MAUMEE, Ohio, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Strong test scores posted by students at the Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA) helped move the eSchool from Continuous Improvement to an Effective School ranking on their annual report card - the second highest level that can be awarded to public schools in Ohio.

For the fourth year in a row, the Ohio Virtual Academy is the top-scoring eSchool in the state. OHVA is also the first and only eSchool in Ohio to receive the Effective School ranking by the Ohio Department of Education.

The Effective School ranking was the result of a number of academic achievements by the school, including a Performance Index Score that improved from 82 in 2004-05 to 90 this year. The performance index measures the achievement of every tested student, not just those who score proficient or higher. Schools and districts earn points based on how well each student does on all tested subjects in grades 3-8 and the Ohio Graduation Test.

The Ohio Virtual Academy had a 99.7% participation rate in the state tests. This is consistent with OHVA's long-standing commitment to a high level of accountability. The school had a participation rate of 98% in 2005, 99% in 2004, and 100% in 2003. A strong participation rate in a statewide public eSchool is noteworthy because public eSchools do not have traditional facilities where students attend daily classes and take state tests.

Commenting on the report card, Susan Stagner, head of school for the Ohio Virtual Academy, said, "Our administrators, teachers, parents and students are all very proud to be designated by the Ohio Department of Education as an Effective School. It is a credit to everyone in our school family who worked so hard to achieve this level of success."

Stacia DeRaedt, a member of the Ohio Virtual Academy board of directors and parent of OHVA students said, "The Ohio Virtual Academy continues to demonstrate that it is the best eSchool in the state and one of Ohio's most successful public schools. Our school was founded on a commitment to academic excellence, strong accountability, and building a high level of trust and satisfaction from parents. Over four years we have done just that. As we move forward, we will continue to focus on the individual needs of each student and continue to make the Ohio Virtual Academy, as our motto states, a school where parents, teachers and kids work hard and together."

About the Ohio Virtual Academy: The Ohio Virtual Academy is a statewide public community eSchool.

OHVA serves a diverse cross-section of the Ohio population with students who reside in all but one county in the state. In the 2005-06 school year, 41% of OHVA families were identified as "Economically Disadvantaged" as defined by the Federal low-income guidelines.

Approximately 60% of the students were former traditional public school students; 28% were former home-schooled students; and 12% were former private school students. This year, almost 50% of incoming OHVA students started below grade level in one or more core subjects (Math and Language Arts).

OHVA employs 89 teachers who are certified in the grades they teach and hold the designation of Highly Qualified Teacher, per the NCLB guidelines.

The Ohio Virtual Academy began operations in 2002-03. Since then the school has grown substantially and is expected to serve over 3,500 students in grades K - 11 in September 2006. OHVA is the second largest public community school in Ohio. OHVA uses the nationally-acclaimed curriculum provided by K12 Inc. - a leading provider of high quality education products and services to schools across the country. OHVA is chartered by the Ohio Council of Community Schools.

In all four years of the school's operation, over 95% of parents positively expressed their satisfaction with the performance of the school and the K12 curriculum.

More information can be found at http://www.ohva.org/.

CONTACT: Susan Stagner for Ohio Virtual Academy, +1-419-482-0948 ext.
219, or sstagner@k12.com

Web Site: http://www.ohva.org/