E-Learning: Making the Grade When Students Fall Behind

Requirements to pass classes in middle school and high school have changed a great deal in the last decade. School districts are being held accountable for the information taught in their classrooms. This is partly due to the “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) legislation put in place by the Bush Administration. No longer can students simply memorize and parrot back quotes and facts to move onto the next grade; they are now expected to learn and then demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of what they are learning as well as apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate the information taught. Grading has become more complex. Rubrics are now used to measure thoroughness of projects and standardized tests are given not only to test each student but also to test each school and its district.

So, what happens when a student falls behind in his school work? It doesn’t matter whether he has a prolonged illness, his parents move causing him to go to a different school or he simply does not understand the material given, each student must pass the test to move on to the next grade.

Fortunately, the NCLB bill also requires that schools become technologically savvy. This enables teachers to use educational tools that are available to their students at home as well as in the classroom. When circumstances cause a student to be away from classroom instruction, it is now possible to collect make-up work without leaving home.

In Utah, students have access to the Electronic High School (EHS). Last year EHS helped over 11,000 students, nearly one-third of the state's senior class population, graduate from their local schools. The school is fully accredited by Northwest Association of Accredited Schools and has permission from the State Board of Education to offer diplomas to students who have been home-schooled, dropped out or referred by a school district in the state of Utah. Currently, nearly 56,000 students are enrolled in EHS. EHS uses LearnKey’s OnlineExpert for instruction in computer literacy and graphic design as well as courses designed to help students prepare for certification in MS Office, A+ and IC³.

Dick Siddoway, a teacher at EHS, says that one advantage of distance learning is that the courses have open enrollment and withdrawal. “Students who are ill or need to make up credit are able to take EHS classes and work at their own pace to complete them.” The school even offers Driver Education, although, “students have to arrange to take the behind the wheel portion from their local school or private provider.”

Using electronic tools to deliver instruction is creating an educational paradigm shift. When used as a higher educational path for communication, the Internet has become a gateway for classroom instruction. And so, e-learning continues to prepare a new generation of students by enabling them to keep up with their studies, make up unavoidable absences, and above all, stay in school.