GREENSBORO, N.C. — Before Coronavirus, about 32,000 students were already taking classes online through North Carolina's Virtual Public School run by the state. But the state auditor is raising concerns about what they were learning.
Eight out of 12 courses checked by auditors did not meet the required curriculum meaning there's a "risk that students would not be taught all required subject matter."
Also, 11 of the 12 courses checked had no proof that they "met adopted standards for rigor, increasing the risk that students may not master the course material."
Add to that, "Teacher evaluations were not performed consistently."
And then we teach our children to be original and not plagiarize, but auditors found 9 out of 10 teachers ripped off third party material without proper citation. The auditors used a special computer program to scan the internet and found for example: "Questions on a Physical Science assessment found on a practice test published by a well-known educational publisher." It might not seem like a huge deal, but it could open up the state to "potential litigation" that would have to be paid out with your tax dollars.
The Department of Public Instruction responded writing "While we appreciate constructive criticism..." the agency "disagrees" with most of the findings.
DPI points out that auditors only used written records to draw conclusions. The state says auditors did not talk with teachers or students to get their feedback. Adding that the average teacher has 16 years experience and, "North Carolina's students are fortunate to have these amazing teachers. North Carolina Virtual Public School has been championed by educational leaders as well as elected leaders from all points in the political spectrum."