Most of the students who graduated from Van Raalte Tech (VR Tech) in Holland, Michigan, this year were never expected to complete high school. What turned things around for them was an opportunity to be students in an online environment where they could become their own kind of learners.

The online school was established in 2009 for students who didn't do well in the traditional high school environment and were at risk of dropping out. Currently VR Tech serves more than 160 students, ages 15-19. Director Deb Feenstra says, "As the program caught on and they found out they could be very independent learners, and do things at their own pace, and at their own speed, we had students requesting to come." The students report that they find fewer distractions when working online so they can concentrate on their work.

One student, Adrienne Nunn, describes how the classes work: "You start off at pre-test/pre-quiz. If you pass it you move onto another quiz, but if you don't, you go onto a lecture, online content, and journal activity, homework, practice and different quiz after." Students can also contact teachers and schedule physical face to face time to work on specific material, as needed.

Source: Holland high school graduates first class of online learners