VISNET and K12 Inc. Expand Access to Online Learning Curricula, Tools, and Support to Independent Schools across Four States

HERNDON, Va. and GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- K12 Inc., the nation's leading provider of proprietary curricula and online education programs for students in kindergarten through high school, and VISNET, an online learning and professional development consortium supported by independent school associations, today announced they have expanded access to a broader suite of online learning options to independent schools in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110113/PH29436LOGO )

VISNET, the Virtual Independent School Network, provides its member schools with access to top quality online resources, such as online courses, blended learning content, learning management systems, and academic support, as well as professional development opportunities.  As part of its suite of online offerings, VISNET makes available to its schools K¹²'s award-winning online catalog, the most extensive in the K-12 industry, including full-time online programs, credit recovery, core K-12 courses, world languages, AP^®, and high school electives. 

Last year, VISNET served more than 50 independent schools in North Carolina, with over 1,800 enrollments in online and blended course options.  For the 2012-2013 school year, VISNET is expanding its services to meet the growing needs of independent schools in three additional states. In addition, VISNET has enhanced its online course offering in all four states with Middlebury Interactive Languages, a joint venture that combines Middlebury College's proven language pedagogy with K¹²'s expertise in online learning. Member schools benefit from a selection of robust online offerings that have been vetted by the VISNET staff of experienced independent school educators, as well as program development and other support.

"Technology has taken away the boundaries of time and space and given our schools the capacity to customize and personalize instruction like never before.  It's time to rethink independent education and VISNET is here to help.  Our resources, tools, and training can give schools, and more importantly, students a competitive advantage in today's world," said Linda S. Nelson, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools.  "We are very pleased to offer proven, thoroughly researched curricula from K¹² as a key part of our resource offering."

"VISNET is providing independent schools a highly valuable service by making resources, tools and support for online learning programs easily accessible, in a cost-efficient way," said John Olsen, Executive Vice President of Operations for K¹².  "VISNET's rigorous vetting process ensures that schools can tap into the highest quality online learning resources available to help them meet the needs of more of their students."

Through VISNET, independent schools can access the following K¹² curricula:

• Available for kindergarten through eighth grade, the K^12® curriculum incorporates the best research and usability testing to most effectively present instruction online. Covering all core subjects, students are engaged through animation, game simulations, avatars, and more.  Hands-on materials – ranging from K¹²-produced textbooks to CDs and classic literature – are tightly integrated with online lessons.  Plus, adaptive courses in math for grades K-5 and reading remediation for grades 3-5 intelligently adjust to individual skill and knowledge levels.
• For middle and high school students, Aventa Learning^® by K¹² is a comprehensive online curriculum of over 170 high-quality, standards-based online courses that cover all core subjects in three academic levels, plus world languages and electives.  Courses feature a rich multimedia format that may include graphics, avatars, flash simulations, and videos to help keep students engaged and motivated to learn.  The Aventa curriculum's unique avatars help establish connection between topics and "real world" applications. 
• For third through twelfth grade, Middlebury Interactive Languages™ provides schools and districts with online courses in five world languages, available in multiple levels to help students achieve world language fluency.  Middlebury courses are developed using proven academic methods to meet national ACTFL standards.

K¹² provides schools and districts the industry's most complete continuum of proprietary kindergarten through high school online learning solutions for full-time virtual, blended, and traditional classroom learning environments. Over the past decade, the company has served more than 2,000 districts and delivered over 4 million online course enrollments from its award-winning portfolio. MDR's market research service EdNET Insight recently reported that K¹² is the leading provider of online curriculum to school districts across the United States. 

About VISNET

The Virtual Independent School Network (VISNET) is an online learning consortium supported by independent school associations designed to provide member schools with affordable online learning options, digital content, instructional tools, and professional development opportunities to support innovative teaching and learning. Developed by independent school leaders in reaction to market demands, VISNET offers comprehensive array online learning opportunities.  For more information about VISNET and information about offerings and partners, please visit: www.vis-network.org

About K12 Inc.

K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is the nation's largest provider of proprietary curricula and online education programs for students in kindergarten through high school. K¹² provides districts and schools the ability to offer their students the broadest array of options for learning in a flexible, individualized, and innovative way.  K¹² provides online curricula, academic services, and online learning solutions to public and private schools and districts, traditional classrooms, blended school programs, and directly to families.  K¹² is accredited through AdvancED, the world's largest education community. Additional information on K¹² for schools and districts can be found at www.K12.com/educators.

© 2012 K¹² Inc.  K¹² and Aventa Learning are registered trademarks, and the K¹² logo are trademarks of K¹² Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE K12 Inc.