ECOT celebrates e-learning with annual commencement webcast
he Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) and its "Class of 2006" are celebrating e-learning that works for students throughout Ohio.
More than 1,000 ECOT seniors from all over the state will participate in the 2006 graduation ceremony Saturday and hear Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro give the commencement address.
They will also hear Superintendent Jeff Forster announce that March testing results will help ECOT move up one step on the State Report Card with an unprecedented testing participation rate of 94 percent, according to Forster.
“We are very proud of our students, teachers and staff for their ongoing efforts to improve academic performance,“ Forster said. “Our calculations show we have tripled the number of points we needed for two years on the state’s Performance Index to move up to Academic Watch by a wide margin. Given our student population profile, this achievement is comparable to Cleveland, Columbus or some other large urban district moving up to 'Watch' on the Report Card.”
“Celebrating E-learning” is the theme of commencement for the largest-ever Class of 2006. ECOT is Ohio’s first, largest and most innovative e-school with a student enrollment of 7,400. More than 2,000 students have graduated since ECOT’s first commencement in 2001. The 1,000 grads this year will participate in person at the Germain Amphitheatre or at home via live web cast.
“Our growing number of graduates and our progress on the State Report Card means that ECOT is demonstrating that e-learning works for many students, including Ohio’s at-risk students and those who have trouble succeeding for many reasons in a traditional bricks-and-mortar setting,” Forster said.
Among the Class of 2006 grads are four valedictorians with 4.0 grade averages and 20 “charter member” students, who have been with ECOT since its founding in 2000. Most of the “charter member” students began as seventh graders, but valedictorian Michelle Kebhart of Lake County, who will speak to her classmates Saturday, started with ECOT as a six-grader and finished on an accelerated program.
Introducing Attorney General Petro will be ECOT Board President Jack McKenna of Columbus.
Leading the diploma presentation will be High School Principal Brent Dearbaugh of Columbus and Founder William Lager of Columbus, CEO of Altair Learning Management Inc. and a leading pioneer of e-learning in Ohio and the nation. Master of Ceremonies will be Altair Chief of Staff James Thomas of Columbus.
Four scholarships will be awarded to deserving seniors by ECOT Executive Director of Education Jack Culp of Columbus and Jim George of Lucas County Educational Service Center, the sponsor of ECOT since it began.
ECOT has about 7,400 students and 250 highly qualified teachers working with each other online from their homes throughout Ohio. Founded in 2000 as Ohio’s first e-school, ECOT is based in Columbus.
More than 1,000 ECOT seniors from all over the state will participate in the 2006 graduation ceremony Saturday and hear Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro give the commencement address.
They will also hear Superintendent Jeff Forster announce that March testing results will help ECOT move up one step on the State Report Card with an unprecedented testing participation rate of 94 percent, according to Forster.
“We are very proud of our students, teachers and staff for their ongoing efforts to improve academic performance,“ Forster said. “Our calculations show we have tripled the number of points we needed for two years on the state’s Performance Index to move up to Academic Watch by a wide margin. Given our student population profile, this achievement is comparable to Cleveland, Columbus or some other large urban district moving up to 'Watch' on the Report Card.”
“Celebrating E-learning” is the theme of commencement for the largest-ever Class of 2006. ECOT is Ohio’s first, largest and most innovative e-school with a student enrollment of 7,400. More than 2,000 students have graduated since ECOT’s first commencement in 2001. The 1,000 grads this year will participate in person at the Germain Amphitheatre or at home via live web cast.
“Our growing number of graduates and our progress on the State Report Card means that ECOT is demonstrating that e-learning works for many students, including Ohio’s at-risk students and those who have trouble succeeding for many reasons in a traditional bricks-and-mortar setting,” Forster said.
Among the Class of 2006 grads are four valedictorians with 4.0 grade averages and 20 “charter member” students, who have been with ECOT since its founding in 2000. Most of the “charter member” students began as seventh graders, but valedictorian Michelle Kebhart of Lake County, who will speak to her classmates Saturday, started with ECOT as a six-grader and finished on an accelerated program.
Introducing Attorney General Petro will be ECOT Board President Jack McKenna of Columbus.
Leading the diploma presentation will be High School Principal Brent Dearbaugh of Columbus and Founder William Lager of Columbus, CEO of Altair Learning Management Inc. and a leading pioneer of e-learning in Ohio and the nation. Master of Ceremonies will be Altair Chief of Staff James Thomas of Columbus.
Four scholarships will be awarded to deserving seniors by ECOT Executive Director of Education Jack Culp of Columbus and Jim George of Lucas County Educational Service Center, the sponsor of ECOT since it began.
ECOT has about 7,400 students and 250 highly qualified teachers working with each other online from their homes throughout Ohio. Founded in 2000 as Ohio’s first e-school, ECOT is based in Columbus.
posted by Sean Ashbrook at 2:07 AM
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