Texas Online Preparatory School To Open This Year

LEWISVILLE, Texas, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas families now have access to a new tuition-free public school option through the Texas Online Preparatory School, an online college-prep program that will serve students in grades 3-12 across Texas beginning this fall.

Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS) is a free online public school open to all families in Texas.  The school was created by Huntsville Independent School District.  Sam Houston State University (SHSU), a partner with the Huntsville school district in this innovative effort, will also help provide oversight and guidance.  The school will use the award-winning curriculum and academic programs provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), a leading national provider of digital learning content and online and blended school programs in the U.S. K12 Inc. is accredited by AdvancED, the world's largest education community.  The education company's high quality curricula and academic programs are used by over 2,000 public school districts across the country. 

"Huntsville is excited to offer a new online school option to local families and those across Texas," said Dr. Steve Johnson, Superintendent of Huntsville Independent School District. "TOPS will offer a unique public education program in Texas that will combine high quality digital learning programs and skilled teachers to deliver instruction to meet the individualized needs of students.  Digital, individualized instructional methods hold enormous promise. We are pleased to be at the forefront of this innovation."

Texas Online Preparatory School will provide students access to multiple core and elective courses, assessments, and instruction from Texas-certified teachers.  The school will follow all state requirements and accountability standards.

"We are thrilled to be part of this innovative partnership with Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS) and Huntsville Independent School District to bring university-quality online options to K-12 students," said Bill Angrove, Associate Vice President for Distance Learning at Sam Houston State University. "SHSU Online has been recognized as having some of the best online programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Four of our programs were named among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 2012. We look forward to expanding our role in online education by providing teacher training, research capabilities, and overall academic evaluations to the new online public school in Huntsville."

Texas Online Preparatory School is subject to the rules of the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN).  Highly qualified and Texas-certified teachers will provide instruction, intervention, guidance, and support to students and regularly communicate with families. TOPS will foster a vibrant school community through numerous academic and social events, clubs and extracurricular activities.

"We're excited to partner with Huntsville Independent School District and Sam Houston State University," said Allison Cleveland, K12's Executive Vice President of School Services.  "At K12, we are always looking for strong partnerships with educators and institutions dedicated to putting the individual needs of students first.  We will leverage our extensive experience delivering high quality digital learning programs, online instruction, and academic services to make Texas Online Preparatory School a success for students and parents."

Families interested in enrolling in Texas Online Preparatory School for the 2013-14 school year can apply now. For more information on TOPS, please visit: www.K12.com/tops

SOURCE Texas Online Preparatory School