SPRINGFIELD
-- Governor George H. Ryan and Illinois State Board of Education
Superintendent Robert Schiller today announced that the Illinois
Virtual High School (IVHS) has lowered tuition costs for
fall semester online classes from $300 to $195 and will offer
over 800 scholarships to low-income districts and students as
a result of new state and federal funding.
Fall courses begin August 26, with registration
running through September 15. Courses are open to high school
students in public and private schools and home-schooled students.
IVHS offers classes in foreign languages, high-level mathematics
and sciences and other courses that might not otherwise be
available to all students. "I look forward to a growing
student enrollment while watching course costs decrease even
further as Illinois builds its core curriculum and elective
course offerings over the coming months," Superintendent
Schiller said.
IVHS places emphasis on offering curriculum
that ensures students can meet the Illinois Learning Standards.
The fall semester offers 76 full-semester courses and 12 Advanced
Placement review and ACT courses. Costs for AP and ACT review
courses are $49 per student.
"This will afford schools who have been
unable to offer a wide array of courses such as foreign languages
or advanced courses outside the main curriculum that opportunity.
“There are places where teachers cannot
be recruited to teach certain subjects and other schools where
only a small number of students interested in a specific topic
do not economically justify a course, Governor Ryan added.
“In these situations, the Virtual High School will be
a valuable mechanism for offering quality instruction to those
who are interested, regardless of the geographic location
or the wealth of the district.”
The
Illinois State Board (ISBE) is offering two each AP and
non-AP course scholarships to participating high schools or
districts for the 2002- 2003 school year. The school or district
must be a member of the IVHS network and the high school must
have 25 percent or more low-income students.
In addition, four AP Exam Review scholarships
will be available to students enrolled in face-to-face AP
courses. Students taking an IVHS AP course during the spring
semester of the upcoming school year also will have access
to the online AP Exam Review.
IVHS began in January 2001 as an initiative
of Governor George H. Ryan to provide expanded opportunities
for high school students. Both public and private school students
throughout the state have taken advantage of this learning
opportunity via the Internet.
To register for classes, students should contact
the high school guidance counselor. For more information go
to the Illinois Virtual High School website, www.ivhs.org.
