By Cindy Votruba

Customized learning
MARSHALL — When Insight School, an online high school, started less than two years ago, school officials thought they would get about 200 students.



They received 15 times that many students sending in applications.



Insight School of Minnesota, a statewide, fulltime diploma-granting online public high school, is having an information session at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Best Western Marshall Inn.



Insight School of Minnesota is part of the country’s largest national network of online high schools, enrolling students in grades 9-12 and is tuition-free for Minnesota residents. Students are provided with a school-issued laptop, printer and Internet reimbursement.



Insight School started in Washington State in fall of 2006, said Keith Oelrich, CEO of Insight Schools.



“We were expecting to have 200 (students) in the state,” Oelrich said. “We got 3,000 applications.



Oelrich said there are about 2,500 students enrolled in Insight School, which is up from 600 last year.



Insight School is brand-new in Minnesota, Oelrich said, and school will start in the fall.



“We should be in about 10 states by the fall,” Oelrich said.



Insight School is on a semester basis, Oelrich said, with students taking five to six courses.



“It works like a calendar at a normal high school,” Oelrich said.



All of the courses meet Minnesota standards, and all the teachers are Minnesota-certified, Oelrich said.



Oelrich said Insight School is an alternative for students.



“We’re really about serving students that aren’t well-served in a traditional school setting,” Oelrich said.



For example, Oelrich said, students attending Insight School may have become parents while in high school, come from families that have income needs and are full-time wage earners, have health issues or may have struggled socially in school.



Insight School offers the basic courses, such as math, science, English and social studies, along with foreign languages, honors courses and a wide variety of electives, Oelrich said. Electives include digital photography and game programming. There are also dual credit classes available, Oelrich added, in which students can get high school and community college credits.



“Students come from a variety of settings,” Oelrich said. “We provide flexibility of pace, flexibility of schedule and flexibility of location. A lot of students have customized their education to their individual needs.”



Insight School has a pretty favorable student-to-teacher ratio, Oelrich said — about 20 to 25 students for one teacher.



The teachers work closely with students and have specified office hours in which students can get together with the teacher in a virtual classroom for open discussion.



Insight also has an “iMentor” program that offers support to students and families and all-day, every-day academic tutoring and technical support. An adult mentor is assigned to work with students and their families to help them through the online learning process and develop their individualized plan.



One question that comes up about Insight, Oelrich said, is in regards to missing out on social opportunities. Walk down the hallway in any school, he said, and there are dozens of instances where students are text-messaging each other while standing just a few yards apart.



“We’re taking that common vehicle kids feel comfortable with and using that,” Oelrich said.



Other interactions include participation in virtually-run clubs and discussion threads on topics such as religion, movies, shopping and “American Idol,” Oelrich said.



“These discussion boards are very active,” Oelrich said.



Students can also take part in regular high school activities, such as field trips and dances that will take place in certain areas of the state.



Oelrich said Insight recently did a survey of current students, and results show that students are satisfied with their online education.



“Ninety percent agreed with the statement ‘Insight School cares about me,’” Oelrich said.