Mo.'s virtual school is still enrolling students

ST. LOUIS -- The first school bells of the year have sounded for Missouri's public school children, but the state's online school is still accepting applicants for kindergarten to 12th grade.

Missouri's virtual instruction program, known as MoVIP, lets elementary and high school students around Missouri take classes online using the Internet.

"Our numbers are fluid," said Curt Fuchs, Missouri's virtual school director. "Everything is still open." He estimated this week that about 750 students in kindergarten through fifth grade were in the program, with another 1,500 students in sixth through 12th grades. "We're not at capacity, but we're pretty close," he said.

The online program includes a variety of students, including those schooled at home, recuperating from an illness or seeking courses that their local school district doesn't offer.

Last year, the first year of the program, resulted in significant numbers of students who signed up for courses, but dropped out or did not complete them. Fuchs said more information is expected this fall about how many students did not stick with the online courses.

One aspect of virtual education that has gotten a positive response is the ability to teach students in areas their school districts might not offer, like Mandarin Chinese or Psychology, he said.

This year, third-, fourth- and fifth-graders can take part in an online program for gifted students in the communication arts, literature and math. Additional documentation is necessary to take part in those classes, with details available on MoVIP's website.

Fuchs said there's rolling admission for the online school, so he can't say for certain when enrollment will close for this academic year.

Valerie Nix, 35, of Independence, Mo., is a stay-at-home mother to four children, three of whom are taking part in MoVIP this year.

Nix said she homeschooled her children previously, and said being able to join the Missouri program, which is considered a public school, provided a tremendous savings with a curriculum comparable to what she had been using. Students in some cases can also opt to pay tuition to take courses.

Courtney Nix, 11, said she likes being able to see her schedule online, and uses her textbooks to help her complete assignments. Her mother helps her learn, but she can also study online, and views some live lessons each week, which allow her to chat on-screen with a teacher and classmates.

The program also schedules opportunities for students to meet one another, though it can be hard with events scheduled around the state. She, like many a student before her, had only had one suggestion for the program: "It would be fun to have a couple more field trips," she said.