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Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Online diploma
Pilot program will be expanded to Clark County.
The Internet revolution has already spread to some colleges and trade schools, which offer online classwork for credit. So it should come as no surprise that education officials might explore applying the concept to certain high school students.
In fact, a pilot program in rural White Pine County allowing some teen-agers to earn their diplomas online will now be expanded to include Clark County.
The program isn't intended for all students. White Pine Superintendent Mark Shellinger said it will benefit home-schoolers, dropouts, expelled students or even adults who never finished high school.
There is always the danger here of abuse. Obviously, it's much harder to monitor the work and performance of somebody sitting at a computer than somebody working with a teacher in the classroom. Ultimately, however, online students will face the same final hurdle as their traditional classmates: the state high school proficiency exam, which will weed out those who don't do the work -- whether they're online or in the classroom.
As long as they still must meet the same standards as other students, the pilot program could prove a useful tool in helping those who might otherwise never attain their high school diplomas.
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