One criticism often leveled is about legitimacy. Cyberschool's director says such concerns are unwarranted.

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"In other online schools, they normally advertise that they are from a good school with a good reputation. Give us your students and we'll do good stuff with them,"

Tom Layton, Director of the Cyberschool.

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Cyberschool posts every lesson plan of a course on the Internet along with teacher biography and background so parents and teachers can see what their students are learning. The school also allows students 30 days to decide whether they like the course before they commit to it, explained Layton.

Layton rebuts criticism of the legitimacy of Cyberschool by pointing to the courses themselves. "The courses stand the test. They were written by 20 and 30-year veterans in teaching, and we are very fortunate to have them," he said.

Cyberschool teachers must be Oregon-certified to participate in the program, but they can conduct their courses from anywhere in the world.

Cyberschool classes are not for the student looking to get some easy credits.

"The classes are very vigorous." Layton said. "This caused a problem in the beginning. Students had to write twice the number of papers than in a similar face-to-face class."

Chris Belonger, a Cyberschool science teacher, agrees the classes can be difficult for students. "On one end of the continuum there are students with outstanding work ethics, and at the other end there are students who need constant reminders to get the job done," Belonger said.

In the first semester of Cyberschool, in September 1995, 15 percent of cyberstudents did not turn in more than one assignment. There was an uneven distribution of primarily F's and A's. Layton anticipates an even distribution of grades this semester.

"There's early adoptive students -- the go-getter kids -- and then there's those who can't deal without having some form of authority standing over their shoulder," Layton said.

Students who do wish to be challenged in Internet classes are in for some advantages over traditional classroom learning. The Internet allows students to increase their course load and work within their own schedules.

"Home-schoolers have another choice, and school districts can provide courses they currently don't offer," Belonger said. Students who want to be active in extra-curricular activities and take a full course load of college preparatory classes can use Cyberschool to supplement their education on their own time.