The Newberg School district’s Chehalem Online Learning Alliance program is growing rapidly and evolving quickly in its first year as a virtual program

About 25 students sit in a classroom, at one point performing a science experiment on viscosity by mixing arrowroot and water, then reading their own poetry aloud.

Aside from the fact the students are gathered at the Newberg School District office building, they look and sound like any other middle-school class.

Although they have walls around them and a roof above their heads at the moment, these kids are attending a virtual public school, the Newberg School District’s Chehalem Online Learning Alliance (COLA).

The pilot program, which launched back in February and has exploded in its second semester of existence, is a tuition-free hybrid that blends online curriculum, regular teacher contact and community-based enrichment to give students a well-rounded, personalized and  flexible education.

“I know there are advantages and disadvantages, but I feel it’s the best of both worlds,” parent Dawn Smith said, referring to home schooling and teacher-led classroom instruction. “It’s homeschooling with a lot of choices, but you still have that teacher support.”

The need for the expertise and guidance of a trained teacher was the reason a group of home-school parents approached the district about finding a solution.

COLA began with 13 students last winter but has ballooned to 64 this year, thanks in part to how quickly it has evolved.

Whereas students and parents met with advisory teacher Sue Henry once a week and a few times per semester as a full group last year, each student participates in a weekly class with students near to their own age.

“I feel like the teachers that are involved have done a really good job, being able to compare it to my home school experience even without a school,” said Smith, who has three children enrolled in COLA. “We’re really grateful. It’s so nice to have the teacher support because I’m a nurse, my background is not teaching. It holds you accountable.”

Not only have the group sessions been a success in giving students a change of pace from their textbooks and computers with hands-on and face-to-face learning opportunities with a teacher, but they have also provided a new venue for social interaction.

Henry says the group learning sessions have added a whole new dimension to the program, whereas last year students and their families knew about the program last school year, but very few, if any, of them knew each other.

Henry handles instruction for the groups of students in kindergarten through second grade and those in grades 3-5, which each have the option to attend class sessions on either Tuesday or Thursday.

Parents can choose to switch days to fit with their schedules, but Henry reports the friendships made between students have gotten strong enough that they don’t want to be separated.

COLA also offers parents a myriad of choices to custom tailor their child’s educational path, with different options for online and textbook-based curriculums that include the core subjects of math, science, but also for elective or “enrichment” classes. These can be led by parents at home or through programs established with community partners like CPRD, Chehalem Cultural Center or the Chehalem Community Music Institute in physical education, art and music programs that are tailored to meet state requirements.

Mirroring the growth of the program, the number of middle school students rose from two to 25 between the first two semesters, which is forcing the issue about the addition of a virtual program for high school students.

Navigating those decisions will be done over the coming months, as well as where the program will be housed if it continues to grow, how it will track the progress of students and the program itself, as well as  whether or not it will draw students away of district schools, in essence making the district compete against itself.

That has not been the case so far according to Don Dorman, who is director of special programs for the district and helped create COLA.

Dorman told the school board at its Nov. 27 meeting that just 13 of this year’s 64 students transferred from a district school building, while 11 transferred in from out of the district and 40 came from being homeschooled and/or another online program.

“We’re not looking at creating the next, best online school to serve kids from anywhere,” said Claudia Stewart, the district communications coordinator. “The bottom line is we’re trying to find good educational options for kids in the Newberg School District. If we get some kids from around the area, that’s fine, too, but primarily our service is to these kids.”

Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic