Virtual High School Standardizes on Blackboard K-12 Solutions

Washington, D.C. – October 16, 2003 – Blackboard Inc., a leading enterprise software and services company for e-Education, has been selected to provide a new e-learning platform for Virtual High School (VHS), a nationally recognized leader within the growing K-12 virtual school community.

Virtual High School has committed to using the Blackboard Learning System, Blackboard Portal System, as well as Blackboard ASP and Learning Services through June 2007. Course migration begins this month and the new platform is expected to be active for VHS students by July 2004.

“Both VHS and Blackboard are committed to the success of public schools. VHS’s commitment is to supplement curriculum, not replace schools. Through this partnership we will work together to help schools successfully participate in high quality, online education, expand course offerings, and improve student achievement,” said Liz Pape, CEO of VHS.

The partnership with Blackboard allows VHS to continue growing its online collaborative of 200+ schools, offering nearly 150 student-centered, online courses. Students of VHS member schools will use Blackboard to access their Advanced Placement, Elective, Core and International Baccalaureate online courses. These offerings also include the recently announced AP Online Academy, funded in part by a grant from the US Department of Education, which aims to significantly increase the participation of low-income students in 45 pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. Student participation in these diverse offerings; such as Pre-Veterinary Medicine, AP Economics and 20th Century Women Authors, supports schools’ imperative to teach students 21st Century skills and become lifelong learners.

Virtual High School has been offering courses to students and professional staff development programs for teachers since 1996. Moving to the Blackboard Learning System will allow VHS more flexibility in its course development and program offerings for the 5,000 students currently enrolled in the system while supporting growth in enrollment, online professional development and programming in coming years.

“Virtual schooling is gaining momentum in the United States as more and more students seek additional options for their education and school districts look for experienced partners to help create those opportunities,” said Matthew Pittinsky, Blackboard’s Chairman. “With the Virtual High School expecting to double its enrollment to 10,000 students in two years, they required a technology and services partner with strong expertise in online K-12 education. Blackboard is pleased to partner with a recognized innovator like VHS through this tremendous period of growth and join with their team to create a new standard for e-Learning at the K-12 level.”

About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. was founded with a vision to transform the Internet into a powerful environment for the education experience. Blackboard is a leading provider of e-Education solutions serving the global needs of primary and secondary schools, higher education, corporations and government agencies. Blackboard K-12 solutions support daily teaching and learning for organizations in 43 states including dozens of national, state, regional and district based virtual schools. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and staff across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Please visit www.blackboard.com for more information.

About Virtual High School
Virtual High School (VHS) is a non-profit collaborative of 200+ participating high schools offering the gold standard of full-semester, student-centered online courses to high school students. Currently schools in 25 states and 8 countries participate in VHS allowing their students to select from nearly 150 NCAA accredited, online courses including; AP, Elective, Core and International Baccalaureate offerings. Please visit www.goVHS.org for more information.

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