Stanford EPGY OHS
Encyclopedia
The EPGY Online High School (OHS) at Stanford University is an independent school for gifted students located within Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth EPGY. While the OHS operates as a six-year school, serving students in grades 7-12, because of the ability of the students, many are younger than the standard grade 7 entry age of 11, and courses are offered at the university-level as well as at the high school level. The Head of School is Jan Keating, Ed.D, and the Headmaster is Jeffery Scarborough, Ph.D..
While the OHS is often viewed as an independent entity, it is part of the wider offerings of EPGY, and is operated as a program within EPGY. That said, the OHS has a separate and more rigorous application process than the online individual courses offered by EPGY, and the OHS community has the tight-knit identity one would expect of an independent school.
In January 2006, EPGY received a substantial and generous gift from the Foundation to develop the school. Formally called "The Education Program for Gifted Youth Online High School at Stanford University," it is typically referred to as the EPGY OHS or Stanford EPGY Online High School, often just "OHS." The OHS officially commenced on September 7, 2006, gathering students in grades 10-12. The Online High School accepted thirty students for theinaugural year and projects an enrollment of up to six hundred full-time equivalent students in the years to come. In 2006 the Online High School received official accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
. The OHS was approved as an online provider by the University of California
in 2008. Ninth grade was added for the 2008-09 academic year, and with the 2009-10 school year, supported by an additional gift from the Malone Family Foundation the EPGY OHS was able to add a middle-school component for students in grades seven and eight.
-granting, independent high school with both secondary and post-secondary level classes. According to the OHS website, it is a unique idea in the sense that it attracts many kids and offers more classes outside of the normal EPGY range, with a central theme of argumentation and discussion in the writing and humanities courses and enhanced mathematical content in the natural and social science courses. OHS also uses a more college-like schedule, with both seminar and directed study courses and more time devoted to studying outside of the classroom environment. OHS also recognizes and accepts that students will want to continue taking courses at their local high schools, as is indicated on their website, and thus allows for a "joint enrollment" program for such students.
In the Self-Directed Courses, students learn from a CD-ROM or listen to or read other prerecorded material. In these classes, direct interaction between peers is minimal. The majority of Self-Directed Courses are classes in mathematics and physics.
The Core classes from an important part of the OHS’s graduation requirement: all graduating students must have taken at least one core class per year they were enrolled as a full-time student in the high school.
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.
While the OHS is often viewed as an independent entity, it is part of the wider offerings of EPGY, and is operated as a program within EPGY. That said, the OHS has a separate and more rigorous application process than the online individual courses offered by EPGY, and the OHS community has the tight-knit identity one would expect of an independent school.
History
In April 2005, EPGY Executive Director, Raymond Ravaglia, floated the idea of expanding EPGY's online course offerings into a full-fledged online school. This informal proposal, made to the Malone Family Foundation of Englewood, Colorado, was well received and the Foundation requested a full proposal. Over Summer 2005, Ravaglia fleshed out his ideas into a full-blown design for an online school for gifted students.In January 2006, EPGY received a substantial and generous gift from the Foundation to develop the school. Formally called "The Education Program for Gifted Youth Online High School at Stanford University," it is typically referred to as the EPGY OHS or Stanford EPGY Online High School, often just "OHS." The OHS officially commenced on September 7, 2006, gathering students in grades 10-12. The Online High School accepted thirty students for theinaugural year and projects an enrollment of up to six hundred full-time equivalent students in the years to come. In 2006 the Online High School received official accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
. The OHS was approved as an online provider by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
in 2008. Ninth grade was added for the 2008-09 academic year, and with the 2009-10 school year, supported by an additional gift from the Malone Family Foundation the EPGY OHS was able to add a middle-school component for students in grades seven and eight.
World's First
Although both gifted education and online learning have existed (independently) for quite some time, EPGY OHS is the first to synthesize these two into a diplomaDiploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
-granting, independent high school with both secondary and post-secondary level classes. According to the OHS website, it is a unique idea in the sense that it attracts many kids and offers more classes outside of the normal EPGY range, with a central theme of argumentation and discussion in the writing and humanities courses and enhanced mathematical content in the natural and social science courses. OHS also uses a more college-like schedule, with both seminar and directed study courses and more time devoted to studying outside of the classroom environment. OHS also recognizes and accepts that students will want to continue taking courses at their local high schools, as is indicated on their website, and thus allows for a "joint enrollment" program for such students.
Academics
Stanford OHS offers classes in eight major subjects: English, Social Sciences, Laboratory Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science, Music, Summer Residential Courses, and Core Sequence. Of these eight, the first six disciplines offer both Honor and Advanced Placement classes. The OHS also offers University Level classes in English, Social Sciences, Laboratory Sciences, and Mathematics.Seminar and Self-Directed Classes
The Stanford OHS has two main styles for classes: Seminar Courses and Self-Directed (Self-Paced) Courses. In Seminar courses, web-based video conferencing technology is employed so students can listen to prerecorded lectures and engage in discussion seminars with their instructors and peers in a virtual classroom. These classes typically include pre-recorded lectures in addition to supplement the group interaction. Such recorded lectures are typically between fifteen and thirty minutes long, although exceptions are common. Seminar classes meet twice a week (either on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday), and such classes are seventy-five minutes long.In the Self-Directed Courses, students learn from a CD-ROM or listen to or read other prerecorded material. In these classes, direct interaction between peers is minimal. The majority of Self-Directed Courses are classes in mathematics and physics.
Core Sequence
The Core Sequence of classes, as stated in the school’s profile, is “Central to the EPGY OHS academic program” and that the sequence “embodies the tenets of our mission.” The four courses offered in the Core Sequence cover subjects in science, history of science, political theory, and philosophy. Theses classes emphasize the ability to ask conceptual and foundational questions, think critically about the situation, and practice rigorous and logically informed reasoning.The Core classes from an important part of the OHS’s graduation requirement: all graduating students must have taken at least one core class per year they were enrolled as a full-time student in the high school.
Summer Residential Courses
Students at the OHS’s Summer Sessions are offered Labs and Seminar classes. The Summer Session Labs complement the labs that students do during the school year, and in some cases are required for the AP lab component of a given class. Six seminar classes on research methods, leadership, and writing styles are also offered at the Summer Sessions, offering students opportunities absent during the regular school year.Application and Admissions
The Application packet as of 2009 has ten short essays and one extended essay; a parent questionnaire to get the Admissions Committee to know the student better; two student work samples; and various other items. Students can apply as full-time students (four or more courses), part-time students (three or two courses), and single-course students. 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. An explanation in support of an applicant's gifted qualification is also required. The applicant is also given an opportunity to present any additional applicable information to the admissions office.Summer Sessions
Every summer in early August, OHS students have an opportunity to live in supervised Stanford dormitories and take Summer Residential Courses with instructors. These Summer Sessions provide a brief taste of college life and the Stanford campus.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.