TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Rene Gonzalez slipped into the Arvin High computer lab on a Tuesday evening and quietly began tapping at a computer keyboard, his eyes rapidly scanning the fifth of seven units in the online Math Fundamentals course he was working through.

A fifth-year "super-senior," the burly Gonzalez woke up early that day to work in the fields baling hay with his father.

But with 30 credits to make up before getting his diploma, Gonzalez' focus didn't waver from the math lesson on the screen.

"It's easier, and I'd rather be here by myself because it's harder to understand in class," said Gonzalez, who puts in two or three hours taking the course during the weekend as well as evenings in the computer lab.

"Without a diploma you can't do much, you're going to need it," he said.

Gonzalez is one of about 70 Arvin High seniors-to-be or super seniors who are catching up or making up a grade in the Kern High School District's new online learning program this summer.

Another 130 students are completing online courses at three other high schools this summer. At least one teacher is present at all times to answer questions and accept quizzes students print out after they take them.

The district piloted the online program this spring, focusing on students in danger of not graduating. The program was successful -- 172 seniors from Arvin, Bakersfield and Ridgeview high schools earned the credits they needed to graduate.

For now the program focus is on students who need "credit recovery," but when the district is able to do so it will offer "advancement" credits for students that want to get ahead, said Joe Thompson, assistant superintendent of instruction.

Nationwide, the majority of states offer online learning programs.

The district's online learning program works for kids with attention problems because it allows for one-on-one teacher attention, and students are able to focus better away from a noisy classroom, said Melissa Boatman, the dean of instruction at Arvin High.

Grades earned through the online course don't erase a lower grade from a previous class; they're both added to the student transcript, Boatman said.

Online courses require the same amount of homework assignments, quizzes and unit tests as in a classroom. A teacher corrects the study sheets and tests, and directs students to review what they get wrong.

And the courses are accepted by Cal State University and the University of California, so a student can get into college based on grades they earn online, she said.

"You can't replicate the experience of a class with a teacher, or the group activities, but what we can offer is a different experience, a new venue, and an opportunity pick up the knowledge to graduate," Boatman said.

Arvin High Spanish teacher Amalia Sanchez said students missed "seeing the lips" and "tongue rolling" that are a big part of learning a language in the online version of the course. (Online courses include audio sections in English and Spanish.)

But she agreed with Boatman there are different ways for a student to learn.

"It all depends on how much they put into it," Sanchez said.

For senior-to-be Jose Rojas, raising a D grade in Spanish with an online course was no problem.

"It's easy, you can go back," he said as he clicked through a pronunciation lesson.

Graduation rates matter to the district. They figure into the federal Adequate Yearly Progress accountability guidelines.

"First and foremost, we want our kids to be successful," said Thompson. "Online is another one of those tools we want to employ."