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Editorial: Are virtual schools flunking?

Thu., Jan. 28, 2016

While Idaho has long been near the bottom of rankings for the percentage of K-12 students who attend college and get a degree, the state has been able to boast a high on-time graduation rate.

Until now.

Federal measurements put Idaho’s overall graduation rate for 2013-14 at 77.3 percent, or 41st in the nation. The state had boasted an above-average rate of at least 83 percent in recent years using different methodology.

The federal math is more useful because it’s consistent for all states and more comprehensive. The calculation begins with the number of students in ninth grade, which captures those who drop out before their senior year; whereas Idaho’s measurement began with the number of students entering 12th grade.

On Monday, State Board of Education President Don Soltman told legislators that the low graduation rates of virtual charter schools and alternative schools had dragged down the state’s average. The graduation rate was 20 percent for online charter schools and 36 percent for alternative schools.

Not so fast, said virtual charter officials, who said their schools should be expected to have lower graduation rates, because they take a lot of students who are behind on credits when they sign up. Many of the students transfer to online options because they have struggled in traditional settings.

Besides, only about 5,000 of the state’s 294,000 K-12 students attend virtual schools, according to Idaho Education News.

Nonetheless, virtual charter school proponents, such as Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, were disheartened by the results, which suggests the graduation rate was lower than expected.

It’s fair to assume that students who take an alternative route might find it more challenging to graduate on time, but just how much slack should be cut?

The gap between Idaho’s virtual schools and regular schools looks awfully wide. Brick-and-mortar charter schools posted a 91 percent graduation rate, while the rate for regular schools was 88 percent. For other types of school district options, it was 80 percent.

The graduation rate for virtual schools nationwide was 37.6 percent, according to a 2013 study by the National Education Policy Center. Quite a bit higher than Idaho’s 20 percent.

Idaho has long pursued education alternatives, either in the belief that outcomes would improve and dollars could be saved – or both. But technology has not proved to be the savior, with the state’s broadband contract fiasco as a prime example.

The state purchased computers for all virtual learning students, and it should expect a better return on that investment. Such schools may still be a viable option for some students. The ones who stay four years do graduate at a high rate.

State education officials and lawmakers must set reasonable graduation goals for alternative learning environments, and hold providers accountable.

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