Program Provides an Exclusive Suite of Services Including Coaching, Mentoring and Tutoring Together With Traditional Curriculum in an Online High School Environment
Keystone National High School, recognized as an innovator in home education and distance learning approaches, announced today a new comprehensive program for their full-time students to ensure they have access to the latest resources and support they need to be successful in a virtual education environment. The new “Full-Time Student Program” will offer additional services to qualified students and their parents at no added cost.
The Sloan Consortium’s March 2007 Survey of U.S. School District Administrators estimates that 700,000 students engaged in online high school courses during the 2005-06 academic year. It is estimated that the number of students completing their coursework online has grown 30% year over year. With the growth in online high school education, Keystone recognizes that students benefit from specific support services delivered in parallel with their course work.
Similar to a traditional school environment, the new Full-time Student Program provides the key components of access to and feedback from highly qualified and certified teachers, a detailed orientation, motivational activities and tutoring. Support for parents extends beyond what a parent would expect in a traditional school environment – with online access to observe their child’s work as well as monthly progress reports. Through this unique offering of services, Keystone redefines academic excellence in distance learning.
“We are in the unique position of having more than 30 years of experience in distance education to draw upon in determining what programs will help students succeed in a remote environment,” said Steve Brown, CEO of KC Distance Learning, which operates Keystone National High School. “Having served full time students for many years, we believe this new Full-time Student Program will enable our students to meet the academic challenges of our curriculum.”
Based on market research conducted with hundreds of Keystone students and families, Keystone’s new, comprehensive Full-time Student Program is designed to help students ramp up quickly and stay focused while providing parents with tools to observe their child’s progress. Services include:
Student Support Services
1. Access to Answers. Teachers respond within 24 hours via phone or email to curriculum questions. A Student Services Team is available toll-free to answer program questions. Technical Support is available 24/7.
2. Orientation Course. Students are guided on how to log-in, navigate through courses and turn in assignments.
3. Learning Coach. New students are contacted by a Learning Coach to review school logistics and make sure the student is familiar with how to participate in classes, and interact with teachers and peers.
4. Keystone STARS (Students Taking Action and Responsibility for Success). Students are encouraged to start accessing courses immediately by completing a series of tasks within the first 30 days. Students who complete the tasks are entered in a drawing for an iPod Shuffle.
5. Tutoring. In addition to access to Keystone teachers who respond to student inquiries within 24 hours, students now have access to instant help through Tutor.com. Full-time students receive 75 minutes of free tutoring each school year.
Parent Support Services
1. Parent Observer Account. Parents may observe their student’s progress from any Internet enabled computer. Visibility includes student assignments, how much work the student has completed, and the coursework being studied.
2. Progress Reports. Parents may receive weekly progress reports via email. Reports show how many times a student has logged-in, number of assignments completed and test or exam grades.
The Full-Time Student program is available beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. For more information on Keystone National High School and the Full-Time Student program, visit our website at www.keystonehighschool.com, email at info@keystonehighschool.com or call 1-800-255-4937.
About Keystone National High School
Keystone National High School recognized as an innovator in home education and distance learning approaches, serving students in all 50 states and around the world. Offering an innovative, flexible, student-focused education built on more than 30 years of experience, Keystone uses the latest distance learning approaches, offering students courses both online and by traditional correspondence. Keystone is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, the Distance Education and Training Council, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Students can enroll throughout the year for a few credits or in the complete diploma program. Keystone National High School is operated by KC Distance Learning, Inc. (KCDL), a leading provider of distance learning programs for high school students. Since its first programs were introduced in 1974, KCDL has enriched the lives of more than 200,000 students through high quality online and correspondence education programs.