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Online Learning: A Solution for All Students

Susan PatrickPresident & CEOInternational Association for K-12 Online Learning

International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

• iNACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit in online learning• 3800+ members in K-12 virtual schools and online learning

representing over 50 countries• Provides leadership, advocacy, research, training, and

networking with experts in K-12 online learning.• “Ensure every student has access to the best education

available regardless of geography, income or background.” • Conference – Virtual School Symposium (VSS):

Indianapolis November 9-11,2011• Next Generation Learning Challenges – Gates Foundation

International Trends in Online Learning• Results of the iNACOL International Survey• Mexico

– K-12 Digital Content, Laptop for Every Teacher, Pre-service methods using engaging digital content, new strategies

• European Union – IB Diploma Program Online – Foreign Languages

• Turkey• India

– Universal Access to K-12, Teacher Shortages, Educomp, $10 laptop project

• China– K-12 Digital Curriculum, Training Master Teachers for E-learning to rural

areas• Singapore Secondary Schools 100% Online• South Korea Virtual School

The Futurist: Education 2011China may be the first country to

succeed in educating most of its population through the Internet.

– From 2003-2007, China spent about $1 billion to implement online learning projects in the rural country-side.

Agenda:

• National landscape of K12 online learning• Key trends and implications• New England Focus• Questions and discussion

Please ask questions or comment at any time

U.S. Online Learning Facts

• 39 states have state virtual schools or state-led initiatives for online learning (KP 2010)

• 27 states have full-time virtual charter schools with over 225,000 students (CER)

• 2 states require an online course for high school graduation• 50% of employers use e-learning for training• 1 in 4 undergraduate and graduate student enrolls in an online course in

higher education• 82% of school districts had one or more students in a fully-online or blended

course• More universities are offering K-12 courses online

– MIT open courseware for K-12 students– Stanford, Northwestern programs for gifted

• K-12 Online Learning enrollments growing 30% annually nationwide with 50,000 in 2000 over 2 million enrollments in 2008-2009

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Numbers: full-time online schools

• Available in 27 states and Washington DC• Estimated 200,000 full-time online students• 15 - 20% annual increase

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Numbers: state virtual schools

• 450,000 course enrollments in state virtual schools

• 40% annual increase• But two schools account for nearly all the

increase

District online programs

• Number unknown• About 50% of districts with some type of

online program

School district online learning

Level of activity not well known but varies by state

Often involves: • Creating and advocating for innovative and flexible policies• Creating online options for the first time: OER, build, buy, partner• Moving from one student segment to broader student populations• Blended or hybrid instead of fully online • Credit recovery appears to be a leading driver• Serving diverse learners• Access to college prep courses

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No OLL

Pilot or limited OLL

Comprehensive OLL

District online learning progression

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State Online Learning Trends & Examples

• Convergence between full-time and part-time (K-12, 6-12) offering both part-time and full-time options

• Statewide authorizers for virtual schools: important role

• Michigan and Alabama: online learning HS graduation requirement

• Montana: state virtual school

– Managed by the University of Montana’s College of Education

• Blended learning

• Competency-based learning

– Policy: alternatives to seat-time funding

Providing Opportunities to All Students

Credit Recovery

Aspiring athletes and performers

Medically Fragile

ELL

Accelerated Students

Need to work and/or support family

Traditional Public/Private

Special Education

Rural Students

Project Tomorrow Survey (2009)

• Benefits of taking a class online?– According to students:

• 51% said it allows them to work at their own pace• 49% to earn college credit• 44% said it allows them to take a class not offered

on campus • 35% said it was to get extra help• 19% said they took online courses to get more

attention from teachers

How Students Learn

Trends and Implications• Better serve diverse learners• Create innovative and flexible policies

• Funding • Quality• Access

• Improve access to college and career readiness• Issue: Teacher preparation for in-service and pre-

service teachers lacking in online instruction

Manifesto: Advance every student’s right to online learning opportunity

• Responsive state policies so that a student’s choice of online opportunity is facilitated rather than blocked.

• Fair and sustainable funding so that online learning opportunities expand with student demand.

• Sensible and responsible oversight so that each student is guaranteed quality in the online opportunities available.

• Modern frameworks for curriculum and instruction so that each student may be assured of credit for successful online work.

• Thoughtful teacher licensure requirements so a student may always benefit from the best online instructors.

• Valid research so that a student’s online opportunities reflect effective best practices.

New England Themes• Lack of understanding of the role of online

education: is it effective?• Myths/misunderstanding of the role of the

teacher in online learning = fear• Higher Ed: Lack of professional

development for both administrators and teachers

• Standards for online school approvals

Connecticut• Full-time online programs - none• State Virtual School

– The CT Virtual Learning Center (CTVLC) is the state virtual school, also operated by the CTDLC

– Connecticut Department of Education in 2008– 250 course enrollments in 2009-10; – 85% of these were evenly split between credit recovery and AP courses. – Appropriation zeroed/tuition based now

• District/Multi-district programs– Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (RESC) has a

partnership with Massachusetts-based Virtual High School Global Consortium (VHS) to provide VHS membership to school districts at reduced rates to 60 high schools (27% of the high schools in the state). In addition, the Virtual Learning Academy, a RESC program, offers online credit recovery and special needs courses.

