Online Schools: Idaho

Geographic location, natural beauty, and American Indian influence have placed "The Gem State" at the forefront of culture and discovery ever since The Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which included the Idaho territory. This historic event was soon followed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which traversed Central Idaho in a quest seeking a navigable route to the Pacific Ocean. In 1860 gold and silver were discovered, sending a rush of miners to the original Nez Perse Indian Reservation. Over a century later, Idaho continues to attract travelers, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts; 18 ski resorts are largely responsible for Idaho's booming tourism industry, which draws nearly 30 million visitors to the state each year. Idaho has continued its culture of exploration and discovery well into the digital age: the state not only boasts 12 K-12 online schools, but is one of four states leading the way in passing legislation that requires distance learning course credit for high school graduation.

SB1184 was passed in 2011, with additional approval by both a state appointed task force and the Board of Education. Students entering the ninth grade in 2012 will be required to attend online schools in Idaho in order to graduate. According to the International Association of K-12 Online Learning, only three other states – Alabama, Florida and Michigan – have passed significant legislation regarding online learning. The online rules vary from state to state, but Idaho is the first to require two credits online, a decision which has sparked controversy among parents, students, lawmakers, and educators across the state. Based on the legislation and the political debates that led to the passage of the law, cost-savings was the underlying motivation for the online learning graduation requirement while in other states, the rationale for the requirement was the recognition that students would benefit from the twenty-first century skills an online course would provide.

According to a survey of six Treasure Valley school districts, student participation in Idaho's online schools will need to increase significantly in order to meet the graduation requirement. During the past full school year, just a small fraction of students at surveyed high schools took at least one online course through their district. Those ranged from around four percent in Caldwell and Vallivue to nearly 20 percent at Boise’s Timberline. However, schools in smaller districts are increasingly making online education an actual part of the school day, according to the Director of Idaho Digital Learning Academy, which offers a unique array of courses such as Digital Photography, Entrepreneurial Economics, Forensic Science, Law and Justice, Medical Terminology, and Web Design. Fortunately for Idaho state students, schools are likely to continue the trend of devoting time to online courses during the regular academic day.

Idaho's distance learning at the post-secondary level began formally in 1973 as a joint collaboration between the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, and Lewis-Clark State College. The program Independent Study in Idaho (ISI) offers over 100 undergraduate online courses in more than 25 subjects including Economics, Library Science, Health Care Administration, and Real Estate, among other core courses. At the graduate level, the University of Idaho offers online classes through the Engineering Outreach Program. This program digitally captures on-campus courses and provides them to students online within hours. In addition to Engineering Outreach, in which students can earn master's degrees in a variety of specializations, the university also offers graduate degrees in Earth and Environmental Studies, Mathematics, and Education. This fall, continuing in the tradition of discovery and experimentation in online schools, Idaho will offer 12 online graduate education courses, utilizing new software called Elluminate. This program provides a real-time virtual classroom environment that extends distance learning by adding live discussion and interaction among students and instructors.

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