Traditional schools have been challenged to meet the needs of students who are at risk for dropping out of high school. Recommendations for increasing graduation rates include credit recovery programs, strengthening data systems, increasing engagement in learning, access to tutoring, a stable school environment for mobile students, services for specific disabilities, and a variety of educational media (Shore & Shore, 2009). Online schools seek ways to reach out to struggling students to help ensure their success and are well positioned to directly address the needs of at-risk learners (Rose & Blomeyer, 2007). This session describes the extent of the dropout problem for students with disabilities in the U.S., outlines five influences on dropping out, discusses ways that virtual schools are addressing those influences to increase graduation rates, and recommends steps for continuing to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The growing number of online K-12 education programs known as virtual schools began in the 1990s with programs developed to meet the specialized needs for enrichment experiences and accelerated high school courses such as honors, Advanced Placement, world languages, and International Baccalaureate in smaller schools or schools where qualified teachers were not available. Virtual schooling has since entered the mainstream of American education, serving students across the academic spectrum. In response to mandates to close achievement gaps and raise graduation rates, virtual schools have recently added credit recovery and remediation to their missions. Because this mission is recent for most virtual schools, the research base on online courses for at-risk students and students with disabilities is still developing. Therefore, we discuss the potential for virtual schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities based on research in physical schools for at-risk learners, the research on virtual schooling for the general population of students, and reports of effective practices in the virtual schools that serve students with disabilities. Virtual school and online education courses can be an effective learning environments for teaching students with disabilities at risk of leaving school prior to graduation. Online schools have added credit recovery and closing the achievement gap to their missions, and some have reported serving students with identified special needs at the same rate as are served in the public schools (Watson, Gemin, Ryan, & Wicks 2009; WestEd 2008; Rose & Blomeyer 2008). While virtual schools have succeeded in educating millions of high school students since their inception in the U.S. in the mid-1990s, little is known about serving students with disabilities in online programs. This situation is shifting rapidly as virtual schools move to become full-time, diploma-granting providers of high school programs. These schools seek teachers and specialists who can support students with disabilities in an online setting, but there are few with expertise in disabilities and online learning. This session specifically describes research-based approaches for serving at-risk students in virtual schools with examples from successful online programs and schools. An approach to increasing graduation rates is to design learning environments that serve students with disabilities while addressing the 5Cs known to increase school completion: connect, climate, control, curriculum, and caring community. How virtual school programs align with the 5Cs will be discussed, and key features of these programs will be described as well as the national standards for quality online teaching and courses exemplified by each. Strategies will be offered for increasing success of students with disabilities in virtual schools. Virtual schools have become the school of choice for increasing numbers of at-risk students including students with disabilities (Hassel & Terrel, 2004; Rhim & Kowal, 2008). In response, established virtual schools have changed their practices and new virtual schools have been designed to better meet the needs of at-risk learners. This section describes the 5 Cs in schools that influence a student's risk of dropping out and then it briefly profiles virtual schools that have adopted elements of the 5 Cs in their programs. These data were collected via targeted surveys of virtual school directors. These programs represent a sample of many virtual school programs throughout North America that use the Cs for the success of all of their students. Data from an online survey sent to directors of virtual school programs will be presented. Items on the survey addressed types of supports and services currently being offered to students with disabilities in virtual schools. These findings serve as a starting point for developing and evaluating the feasibility of online interventions for high school students with mild disabilities at risk of dropping out. Presenters will discuss components of online materials they are piloting including tutorials and orientations that will develop students' academic skills for success in general education online high school courses. Presenters include a specialist in transition, special education, and at-risk research; a specialist in virtual schools research; and a special educator with experience in online teaching and instructional design. Hassel, B. C., & Terrell, M.G. (2004). How can virtual schools be a vibrant part of meeting the choice provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act? Virtual School Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. Repetto, J., Cavanaugh, C., Wayer, N., & Liu, F. (Accepted). Virtual High Schools: Improving Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education. Rhim, L., & Kowal, J. (2008). Demystifying Special Education in Virtual Charter Schools. Alexandria, VA: Special Education Technical Assistance for Charter Schools Project. Rose, R., & Blomeyer, R. (2007). Access and equity in online classes and virtual schools. Vienna, VA: North American Council for Online Learning. Shore, R., & Shore, B. (2009). Reducing the high school dropout rate. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation. Watson, J., Gemin, B., Ryan, J., & Wicks, M. (2009). Keeping pace with k-12 online learning: A review of state-level policy and practice. Evergreen Education Group. WestEd. (2008). Evaluating online learning: Challenges and strategies for success. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
