through June 13.

"Virginia has been steadily increasing academic standards since 1995," said Governor Warner. "Project Graduation represents our commitment to build on this push for greater accountability by providing needed resources and innovative ideas to help school divisions provide help to the students who need it, regardless of how many or how few."

http://www.govtech.net/news/news.phtml?docid=2003.06.10-55395