Virtual class mandate could become reality

Students will be required to complete at least one semester, or 24 hours of an online course in order to graduate from high school under a proposed law from a St. Louis area legislator.

"The delivery of educational services has been forever changed by telecommunications, and we need to get up to speed," Rep. Jane Cunningham , R-Chesterfield said. "This is the direction of the future, this allows students to take courses anywhere or anytime."

Last year the General Assembly passed the virtual school bill, which allows K-12 students in Missouri schools to take classes for credit online starting in July. Cunningham said her bill fits works with the virtual school, "all they have to do is pick one course in their entire career and take it over the Internet."

The online class could be taken at school or at home. "If I were in high school again, I would take a course or two online from 8 p.m to 10 p.m or 10 p.m. to-midnight so I could sleep in and go to school at 10:00 every morning, wouldn't that be cool?" Cunningham said.

If passed, the requirement would start with the 2011-2012 graduating class. Students can sign up to take an online class for course credit starting May 1; registration lasts for three weeks. To view a list of courses offered or to sign up, visit the department of elementary and secondary education's website: dese.mo.gov.   

Public, private and home-schooled students are eligible to take classes through the Missouri Virtual School, and there is no cost for the classes. The teacher overseeing the online class communicate with the student and parents through email, phone, instant messaging and discussion forums.

Cunningham said online classes would broaden the variety of classes available to students. "If a school that doesn't have a physics teacher, a calculus teacher or a Latin teacher, that they want or cant get this is a wonderful opportunity just for the coursework itself."

The online classes would be proctored by teachers, and students would submit assignment online.

The bill has not made it very far in House of Representatives, and Cunningham said she thinks the bill will create a lot of debate.

"There are a lot of education reforms going on right now that we are considering, so probable that is why it hasn't been focused on," she said. "Whenever we get away from the status quo people fight, so I would expect a lot of fighting on this bill once we get started on it."

How to Make the Story Local

• Find students who like the idea of taking a class online
• Will teachers gets paid more money if they facilitate a class online?
• Talk to teachers in your school, would they be willing to proctor a class online?