![]() Bogle, now a mom of two, says the teachers and advisors not only helped her determine what classes she needed but also helped develop a schedule so she could squeeze in homework around shifts as a cashier and taking care of her chil- dren. She dropped out of school at 16 while preg- nant with her first child and, two years ago, enrolled at Insight. One student who found success in an online alter- native school is Kadi Bogle, of Pryor. How high-risk students in online alternative schools will per- form in the long run is an unanswered question. Parent involvement can still be critical, however. Online schools are often perceived as best for stu- dents who have the self- discipline and motivation to achieve without frequent interaction with teachers. (About 5,100 of those students are in Epic’s blended school, where stu- dents receive some on-site instruction.) Parents who choose virtual schools for their students often cite bul- lying and other safety con- cerns or a need for flexible schedules as reasons for leaving traditional schools. More than 17,000 Oklahoma students now attend a virtual school, a 112 percent increase in three years. ![]() Growth in the virtual schools sector in Oklahoma and across the country has been exponential. Despite the research and outcome statistics, the Administrators at Epic and other virtual schools say four-year cohort gradu- ation rates unfairly measure virtual schools because the schools don’t receive credit for the students who gradu- ate in more than four years many students enroll in vir- tual school already behind, they say. The statewide graduation rate is 83 per- cent. Epic’s 2016 graduation rate was 27 percent, compared to Insight’s 34 percent rate that year. That was double Insight’s dropout rate of 10.5 percent and 10 times the state aver- age of 1.9 percent. In Oklahoma, Epic’s high school dropout rate was 21 percent in 2016, according to the latest available report from the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The report, which covered 17 states and the District of Columbia (Oklahoma was not among them), caused some char- ter school supporters to distance themselves from online charter schools. ![]() Those findings echo what researchers at Stan- ford University found in a 2015 study comparing online charter schools with traditional district and charter schools. That included both high-achieving stu- dents and low-achieving ones, for whom the stakes are high. In one recent study by researchers at New York University and the RAND Corporation, all students across all subjects and grade spans in Ohio learned less in online school than their peers in traditional public and charter schools, as measured by standard- ized tests. The proposal, however, comes amid a growing volume of research that shows online education fares poorly at improving student learning compared with traditional schools. The state Department of Education is reviewing Epic’s application, which was submitted May 9. School lead- ers s a virtu al al terna tive schools are set up to focus on helping those students overcome personal and learning hurdles in order to get a high school degree. Online-only schools already attract many at-risk and academically deficient students. The other is Insight School of Oklahoma, which along with Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy, is part of the national chain of K12 online schools. ![]() Epic would become the second virtual school in the state that is a designated alter- native school. If the state approves, Epic Charter Schools would begin enrolling students in its alternative school for the 2018-19 school year. The state’s largest vir- tual charter school wants to open an alternative high school for at-risk students, saying the school will better address the needs of strug- gling students who already attend or will enroll in its regular online school.
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