
An article by Nirvi Shah posted at edweek.org said more than 20 Deming middle and high school
students are taking online courses this fall, following a small pilot program with five students this past spring.
Deming school officials have historically set an enrollment threshold of 15 students for course offerings, which means many of the upper level classes are only offered every few years. The affiliation with the Virtual High School collaborative was initiated by recently retired gifted advisor Kakee McInturff, who recognized that the district’s gifted and advanced students were not being challenged.
Reportedly, districts can’t just pay to join Virtual High School. In some cases, teachers must agree to teach courses that other students around the world can take. But McInturff said the costs are still less than devoting teachers to advanced courses that only a few students are taking.
While the small pilot had mixed success, McInturff said she is hopeful this school year will go better.
Virtual High School offers 150 courses which students are taking during the school day with staff supervision. McInturff said she hopes it will open some doors for Deming kids.