A single teacher can reach thousands of students in an online course, opening up a world of knowledge to anyone with an Internet connection. This limitless reach also offers opportunities to school districts that need to save money, by reducing the number of teachers. It can help high achievers in need of more advanced coursework than their districts provide. This is especially true in small districts that offer few traditional courses to students working ahead of their grades.

A study in Maine and Vermont examined the effect of online courses on eighth graders with strong math skills in schools that didn’t offer face-to-face math classes. Students were divided between online math and standard math offered in traditional classes. Both groups of students were tested at the end of the school year. The online students did better than those in standard classrooms. They were also twice as likely to complete advanced math later in high school.

But there is something wrong with it. In reality, students who complete these courses tend to do quite poorly on subsequent (随后的) tests of academic knowledge, suggesting that these online courses often give students an easy passing grade without teaching them very much.

Some researchers examined the performance of hundreds of thousands of students at DeVry University, which offers online and face-to-face versions of all its courses, using the same textbooks, assessments (评估), homework and teaching materials in each course. Even though the courses are seemingly the same, the students who attend online courses do worse. The effects are lasting, with online students more likely to drop out of college altogether. Hardest hit are those who entered the online class with low grades. Work by researchers in many other colleges is in line with the DeVry findings: The weakest students are hurt most by the online learning. For those with strong academic skills, by contrast, online learning can open up amazing opportunities.

Online education is still in its youth. Many ways of learning are possible, and some may benefit students with deep and various needs. As of now, however, the evidence is clear. For advanced learners, online classes are a good choice, but academically challenged students need a classroom with a teacher’s support.

【小题1】What’s Para.1 mainly about?

A．The advantages of online courses.

B．The reduction in school teachers.

C．The educational conditions in poor areas.

D．The combination of online and traditional courses.

【小题2】What did the study in Maine and Vermont find?

A．Traditional students were more likely to do better in math.

B．Both groups had little difference in their performance.

C．Traditional students did worse than online ones.

D．Online students tend to fail in their higher education.

【小题3】Why did the findings of DeVry differ from Maine and Vermont’s?

A．DeVry invited different teachers.

B．DeVry involved different classes.

C．DeVry used different teaching methods.

D．DeVry chose students of different levels.

【小题4】What does the author think of online education?

A．It suits good students.

B．It has been fully developed.

C．It is useful to poor students.

D．It should be forbidden in schools.

【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Education needs further study in the long term.

B．Online courses influence different students in different ways.

C．Traditional courses fail to fit modern education anymore

D．Online education is harming traditional courses and teachers.