Open Enrollment Gives Special Students More Options

Amy Hetzner:

Middle school isn't an easy time for anybody, but it was especially difficult for Jordan Johnson.

His fellow students teased him about the cane he used, and his teachers frequently forgot to provide worksheets and other materials in the large type he needed because of a progressive vision loss called retinitis pigmentosa. He would fall behind and frequently lose work, but his parents wouldn't learn of his problems until quarter grades came out, said his mother, Sally.

That ended when he transferred to the Waukesha School District, under the state's open enrollment program, to use the district's virtual high school, iQ Academies at Wisconsin, which allows students to attend classes via computers set up in their home.

"Ever since, I've been getting pretty good grades," said Jordan, 16, whose family moved to Hudson recently.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 18, 2006 6:59 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas