(A) The State Board of Education is authorized to establish a virtual education program to provide South Carolina students access to distance, online, or virtual learning courses offered for an initial unit of credit. Additionally, the virtual education program shall offer access to credit recovery programs for students who have been identified by a school district as not having received credit for a course previously taken or for students who have been identified by a school district as not likely to receive credit for a course in which the student is currently enrolled. Students may enroll in courses for credit recovery based on policies established by the State Board of Education. The virtual education program shall not award a South Carolina High School diploma.

(B) A public, private, or homeschool student residing in South Carolina who is twenty-one years of age or younger must be eligible to enroll in the virtual education program. A private school or home school student enrolled in the virtual education program must not be entitled to any rights, privileges, courses, activities, or services available to a public school student other than receiving an appropriate unit of credit for a completed course.

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Terms Used In South Carolina Code 59-16-15

  • Credit recovery: means self-paced, semester-long courses that target learning in areas of greatest weakness, allowing nontraditional or at-risk students to rapidly complete courses, recover credits, and progress to graduation. See South Carolina Code 59-16-30
  • Proctored: means directly monitored by an adult authorized by the South Carolina Virtual School Program. See South Carolina Code 59-16-30
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.

(C) Local school districts shall accurately transcribe a student’s final numeric grade to the student’s permanent record and transcript. Home school students and private school students shall receive a certified grade report indicating date, course, and final numeric grade from the virtual education program or an entity approved by the State Board of Education.

(D) Students enrolled in an online course for a unit of credit must be administered final exams and appropriate state assessments in a proctored environment.

(E) It is not the responsibility of the school, district, or state to provide home computer equipment and Internet access for enrollment in courses provided by the virtual education program. However, nothing in this section shall prohibit a school or district from providing home computer equipment or Internet access to students enrolled in the virtual education program.

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