Sep
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Florida Outsources Education with Online Courses for Middle and High Schoolers
September 10, 2009 | 2 Comments
Kaplan is well-known for its tutoring classes and books that are designed to help high school students score higher on standardized tests. Now, Kaplan is taking over the actual teaching of courses at three Florida school districts.
The courses will be offered over the Internet and are being made available to sixth through 12th grade students in Glades and Miami-Dade counties. The Polk county school district will also offer Kaplan classes but only for high schoolers.
The courses are produced by a division of Kaplan called Kaplan Virtual Education and they will include video and audio downloads. Software that displays interactive whiteboards will also be part of the lessons. Teachers are to make themselves available to students via email, instant message or telephone. Kaplan says that the teachers will be certified by the Florida department of education to teach at the appropriate grade level. The courses will count toward standard school course requirements, and it is expected that students who follow the program will be able to graduate with a properly accredited diploma.
The state of Florida is requiring its schools to begin offering online courses, and it is assumed that the schools will treat this as an experiment.
Kaplan, which is owned by the same company that publishes the Washington Post, offers high-school courses through its website at KU High School but students must pay for courses. Prices are $3,295 for diploma program and $395 for a single course. It’s not clear whether any accredited colleges will accept the “diploma” as part of its admissions process.
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