Portsmouth High School has gone virtual—literally.

Four students of PHS are testing a new program this school year called Virtual High School.

Virtual High School, a nonprofit, offers classes for students online. The students e-mail teachers from throughout the country and complete homework online for this program.

School Committee members questioned the school administration about the pilot program at Tuesday night's meeting.

"I'm anxious to learn about Virtual High School," said School Committee member Cynthia Perrotti, who is running for election this year.

"This is our first year with Virtual High School," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susan Lusi. "We did some investigation into the students that are successful with the Virtual High School program. A representative from VHS said it was a great program for overachievers, as well as good for students who are socially shy, but academically talented."

VHS also recommended the program for students who do not excel in core curriculum classes, but those who are involved with music and the arts, according to Lusi.

The cost for Virtual High School is $400 per seat (student), according to the superintendent. Each school district must also employ a site coordinator.

"We chose to crawl before we walked," Lusi said. "We contracted with the regional collaborative for five seats in the fall and five in the spring for a total cost of $4,000, which includes training at $1,500 for the site coordinator."

So far, four students have signed up for five seats available at the high school this fall. Those students are completing online courses in Advanced Placement (AP) music, AP statistics, a history course spanning from Pearl Harbor to the atomic bomb, and Russian language and culture.

A Virtual High School course cannot be completed during school hours. Students are required to complete the course outside of school at home or at the library, Lusi said.

"A VHS course needs to be taken in addition to courses at the high school," she said.

The site coordinator, an employee of the school district who is not a teacher, meets with each student once a week in the library at the high school.

"The input from the students has been very positive," Lusi said. "They speak highly of their teachers and are able to handle the workload.

"We would like to use it to offer additional learning opportunities for our students. We want to look at possibly using this at the middle school level. It's another way to extend learning opportunities."

The Virtual High School course credits also apply towards a student's graduation credits.

 "VHS offers AP courses and a variety of courses," Perrotti said. "I think this is something that gives students that rigorous curriculum we need to provide."

"This sounds like a very interesting system," said Larry Fitzmorris, president of the Portsmouth Concerned Citizens (PCC). "It looks like an interesting system as long as it doesn't replace the classroom."

The Middletown School District has used the online program for several years.

For more information about Virtual High School, visit its Web site here.