Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is pressing for higher standards and restrictions on growth at virtual schools, amid rising complaints about the lackluster performance of a major online provider.
The governor, a Republican, is backing legislation that would cap student enrollment at the Tennessee Virtual Academy and would tie online schools’ growth to their ability to produce strong academic results, according to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.
The Tennessee Virtual Academy is operated by K12 Inc., a major operator of online schools across the country that has drawn criticism in some quarters for its business model and academic performance.
The academy’s test scores during 2011-12 were low: The school barely avoided ranking in the lowest 10 percent of schools in the state. That weak academic showing has rankled state legislators as well as state Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman, the newspaper reported.
