OLR Bill Analysis
AN ACT CONCERNING HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT FOR APPROVED ONLINE COURSEWORK.
This bill allows boards of education to grant credit towards meeting the high school graduation requirement for the successful completion of online coursework. Boards can do this if they have adopted a policy that, at least, ensures that:
1. the workload required by the online course is equivalent to that of a similar course taught in a traditional classroom setting;
2. the content is rigorous and aligned with curriculum guidelines approved by the State Board of Education, where appropriate;
3. the course engages students and has interactive components, such as required interactions between students and teachers, participation in online demonstrations, discussion boards, or virtual labs; and
4. the courses are (a) taught by certified (by any state) teachers who have received training on teaching in an online environment, or (b) offered by higher education institutions that are regionally or Department of Higher Education accredited.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea |
31 |
Nay |
0 |
(03/16/2009) |