Michigan Considers Requiring High-School Students to Take at Least One Online Course

By DAN CARNEVALE

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Michigan considers requiring high-school students to take at least one online course.

The Michigan State Board of Education is set to approve a new graduation requirement today that would make every high-school student in the state take at least one online course before receiving a diploma.

The new requirement would appear to be the first of its kind in the nation. Mike Flanagan, the Michigan state superintendent of public instruction, said he proposed the online-course requirement, along with other general requirements, to make sure students were prepared for college and for jobs, which are becoming more technology-focused.

"We don't want our kids left in the global dust," Mr. Flanagan said. "It's an experience we need to have."

While most high-school students are adept at using the Internet, Mr. Flanagan said, few of them take courses online. But today's high-school students are increasingly likely to encounter online courses as more colleges turn to online education, he said.

The online-education proposal is included with several other proposed statewide requirements -- including four years of English courses, three years of mathematics, and three years of science. Currently, the only state-required course for graduation in Michigan is a one-semester class in civics, although many of the state's local school districts have much tougher requirements.

If the state Board of Education approves the proposals, they will still need the assent of both the State Legislature and the governor. Mr. Flanagan said he already had strong support for the online proposal in the Legislature.

Most of the proposed academic requirements would help put Michigan on a par with many other states. The online-education requirement, however, appears unique.

The state has a strong distance-education program for high-school students through the Michigan Virtual University, which despite its name now provides exclusively K-12 courses and resources. Many high-school students take advanced-placement courses through the virtual university, and Mr. Flanagan said those students have used online education to great success.

Under the proposal, students would be permitted to count noncredit online courses, such as ACT-preparation courses, toward the requirement. But Mr. Flanagan said he wanted to encourage students to take the online courses for credit.

Kathleen N. Straus, president of the State Board of Education, said the public had welcomed the proposal since Mr. Flanagan offered it at the board's November meeting. The board is holding its December meeting today, and members are likely to pass the online requirement, she said.

"People are really quite interested in it," she said. "We think we'd be on the cutting edge."

Ms. Straus said that people are more likely to need continuing education in order to stay employed in the future. Online learning is currently one of the more popular forms of continuing education, she said, so students should get some experience with it early on.

"We want to foster lifelong learning," Ms. Straus said. "We know that much learning is going to take place in the 21st century online."

Mr. Flanagan noted that most colleges offer at least some courses over the Internet, and that many college students -- including his own kids -- take online courses from their dormitory rooms. Although many online programs are geared toward older adult learners, he said, students should get used to taking courses that way now.