In July 2012, Senate Bill 289 passed allowing students opportunities to take online courses. This legislation does not require an online course to graduate, but provides an online learning option should your student or you choose this option. In addition, House Bill 175 passed establishing a clearinghouse for stakeholders to find online courses and online course providers in the state of Georgia. This letter is to inform you about the key components of each piece of legislation and how to find online learning opportunities for your student.
Overview of Senate Bill 289:
- Districts must notify students and parents of online options beginning in the 2013-2014 school year.
- Districts must allow students to take an online course even if the course is offered in the local district.
- Online courses can be accessed through the Georgia Virtual School, local virtual schools, or vendor online schools.
- If the online course is taken in lieu of any of the regular 6 periods, then the school will pay for the course. If an online course is chosen in addition to the regular 6 periods, the parent will pay for the course.
Overview of House Bill 175:
- This bill mandates the creation of an online clearinghouse of online courses and online course providers to give parents and students the ability to search the clearinghouse for availability to online courses, online course providers, and guidelines for what constitutes high-quality online courses.
Accessing Georgia’s Online Clearinghouse:
The Georgia Online Clearinghouse provides students and parent with information and access to high-quality academic and career-oriented courses, aligned to state and national standards, through a variety of online providers. To access the information found in the clearinghouse go to:
http://www.gadoe.org/_layouts/GADOEPublic.SPApp/Clearinghouse.aspx
- Step One: Type in the course you need (for example 9th grade Literature)
- Step Two: Type in your zip code. You will then see a list of the online course providers in Georgia who have the course you selected. The program provider’s names have been linked for users to access their site for registration information.
- Step Three: Utilize the provider’s site to register the student in the selected online course.