Payson Roundup

Andy Towle/Roundup - atowle@payson.com

Jordyn Fruth (left) and Kyleah Morgan wait for their teammates of the Club Rim volleyball team and discuss everything from boys to what they got for Christmas. Club Rim teams practice and play at the Julia Randall Elementary School gym from the end of December to the end of May.

Arizona Schools Chief Tom Horne announces the new Arizona Department of Education (ADE) K-12 online course offering catalog.

The catalog represents a listing of some of the K-12 online programs available to students statewide in a centralized location so that schools, parents, and students can view the vast course selection available to them.

Horne added: “With the fast growth of online learning, I wanted to make sure Arizona has a robust catalog of courses available to all students statewide. Online courses offer subjects that may not be available in a given school, help to students who wish to accelerate their learning and assistance to those students who may need extra time or options for their academic success.”

Horne urges parents and students to consider the following when choosing an online course:

1. Work with your school’s guidance counselors and seek their advice. Credits from online courses should transfer, but it would be best to check with your school before taking a course.

2. Make arrangements for the technology needed to successfully complete the course. You will need a computer, the necessary software and plug-ins required for the course management system, high-speed Internet connection and a quiet place to work. Check with your school to see what support it can provide. Some online courses are taken at school, others at home.

3. Online learning is designed to be as rigorous as face-to-face courses; however, self-discipline is needed to successfully complete an online course.

4. Look at all of the options in the Arizona K-12 Online Course Catalog. For specific information, contact the course provider directly.

The responsibility for checking course quality rests with schools. ADE has listed courses given to it without checking quality at this time.