I-MAG STS Corporation
If a student is progressing well in the study of Navier-Stokes equations
(part of the Physics for Future Governors curriculum) but struggling to
stay interested in nineteenth century European art it will soon be
obvious in weekly tests. No waiting a year to find out there were
problems 11 months ago. That essentially means no report cards and no
grades by teachers.
California schools and districts and students have a lot more degrees of
freedom than their counterparts near the Arctic Circle. A southerly
school or a student might prefer to retain a standard classroom setting
and textbook-oriented process. Using solar panels to reduce utility costs
and sell excess electricity is much easier in the Mojave Desert than it
would be in Nome. The notion of having two modes of instruction in a
physical building - perhaps one a charter school and the other a
traditional public school - is scarcely new. An interesting notion is that if
the California family moves a student need not change schools or
teachers. Virtualizing a chemistry lab is probably impractical, but one
could keep all other academic connections.
For students everywhere - regardless of whether they are in Ketchikan
or King City - what is necessary is that there be professionally
constructed lessons with secondary material that provides comments on
teaching techniques and supplementary links. It is alleged that 37 million
Californians have 40 million opinions on what should be taught and how.