Choosing an Online High School Program

A parent’s guide to the various options—plus what all those terms mean.

By Fred Lamora

A simple Google search for an online high school will return a surprising number of options for your student, but not all programs are the same. When it comes to choosing the best fit for your student, you’ll want to consider two things: what type of material your student will interact with and the delivery model—that’s the way in which students interact with the material.

Delivery models usually fall into one of four categories: asynchronous online, synchronous online, hybrid/classroom and hybrid/non-classroom models.

With Asynchronous models, you log on, read text or watch video, respond to multiple-choice, short answer or sometimes even essay questions, then wait for feedback, either automated or returned, within a prescribed turnaround time.

The Pros & Cons: The advantage of this model is that students have access to the materials 24/7. The schedule, unlike traditional school, is flexible, allowing students in any time zone to participate. Another advantage of asynchronous interaction is that students have time to formulate their responses to questions before writing them. The disadvantages include limited social interaction with both peers and the instructor, limited and delayed feedback and a lack of a sense of community within the program.

Synchronous models, like their asynchronous counterparts, offer automated feedback, but also add the dimension of real-time interaction through chat and video conferencing with teachers and peers.

The Pros & Cons: These environments do begin to chip away at the lack of social interaction, but do not fully recreate a live face-to-face experience. In order to interact in synchronous meetings, you need to be on your computer, on a certain page, at a certain time, thus limiting the flexibility for families. “Synchronous interactions allow students to build a social group since the discussion is more like a conversation. The problem is that, like a conversation, students blurt out responses,” states Dr. Joy Lopez, Director of Instructional Technology at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland.

Hybrid/classroom models use online environments to extend the school day for students.  For students who may need more time on an assignment or need greater access to resources, this may be a nice option. It allows parents to have students in a traditional school every day while having access to online materials and resources after school hours.

The Pros & Cons: Because students come together in class to work, they form a learning community and get face-to-face social interaction more easily than in non-hybrid models. (Students in strictly online environments often leave those programs due to the lack of social interaction.) Students who have trouble traveling to and from school, or who have difficulty with traditional school hours, may not find this option different enough from regular school offerings. Those families who do not feel the traditional school environment fits with their lifestyle or values may also want a different model. One more “con”: if the only access a student has to the computer is in the classroom, they lose the ability to do their work at home.

Hybrid/non-classroom models allow students 24/7 access to online environments, but also bring them together for occasional face-to-face meetings outside of a traditional classroom. This would typically be in a field experience tied to curriculum.

The Pros & Cons: The hybrid/non-classroom model strives to create a learning community between peers and the instructor through both face-to-face meetings and through synchronous and asynchronous tools. “The hybrid/non-classroom models allow students and families flexibility with regards to learning times and locations, without sacrificing the interactions needed to build community and learning. Synchronous discussions help build community and generate quick ideas and thought, while the asynchronous discussions allow for greater depth and understanding of the curriculum. Add into this equation well placed and designed face-to-face meetings to co-work, create, or explore, and students now have a rich and balanced learning experience,” states Dr. Lopez. That said, students who need the structure of a traditional classroom may still find this model challenging.

Course materials are the other important consideration for families shopping online high school programs. Some online classes provide materials that are no more than a digital version of the classroom textbook. Students read the same two-dimensional textbook on a computer screen, and the activities are tied to reading and interacting with this text—a fairly flat experience. But online programs don’t have to be this way.

Rich online environments foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills and collaboration between peers. To make sure your child's program embodies 21st-Century Learning (a term which gets thrown around quite frequently), visit ISTE.org.

“In this environment, students will be able to demonstrate their learning in creative ways, compared to the worksheets and chapter quizzes that they interact with in traditional schools,” says Jennifer Russell, 9^th grade teacher for VisionsEDGE (Educating Differently in a Global Environment), a pilot program by Visions In Education launching in the fall.

“A solid relationship between the teacher and student is the foundation of the program,” adds Christy McKinnis, Project Co-Manager for VisionsEDGE. McKinnis advises parents to look for online programs that challenge students with a rigorous curriculum steeped in 21^st Century skills, such as innovation, collaboration and critical analysis, and that allow students to create, share and interact with fellow students, teachers and content using Web-based tools and environments.

Fred Lamora is the Administrator for Curriculum and Professional Development for Visions In Education, a free public charter school, based in Carmichael, serving the Greater Sacramento region. Questions? Call Fred at 916-971-5558.