HERNDON, Va., May 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- K12 Inc., a leading provider of curriculum and services to online public schools, announced a new partnership with Monroe Public Schools in Washington State to offer an online public high school program through the Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA).

In the fall 2007 semester, the Washington Virtual Academies, an existing statewide online public school program that currently serves more than 1,500 students, will begin offering ninth and tenth grade courses designed and delivered by K12. The new online public high school program, sponsored by Monroe Public Schools, will offer a complete menu of courses available for all ninth and tenth grade students across Washington State. K12 and Monroe Public Schools plan to offer courses for the eleventh and twelfth grades in the upcoming years.

The Washington Virtual Academies program is one of 16 statewide online public schools in the U.S. that provide students with the high quality and innovative K12 curriculum; three online public schools located in major metropolitan cities also offer the K12 program. The K12 curriculum is currently used by more than 25,000 students and 700 teachers in online public schools nationwide. Many of the nation's top-scoring online public schools are using the K12 curriculum and school services.

Ron Packard, Chairman and Founder of K12 Inc., praised the partnership between K12 and Monroe Public Schools.

"K12 is pleased to be working with Monroe Public Schools to offer a high school program to students through the Washington Virtual Academies," said Packard. "Monroe Public Schools has been committed to providing many education alternatives to students. They share K12's desire to offer students in Washington State an excellent high school program, regardless of their academic, geographical or financial circumstance."

Packard added, "K12 offers a menu of required, elective and Advanced Placement courses for all types of high school students. Our dynamic high school program combines excellent content, traditional education materials, and teacher engagement that is focused on delivering results and maximizing student potential."

"K12 is a proven leader in the field of online learning and we are excited to partner with them to deliver a quality academic program to Washington's high school students," said Dr. Ken Hoover, Superintendent of Monroe Public Schools. "Monroe has a long-standing tradition of being a 'broker' of educational services, and we believe the Washington Virtual Academies high school will be an excellent option for students who desire alternatives to the traditional brick-and-mortar schools."

High school students in the Washington Virtual Academies will access their lessons through the innovative K12 Learning Management System. Each student will have a personalized learning program and log-in account where they can access their individual lessons, schedule, planning and progress tools, assessments, and school calendar.

Students will regularly communicate with Washington-certified public school teachers, employed by Monroe Public Schools, who will provide instruction, guidance and support. Students will also participate in real- time, synchronous web-based classroom instruction sessions delivered in an online environment.

Teachers will review work, help design student learning plans, and communicate with students regularly through e-mail, phone conferences and academic workshops. Teachers also coordinate a variety of academic and social outings for the students and families.

Students in the Washington Virtual Academies will be required to meet academic and attendance requirements and participate in state and district assessments. More information can be found at http://www.wava.org/.

About K12 Inc.

Founded in 2000, the Virginia-based company has developed extensive partnerships with public schools and school districts across the country, responding to the increasing demand from parents and students for access to the K12 program. In seven years, K12 has emerged as a leading provider of curriculum and school services to online public schools.

Central to the K12 learning program is the Online School (OLS), which hosts more than 11,000 interactive, engaging and comprehensive lessons presented in a mix of printed and multimedia forms. The K12 Online School also includes lesson assessments, planning and progress tools, and an attendance tracking system to determine the number of instructional hours completed by the student.

K12 also partners with many school districts across the country to offer online school programs for students who reside inside their district boundaries. These district-operated online school programs use the complete K12 curriculum and education tools to provide a comprehensive education for students outside the traditional classroom.

Additionally, K12 Inc. has developed an innovative science curriculum and a suite of education tools designed for classroom instruction. The K12 classroom program includes interactive, Web-based science lessons, teacher guides, student books, hands-on-materials, and assessments. Ideal for use with an interactive whiteboard, the K12 lessons blend audio and visual stimulation to boost students' retention and motivation.

More information can be found at http://www.k12.com/. 16 statewide online public schools using K12: Agora Cyber Charter School (Pennsylvania) Arizona Virtual Academy Arkansas Virtual Academy California Virtual Academies Colorado Virtual Academy Honors High Online of Wisconsin Idaho Virtual Academy Florida Virtual Academy Lawrence Virtual School (Kansas) Minnesota Virtual Academy Nevada Virtual Academy Ohio Virtual Academy Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School Washington Virtual Academies Wisconsin Virtual Academy Utah Online Academies 3 city-wide online public schools using K12: Chicago Virtual Charter School Texas Virtual Academy (Houston, TX)

Washington D.C. Community Academy Public Charter School Online (CAPCS Online)

CONTACT: Jeff Kwitowski of K12 Inc., +1-703-483-7281,
jkwitowski@k12.com

Web site: http://www.k12.com/
http://www.wava.org/