Stanford Online High School
The EPGY Online High School (OHS) is a program for gifted students which offers online education for students grades 7-12. While it is assumed EPGY and Stanford EPGY OHS are one entity because of the affiliation and names, they are separate programs. Though despite requiring two different applications, the schools share many similarities. Stanford's OHS is also a gifted education program that utilizes distance learning and hosts summer institutes on the university campus.
History
The Online High School grew out of a summer school for exceptionally bright children as well as existing Internet courses for those youths offered by Stanford's Education Program for Gifted Youth. In the fall of 2006 the OHS began offering courses to 30 sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Academics
"OHS's academics are extremely rigorous, not because its teachers assign heaps of busy work, but because the assignments require analytical thinking, comprehensive reading, and deep questioning." says Olivia Pobiel - Class of 2011 on the OHS website. The course offerings at Stanford OHS include many Honors and Advanced Placement subjects. Students also have the ability to move beyond these and take university level courses in many disciplines such as Math and English.
Stanford's online high school offers two types of classes. One is a seminar-style course where students and teachers use audio and video feeds to discuss and study classroom materials together. These classes typically include pre-recorded lectures in addition to supplement the group interaction. In another more self-directed type of class, students will learn from a CD-ROM and contact instructors online with questions.
Purpose and goals of the OHS
The OHS is designed to meet the needs of gifted students in both curriculum and learning environments empowering students to realize their potentials and develop their abilities in ways that might not be possible in traditional schools.
• To prepare gifted students for success both in life and in their future intellectual pursuits.
• To provide gifted students everywhere with an opportunity to receive an education comparable to that
offered by the best schools in the world.
• To allow gifted students to pursue advanced academic studies.
• To provide gifted students the opportunity to pursue advanced academic opportunities without worrying
about how they fit into their local high school’s diploma requirements.
Students the OHS is geared towards
There are many examples of students that could possibly benefit from attending the OHS. Some of these types of students are; gifted students who would otherwise enter college without high school diplomas, gifted students in rural areas or overseas, gifted students who are home schooled, gifted students who are satisfied with some aspects of their local schools, but who want a more intensive academic program in certain subjects and finally, gifted students interested in serious academic pursuits divergent from the standard high school curriculum.
Admissions
There is a rigorous application for admission to the EPGY-OHS that reads, not surprisingly, like a college application. Applicants are evaluated by an Admissions Committee that considers academic records, samples of student work, including application essays, standardized exam scores, letters of recommendation and if feasible, a student interview. Additionally, students should be prepared to provide information regarding examples of online successes and involvement in summer programs, academic competitions, extra-curricular activities, community service hours, and essay-responses to biographical inquiries. Foundation and explanation in support of an applicant's gifted qualifications are also required. The applicant is also given an opportunity to present any additional applicable information to the admissions office.
Tuition
EPGY's OHS is committed to ensuring that students who are admitted to the EPGY OHS are able to attend. Financial aid is readily available and the exact breakdown of course fees is listed on the OHS website.
Summer Sessions
Every summer, OHS students have the opportunity to come live in supervised Stanford housing and take classes with their instructors. Some of the courses offered include wet science labs, writing courses and leadership seminars. The Summer Institutes provide a taste of college life, in the beautiful surroundings of the Stanford campus.
Summer Staff
The OHS Summer Session hires undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduate students to work during each summer as counselors and teaching assistants. Residential Counselors (RCs) are selected for their ability to work with young people in a residential setting, and for their academic qualifications. This arrangement allows for the social and academic portions of the program to be tightly integrated.