Maine• Full-time online programs - none• State Virtual School

– New state-led online learning initiative - the Maine Online Learning Program

• about 1,000 supplemental enrollments

• District/Multi-district programs• The Virtual High School Global Consortium provides

online courses and services to 37 high schools (28%) in Maine, with 619 students from Maine taking courses in 2009-10

• Variety of school, district, and state-level programs

Massachusetts• Full-time online programs –

– January 2010 law permits virtual innovation schools• BESE regulations July 2010 limit enrollment and create geographic

restrictions on access

• State Virtual School (no)/State Initiative (yes): – Massachusetts has a state-led learning portal, MassONE

• offers online resources to all pre-K-12 teachers in the state, and supports students in grades 5-12

• Districts: – 172 high schools (34%) participate in online courses through the

Virtual High School Global Consortium– 40% of the school districts in Massachusetts reported having at

least one student taking an online course. This translated to 6,560 students taking an online course that was paid for or sponsored by their district.

New Hampshire• Full-time online learning:

– NH statewide virtual charter school, the NH Virtual Learning Academy Charter School

• State virtual school:– NH Virtual Learning Academy Charter School for grades 7-

12; • eStart, is a collaboration between the New Hampshire community

college system and VLACS

• Districts:– Great Bay eLearning Charter School. – In addition, 26 schools are members of the Virtual High

School Global Consortium

New York• Full-time online learning (no)• State virtual school (no)/state initiatives (yes)

– February 2010, the Board of Regents has begun discussing a possible framework for an online high school (November 2009 and February 2010),

– SDE has expanded online offerings for credit recovery (CR100.5(d)(8)) and independent study (CR100.5(d)(9)).

• Multi-district– Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES AccellerateU– Mohawk

• Districts– Erie– Hornell– NYC: online and blended learning initiative, iLearnNYC– Rochester

Rhode Island• Full-time online learning program• State virtual school• District

– Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, in association with the Virtual Learning Academy of the Jefferson County Educational Service Center in Ohio, has been offering online courses that are paid for by individual school districts. It serves grades 3-12 and offers over 80 courses. The program had 225 course enrollments for the 2010-11.

Vermont• Full-time online learning programs• State Virtual School

– Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC)• Title IID-funded initiative run by the Vermont

Department of Education to offer 18 courses to about 300 students in fall 2010

• Districts– 25 high schools are using the Virtual High School

Global Consortium to deliver online classes.

New England: Are there online learning opportunities for all students?

• Connecticut (CT Distance Learning Consortium, Manchester)• Maine (MDE)• Massachusetts (Boston, Medfield, EDC, VHS, Wareham) • New Hampshire (DOE, Virtual Learning Academy Charter)• New York (Chappaqua, Copenhagen, Erie, Hornell, GST,

Mohawk RIC, NYC, NY SDE, Questar III, Rethink Autism, Rochester, Watertown, Wayne Finger Lakes)– Seat-time requirements – End-of-year assessments/Regents exams (vs. on-demand)

• Rhode Island (Dept of Education)• Vermont (Jeff Renard, Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative)

How States Can Work Together– Collaborative Development/Common Core

• Professional Development (SREB/EDC)• Share online or open content (23 states/NROC)• Share LMS platform/share resources (Illinois)• Share policy frameworks

– Competency-based learning approaches; get rid of seat-time (New Hampshire)

– Digital Learning (Utah)• Teaching licensure reciprocity for online teaching

(North Dakota)• CCSSO Innovation Lab Network

Communicating with Public

• Words to avoid:– Virtual– Hybrid

• Positive ideas:– Online learning

where a student can access a teacher and digital resources

– Blended learning

Creating an Effective System for Online Learning and Teaching

• “Online education can fundamentally change the relationship that students, teachers, parents and the community have with their educational institutions and with one another. For policymakers, those transformations pose some difficult choices. If they ignore online education, they turn their back on their responsibility to extend learning opportunities.” –Guide to Teaching Online Courses

Pace of adoption

Christensen suggests that by 2019 about half of all high school courses will be online.

Disrupting Class

Discussion

Challenges in America’s K-12 Education System

Three Looming Crises:

1. Declining State Fiscal Revenues

2. Mounting Teacher Shortages

3. Increased Global Demands for Skilled Workers

10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning

1. Student Eligibility

All students are digital learners.

2. Student AccessAll students have access to high

quality digital content and online courses.

3.Personalized LearningAll students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.

4. AdvancementStudents progress based on demonstrated competency.

5. ContentDigital content, instructional

materials, and online and blended learning courses are

high quality.

6. InstructionDigital instruction and online

teachers are high quality.

7. ProvidersAll students have access to

multiple high quality providers.

8. Assessment and Accountability

Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of

content and instruction.

9. FundingFunding creates incentives for

performance, options and innovation.

10. DeliveryInfrastructure supports digital

learning.

“Using the Internet to deliver courses seems to contain great disruptive potential. It could allow a radical transformation to happen in an incremental, rational way.”

- Clayton Christensen, Harvard

Business School

Susan Patrick, iNACOLspatrick@inacol.org

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