Idaho state Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, said he supports the new recommendation for two online courses for high school graduation, down from state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna's original proposal of eight. "It wasn't eight for very long," Goedde said, noting, "Then it went to four." He said, "Understand we're talking about a graduation requirement, so that's a minimum. ... Lots of students ... may take 10 or more."

Goedde, who served on the State Board of Education's committee that settled on the recommendation, said, "The thinking on an asynchronous requirement is that high school graduates are going to need to have the skills associated with online learning when you do not have face-to-face access to an instructor. ... They need to have some self-discipline and time management."

Though the two-course requirement still needs approval from the full State Board of Education, Goedde noted that two state board members were on the committee that settled on the figure. "My guess is it should have fairly smooth sailing," he said. He noted that the most any state has required, as far as online courses for high school graduation, is one, and only three states have gone that route. "So I'm comfortable with two," Goedde said. "I think it's realistic." You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.