iQ Academy all online<\/b><\/p>\n
Kent students in grades 7-12 will have an another alternative to brick-and-mortar classrooms come next school year.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll be able to go to school in their bedroom, at the coffee shop or even beneath the Puget Sound. All they need is a computer.<\/p>\n
iQ Academy Washington celebrated the launch of its statewide online school July 18 in Seattle, sending one of its administrators scuba diving \u201cto class\u201d with a laptop at the bottom of the Puget Sound. The kick-off stunt was intended to demonstrate the flexibility of an iQ education.<\/p>\n
The nontraditional school offers tuition-free education, small-group instruction and one-on-one feedback from certified Washington teachers, all online using a school-issued laptop.<\/p>\n
The academy is a division of KC Distance Learning, Inc., and operates as part of the Evergreen Public School District. The statewide program has stemmed from the success of Evergreen Internet Academy, an online school in operation since 1999, and similar to the online program now offered at Kent Phoenix Academy, called Kent Virtual High School.<\/p>\n
In addition to the flexibility of studying wherever a student wants, Pamela Kislak, iQ vice-president of marketing, listed several advantages she thinks the \u201cvirtual classroom\u201d has over the traditional classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really allows students to excel at their own pace,\u201d Kislak said. \u201cThis is good for students who want more time to work on specific subjects. They can work on things they struggle with at a slower pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the school also allows students to pursue more time-consuming, extracurricular activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, if a student strives to be a professional ballerina, they could do their practicing during the day and then do all their classwork at night,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The iQ curriculum also offers an advantage, she said. Though students sacrifice the ability to take hands-on electives like wood shop or auto mechanics, a wider variety of honors and Advanced Placement classes, foreign-language classes and other technology classes are available online.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of the benefits of the program,\u201d Kislak said. \u201cThe curriculum is very broad, and electives aren\u2019t as limited.\u201d<\/p>\n
And she said students aren\u2019t being taught by a machine. Teachers are accessible by phone or e-mail, and each class is taught by the same teacher throughout the year. A software program, called Elluminate, allows teachers to draw on a \u201cwhiteboard\u201d on the computer screen during class sessions \u2014 sessions that are recorded so students can log in and observe them at their own pace.<\/p>\n
Students stay on track with a learning plan they design in concert with their teachers at the beginning of the year, and parents aren\u2019t left out of the loop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have a lot of support for parents, so parents can stay abreast of their student\u2019s achievement,\u201d Kislak said.<\/p>\n
Once enrolled, students receive the required textbooks for their courses, a monthly Internet stipend and optional use of a laptop computer. The supplies are provided to students at no cost for as long as they are enrolled in the academy.<\/p>\n
The school is now enrolling students for the 2008-2009 school year.<\/p>\n
Kent students and their families will have a chance to learn more about the program and enroll at an open house event from 2-3:30 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Best Western Plaza by the Green, located at 24415 Russell Road.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit www.iqacademywa.com or call 888-899-4792.<\/p>\n
Contact Daniel Mooney at 253-437-6012 or dmooney@reporternewspapers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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