Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have become a popular learning tool for high school students across the country. 

Efforts from MOOC Platform edX, a company offering 27 MOOCs for high school students, helps students prepare for college, said an article on eSchoolNews.com. 

"edX collaborated with institutions such as MIT and Georgetown to produce the 27 courses, which include Advanced Placement (AP) sciences, math, and history, as well as French and Spanish," the article said. 

Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, said "that because nearly 150,000 edX learners are high school students, [developing] courses to specifically meet the needs of this student population is a high priority for us."

The courses offered are not for high school credit, the article said, and students "may pay a registration free ranging from $25-100 for a completion certificate." 

These certificates, edX said, are "a great way for students to give themselves an incentive to complete the course and celebrate their success. If students want to list the MOOC on a college application or resume, they may prefer to have a verified certificate.”

Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association, however, said "MOOCs are not yet at the point where high school will be offering full credit for their completion." In order for this to happen, he said, MOOCs will have to work on a few kinks. 

"For instance, the courses will have to earn the endorsement of a nationally recognized accrediting agency," he said. "Also, most states still require students to be taught by a teacher who is certified in that state."

Read the full story. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor