The Stanford Online High School (OHS or SOHS), formerly known as EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth), is a private independent school for gifted students located within Stanford University. The OHS operates as a six-year school, serving students in grades 7-12. The current Head of School is Tomohiro Hoshi.
The OHS used to be part of the wider offerings of EPGY, and was operated as a program within EPGY. With the restructuring of EPGY into Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, Stanford OHS became fully separate in its administration from the legacy components of EPGY.
History
Stanford Online High School - To discover more, please visit https://ohs.stanford.edu/ Video credit: Cody Snapp.
In April 2005, EPGY Executive Director, Raymond Ravaglia, proposed 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 the inaugural 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. In January, 2015, OHS became the first online school to be accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).
Until the 2014-15 school year, OHS used Saba Centra in order to host its classes, but switched to Adobe Connect for the 2014-15 year.
Academics
Stanford OHS offers classes in nine major subjects: English, Humanities, Laboratory Sciences, Mathematics, History, Computer Science, Foreign Languages, Summer Residential Courses, and Core Sequence. Of these nine, the first seven disciplines offer both honors and Advanced Placement classes. The OHS also offers university level classes in English, Social Sciences, Laboratory Sciences, and Mathematics.
Seminar classes
In seminar courses, web-based video conferencing technology is employed. These classes typically include prerecorded lectures to supplement the group interaction.
Core sequence
The four courses offered in the Core Sequence cover subjects in science, history of science, political theory, and philosophy. Freshmen study biology and statistics, sophomores study the history of science, juniors study political theory, and seniors study critical reading and philosophy.
- The core course for Freshman is Methodology of Science: Biology (MSB) and focuses on teaching the connection between science and theoretical concepts such as statistics.
- The core course for Sophomores is History and Philosophy of Science (HSC) and focuses on teaching basic philosophical problems (such as, for example, the problem of induction, as proposed by David Hume) and how they connect to the method of science that we use today (as taught in MSB).
Student life
The OHS community includes 40 student- and teacher-run clubs and a student newspaper. The school offers a fully functional student government composed of class representatives, board chairs, and executive senate members. In addition, the school provides counseling, academic advisement, college counseling, and opportunities (such as office hours) to connect with teachers.
In-Person Events
Stanford OHS offers many different in-person events. In-person events hosted by parents are known as meetups, the purpose of which is social interaction between students. Stanford OHS also offers its own array of in-person events, including a graduation weekend and a homecoming dance. Students also go one educational trips with teachers. One example of this was a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Application and admissions
The application packet as of 2018 requires two essays, two recommendation forms, a standardized test score, a student work sample, a parent questionnaire, and various other items. Students can apply as full-time students (four or more courses), part-time students (two or three courses), and single-course students. Applicants are evaluated by an admissions committee.
Tuition
The tuition at Stanford OHS is $4,700 for a single course, $14,200 for part-time enrollment (2-3 courses), and $22,850 for full-time enrollment (4-5 courses) as of the 2018-19 school year.
See also
- Indiana University High School
- University of Missouri High School
- University of Nebraska â€" Lincoln Independent Study High School
References
External links
- OHS website
- Stanford Press Release
- Education Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford University
- EPGY Summer Institutes website
