Cheryl Vedoe, CEO Apex Learning.

Ms. Vedoe explained the 14 AP course offerings from Apex. Several of the courses are semester-length such as AP Microeconomics and AP Psychology. High school students can enroll and start these courses in January 2004 and be prepared for the National AP exams in May 2004. Apex also offers general studies courses such as Algebra, Geology, and American Literature. For middle school students, Apex just started "Beyond Books" and "Boxer Math." The popular Apex AP Exam review courses will be available starting in February 2004.

Apex courses include: General Studies - American Literature, Chemistry, Geology, HTML, Dynamic HTML and Scripting, Intermediate Algebra, Precalculus, U.S. Government, U.S. History. Foreign Language - French I, French II, Spanish I, Spanish II. Advanced Placement (AP) - AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP French Language, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics B, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, AP Statistics, AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History.

Connie Broughton, Managing Director of Washington Online.

Ms. Broughton demonstrated the Washington Online web site. There are hundreds of courses available from the consortium of the 34 Washington State Community and Technical Colleges. There are 29 degrees available for students to earn completely online. Many "Running Start" high school students use Washington Online. But Washington Online should also be considered by moms, dads and other adults interested in continuing their own education. Washington Online’s offerings are NOT self-paced. Students must follow the normal college schedule. This encourages study groups and teamwork albeit over long distances.

Colleges include: Bates, Bellevue, Bellingham, Big Bend, Cascadia, Centralia, Clark, Clover Park, Columbia Basin, Edmonds, Everett, Grays Harbor, Green River, Highline, Lake Washington, Lower Columbia, North Seattle, Olympic, Peninsula, Pierce, Renton, Seattle Central, Shoreline, Skagit, South Puget Sound, South Seattle, Spokane, Spokane Falls, Tacoma, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Whatcom, and Yakima Valley.

Ms. Lancaster was joined by Online High School teacher Kevin Corbett. Last year, the ESD started offering distance learning options. The focus so far has been on credit recovery. Presently the ESD's Online High School courses include: Freshmen English, Sophomore English, Algebra, Geometry, Biology, US History, Washington State History, Government, and Lifetime Fitness. The ESD is looking at expanding the offerings in the future. Like Washington Online, Online High School uses the "Blackboard" technology. For the most part, Online High School is self-paced. Students can sign up for classes at the start of each semester and/or Summer school. Students pay $200 for each course. Jackson High School students use Online High School the most at 29% followed by Cascade HS (22%), Everett HS (20%), Sequoia HS (15%), Home School (11%) and other students (3%).

Mr. Corrigan, at our request with just a few hours notice before the event, made the trip to Mill Creek. He presented information from a 4-year college’s perspective. There is a saying that when you are a student in a large class (500+ students) at UW or elsewhere, and you are in the back row, you are experiencing "distance" learning. The UW has collaborated with Apex Learning in the past jointly developing some of Apex’s AP Review courses. Mr. Corrigan agreed with the other speakers, while Online Learning is not for everyone, it is a viable option for many. Students of all ages are increasingly more comfortable with technology - especially young people who are constantly communicating with each other through cell phones, text messaging, and email. Sometimes all simultaneously.

Students in California high schools have access to many online learning options.

"The mission of the UC College Prep Initiative (UCCP) is to provide online college preparatory courses to high school students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to achieve eligibility or competitive eligibility for admission to the University of California and other top universities. UCCP develops media rich online college preparatory courses that are designed for Internet 2, are aligned to California content standards, and fulfill admission requirements to the University of California. A University of California academic initiative, UCCP also provides online content, test prep and academic support free of charge to students and teachers from eligible schools. UCCP also offers professional development to teachers through an annual Summer Institute."

We hope to have this type of program and others available for Everett School District students and other students in Washington State.

Weighing the Options of the 4x4 Schedule by Guest Author Lisa Emerling

Jackson High School operates on a 4x4 schedule; four classes per semester, each covering a year's worth of material.  This kind of schedule at the high school level may sound like it has several advantages over other high school schedules. Being able to get into greater depth on a subject or being able to complete a lab in a 85 minute class period rather than rushing through topics in 55 minutes is one such advantage. It gives teachers a greater amount of plan time, in order to plan engaging, thought-provoking lessons, as well as, to grade papers giving ample feedback for increased student success. In addition, students only have four classes for which they need to study and do homework.

The down side of this kind of schedule has a far greater negative impact upon the future educational needs and success of students.

Eighty-five minutes of the same class, five days a week, might be great if the class is interesting, intriguing and something successful for the student, but can be disastrous and deadly to self-esteem and academic success if the material, teaching style and interest level do not match the students’ learning ability. In addition, that one (or more) class that may be a significant struggle in a student’s life could result in a lower grade.  This would bring down the student’s entire GPA for college admission more significantly when it is only one of eight grades in a 4x4 year, rather than when it is one of 12 grades in a traditional or modified six period year.

Although not all students have the desire or need to go on to a two or four year college after high school, many do. The student's GPA and the rating of their high school are a big part of acceptance at four year colleges, especially in this current situation of high competition for college admission, with more students applying than there are spaces for acceptance. The Seattle Times recently released their bi-annual comparison of schools across the state of Washington. One of the many components they look at is how do colleges rate high schools for college admission. The Seattle Times website explains this comparison as such:

The top ten public high schools in our state, all score between a 3.75 to a 4.42. Jackson High School scores a 3.15. Seven of the top ten ranked schools in the state have modified 6 or 7 period schedules (many have been sited in previous AP/IB Newsletters). The other 3 schools scheduling could not be clearly identified from the Times’ information.

Students at these, as well as other high schools with ratings higher than Jackson, are competing for college admission spots with students from Jackson based upon these ratings. Students from these schools also have additional advantages over Jackson students for college spots. The previously mentioned impact of a single negative grade in GPA can put Jackson students lower in admission rankings. In addition students from higher ranking high schools have greater breadth of knowledge and experience of classes by being afforded the opportunity to take a wider variety of classes with a six or seven period schedule, vs. a 4 x 4 schedule.

Another disadvantage to the 4x4 scheduling at Jackson is retention of material. Full year classes are presented within a semester’s time. This may not be a problem for a student who has math second semester and then returns the following year for math the first semester; having no more difficulty retaining or reviewing information from what students in a traditional full year math class would have. However, students who have a full year of math (or any other class that builds on previous sequential knowledge) packed into the first semester in a 4x4 schedule and then do not have math again until the first semester of the following year (or worse, the second semester of the following year), will go a minimum of nine months without math. The retention level for this long of a hiatus can’t be as strong as it would be for only three months of down time, requiring a greater amount of review time, and possibly a lower overall grade (again affecting that very important GPA).

It is easy to remedy the loss of an extended lab or in-depth discussion opportunity allowed by a 4x4 schedule, by switching to a modified 6 or 7 period schedule, allowing for two or three days of extended periods, with the other days being a traditional bell schedule. The other advantages of a 4x4 schedule - longer plan times for teachers, and fewer classes for students - may be lost in switching to one of the 6 or 7 period schedules. However, the advantages to students in leveling the playing field for their academic success and college prep in the highly competitive college admission arena are far greater advantages for the students at Jackson.

Lisa Emerling