There is one school in South Carolina that is not fearing it will have to close or make cuts to its staff. South Carolina now has its own online public high school, serving grades 9 to 12. Provost Academy South Carolina is a state-authorized public school that is free of charge to residents of South Carolina. Provost Academy South Carolina gives a new option for parents seeking an education designed for their individual student.

A few reasons parents might be in favor of online learning include: having flexibility, especially for specialized students who need their own pace; students who are involved with extracurricular activities; gifted students who want a more challenging pace and students in rural locations with limited course selections; and those who want to develop their technology skills for the 21st century job market.

Backed by EdisonLearning, the nation's largest partner to public school districts and communities, Provost Academy South Carolina is accepting enrollment for 2009-2010.

Jeff Wahl, EdisonLearning's CEO, who splits his time between living in New York and Mount Pleasant, said that they are in the midst of enrollment work and most likely will start the first year with 700 students. "We tried to create more of an environment where we can facilitate the notion any person can be learning anytime, anywhere," Wahl said.

Like the traditional school setting, parents, students and educators are all working together. A glance at the home page will automatically show the students' progress assignments and grades.

Wahl said, "we are working with school leaders and communities to provide solutions to students to succeed and reach their full potential."

According to Wahl, PASC is built around a set of eight Core Values: Wisdom, Hope, Justice, Respect, Courage, Responsibility, Compassion and Integrity.

"PASC provides the state of South Carolina with the resources it needs to take advantage of the growing popularity of online learning," said Peter Brown, president of Colite International in Columbia and chairman of the Provost Academy South Carolina board.

In many cases, online learning offers a richer experience than students might find in a traditional classroom - through streaming video, podcasts, virtual classroom lessons, a greater variety of coursework, individual projects, on-demand tutoring and more.

According to Wahl, a main component to a student's academic success is the academic advisor assigned to him or her. The role of the advisor is to make sure the student is making progress and reaching academic goals. Students are required to interact with their advisor at least once a week.

Students are also supported by graders, live instructors and tutors who help to instruct the students and give feedback on performance. And all teachers are certified with a bachelor's degree and a high school teachng credential.

According to Wahl, if all state requirements are met, including passing required exit exams, students will earn a high school diploma.

For more information on PASC, visit the Web site: www.sc.provostacademy.com, or call: 877-265-3195 toll free.

(Helen Ravenel can be reached at helen@moultrienews.com).