New program to cater to home-schooled students

RUPERT — Minidoka County School District is going online next fall with a free virtual academy geared toward K-8 home-schooled children.

The new Minidoka Virtual Academy will open in August, blending online coursework with instruction from one of the 3,961-student school district’s teachers.

“There is an age-old rivalry between school districts and home school, which is just silly,” District Superintendent Scott Rogers said. “We want to embrace the fact that sometimes children need a different type of classroom. We can’t be afraid of that.”

Rogers said there are at least 100 to 200 home-schooled children in Mini-Cassia. He said the district will spend about $3,000 per student on curriculum materials, teacher costs and computer lab costs, but will receive about $3,500 per student from the state.

Eighteen-year elementary teacher Angela Chandler — currently a part-time second-grade teacher at Rupert Elementary School — will guide and assist the academy’s students and parent-teachers.

“There are a lot of valuable things that will be offered to the kids, and they can still move at their own pace,” Chandler said.

Virginia-based online company K12 Inc. will provide the program’s virtual curriculum, which will cover math, language arts and science, along with an elective such as art, physical education or a foreign language.

“This is a really solid curriculum,” Rogers said.

K12 is the operator of the Idaho Virtual Academy, and was a major backer of the education reforms state public schools chief Tom Luna introduced this year.

Students enrolled in the program will also be able to attend classes at the district’s brick-and-mortar schools. Parents will receive $400 worth of curriculum materials, and the students will participate once monthly in group sessions at the district office. They’ll also undergo placement testing and state assessments through the district.

“This is school at home, but not alone,” Rogers said.

The district must have 20 students enrolled to meet the cost of hiring Chandler to lead the program, but will conduct the academy starting in August regardless of enrollment.

Laurie Welch may be reached at lwelch@magicvalley.com or 677-5025.