Schools eye ‘Net results
High-school students could soon take classes while sitting at home in their pajamas.
The state Board of Regents yesterday approved the development of a “virtual high school initiative” that will allow students to earn credits online.
The move comes as state officials are rethinking the requirement that students attend a course for a certain amount of hours — known as “seat time” — to earn credits, instead of having them gain credits by demonstrating mastery of a subject.
Although the online initiative is in the earliest stage, amending the seat-time requirement could soon allow high-school students to earn credits on their laptops.
“The fact that they are stepping forward with a vision for how to expand access to students . . . is huge,” said Susan Patrick, president of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Principals familiar with the topic said opening the door to online learning could benefit a host of students — including those who want to pursue daytime internships, whose schools don’t offer certain courses, or who learn at a much faster or slower pace than their peers.
