Cook County Sheriff's Department Virtual High School

The Cook County Sheriff’s Department Virtual High School is a fully online high school diploma programme (HSDP) in a US adult jail, launched in 2009. In June 2010, it graduated its first class of seven.

The programme serves 17 to 21 year olds that have not graduated from high school. Students begin by taking credit-recovery courses before moving on to other graduation requirements. The school's mission is to help students complete high school, setting them "on a path to success, rather than down a road of criminal behavior."

The programme's private partner is Aventa Learning.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Department Virtual High School web site is at http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/ReentryAndDiversion/ReentryAndDiversion_VirtualHS.html.

More Details

HSDP works in coordination with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which oversees the program. CPS staff analyze student transcripts, monitor compliance with graduation requirements, and assign final grades based on performance. When students earn all the credits needed to graduate, they receive a high school diploma from the last Chicago Public School they have attended. Alternatively, students can earn an eighteen credit diploma from Pnuema, a private school which utilizes the same online courses

All high school courses offered are approved by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago, Classes include all core requirements (English, Mathematics, Sciences, Foreign Language), electives (Health, Driver’s Education, Career Planning, Art and Music), and credit recovery courses.

Through Aventa, students access their courses online at one of four computer-enabled classrooms; Cook County provides the computers while Aventa delivers the online learning. Each student is assigned a personal online teacher.

References

• "Alternative High School Program in Cook County", Aventa Learning web site, n/d, http://aventalearning.com/case-studies/Cook-County-Alternative-School
• "A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning", iNACOL, October 2010, http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/national_report.pdf
• Cook County Sheriff’s Department Virtual High School web site, http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/ReentryAndDiversion/ReentryAndDiversion_VirtualHS.html
• "Keeping Pace With Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice", Evergreen Education Group, 2010, http://kpk12.com/reports/

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