class.com Establishes Virtual High School for Westside Community Schools, Omaha

Business Wire, August 23, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech/Education Writers

class.com courses to be available this fall

LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2000

-class.com, inc., the nation's first fully accredited virtual high school, and Westside Community Schools, Omaha, Nebraska, announced today a licensing agreement for Internet-based courses to be offered beginning in September 2000.

Westside will be utilizing class.com's virtual high school (vhs) with more than 45 online courses. class.com's vhs alleviates teacher shortages; provides high-quality courses from top teachers anywhere, anytime; provides learning alternatives; and operates at one-half the cost of the traditional classroom.

Online courses represent a tremendous opportunity for Westside schools to expand curriculum options and meet the unique needs of students. Implementing a vhs satisfies Westside's goal to best serve the community and eventually make courses available to anyone who wants to learn. Establishing a vhs will enable the schools in the district to share a resource that might not be available or might be difficult to provide as a result of teacher shortages or small demand.

"class.com was selected based on its unique interactive and student-centered course design along with the ability to partner with our teachers, not just act as a vendor. class.com has designed their courses to be Internet-based from the very beginning," said Kenneth M. Bird, Ed.D., Superintendent of the Westside Community Schools in Omaha. "class.com's courses and partnering philosophy blend well with Westside's approach of looking at education differently for the future."

"class.com is committed to supporting Westside Community Schools with ongoing secondary teacher and technical support for the duration." said John Blair, class.com President and CEO. "class.com is pleased to form a true partnership with Westside by remaining involved and active in the ongoing design and delivery of high quality courses."

All courses are delivered under the direction of class.com's Independent Study High School (ISHS), fully accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Schools since 1978. class.com has the nation's only vhs product.

About class.com Courses

class.com represents the way of the future by providing courses without boundaries at anytime or anyplace. Using the Internet as a common and readily available delivery mechanism, courses can be updated on an on-going basis and students can learn at their own pace and direction. class.com offers core courses such as math, science, English and social studies in addition to business and career planning.

class.com courses provide a direct interaction between students and teachers. By using a standard web browser, students access course material that takes full advantage of advanced multimedia technologies. Students can log on and learn any time and anywhere there is a PC and an Internet connection.

Students view a combination of text, animated graphics, audio and video materials. A unique design and seamless navigational system encourages individualized discovery and learning. Downloading times are minimized by storing pictures, videos, and interactive graphics for off-line access. An online binder or notebook allows a student to take notes and store course materials in both text and multimedia formats for later reference.

About Westside Community Schools

Westside Community Schools, also known as District 66, is an award winning, nationally recognized school district located in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska and serves a K-12 population of nearly 5000 students. District 66's mission is to ensure academic excellence and serve the needs of all learners. The staff, administration and Board of Education are dedicated to excellence in education at all levels, and provide a unique mix -- high academic and behavioral expectations and a warm "family environment." We pride ourselves on our strong record of success.

With 78-80 percent of the households in District 66 not containing children, providing the best available education to learners of all ages in alliance with cutting edge technology is a primary goal. There's a great deal of teacher, parent and community pride around the quality and effectiveness of the education system in Westside. The intent is to better serve not only the numerous challenges of the children of the community but to also address the needs and interests of adult learners. Westside is currently working on a pre-kindergarten through adult education initiative to best serve the greater Omaha area.

About class.com, inc.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska with area offices in Atlanta and San Francisco, class.com is a privately held company delivering online educational courses over the Internet for high school students throughout the world. The courses are offered under the direction of a fully accredited, university-based independent study high school as part of a full diploma program or for transfer to a student's current high school for diploma credit.