August 13, 2008
Rio Rancho Journal
IDEAL Makes Online Courses Available Statewide
By Elaine D. Brise, Journal Staff WriterState leaders and education officials came to Bernalillo High School on Tuesday to kick off an initiative meant to make online courses available to all New Mexico students.
New Mexico Public Education Secretary Veronica García, alongside Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and other officials, helped launch IDEAL-NM (Innovative Digital Education and Learning) at the BPS Intel Computer Clubhouse.
Bernalillo Public Schools and Albuquerque Public Schools signed an official memorandum of understanding at the event that will allow their students to take advantage of the program.
IDEAL is an initiative of the Public Education and Higher Education departments to offer online courses to New Mexico public schools, universities and colleges, and to provide continuing education opportunities for employees of various agencies.
Tim Snyder, IDEAL director, said more than a dozen districts around the state had students who were involved in the pilot program last school year but Tuesday marked the push to take the initiative statewide.
Bernalillo Superintendent Barbara Vigil-Lowder said the district is excited to participate in the initiative because it will provide courses the district does not offer, allow the students to take courses at their own pace and give them a way to make up lost credits because of failed grades.
“We need to give students variety,” she said. “We have students with different responsibilities. This provides them a way to take a course, work and participate in cultural activities without being out of school.”
BPS students will be able to take courses after school at the computer clubhouse, and the district will provide transportation home. García said she expects the initiative to make a huge difference by impacting dropout and graduations rates.
“Maybe this will be key to keeping students in school,” she said. “This is not replacing the basic classroom. It's providing options.”
There will be a variety of courses available, including math, English, science, financial literacy, biology and chemistry, as well as Advanced Placement courses. Most courses will be taught by New Mexico teachers. Snyder said 50 New Mexico teachers have completed the e-training and are ready to start teaching courses.
Hot Springs High School teacher Sandra Johnson helped develop some of the online courses and will be one of the instructors. She was at Tuesday's event and said she will be teaching science, English and math, as well as continue to teach in the traditional classroom.