Susan Patrick

President and CEO, NACOL

John Watson

Founder, Evergreen Consulting

Online Learning: Policy Trends in the United States

K-12 Online Learning BenefitsE-learning: strategy for addressing school reform

Teacher quality and shortagesAccess to a high quality, rigorous curriculum for every student

Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM)Foreign languages (Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Latin, etc.)AP and advanced courses

Student engagementEngaging, emphasis on writing and interaction

Remediation for on-time graduationCore coursesCredit recovery and remediation

Cost-effectivenessEvery state model is different and may include:

Supplemental programs - State or district virtual school programs help meet the need for more middle grades and high school academic coursesFull-time K-12 virtual schools - cyber charter schools help meet choice options for parents in 18 statesBoth or all of the above

National Online Learning Trends: Explosive Growth

Growth of 30% annually nationwideK-12 Online Learning enrollments growing

2000, there were 50,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses2003, there were 320,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses2005, there were 508,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses2006, there were 700,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses2007, there were 1,000,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses

National Online Learning Trends

More than 50% of school districts in the United States offer online courses to students (QED, America’s Digital Schools, 2006)1 in 5 undergraduate and graduate student enrolls in an online course in higher education in the U.S.; there are 3.5 million online learning enrollments in higher education (Sloan-C, 2007)More universities are offering K-12 courses online

Stanford, John Hopkins, University of Miami, etc.

Change in online programs’ size, 2006-2007

State Program Models, Policies and Legislative Trends

State example: FloridaGrowth and Sustainable Funding

100,000 course registrations in Florida Virtual SchoolFunding 1/6 FTE based on successful completion, not seat timeSchool districts may not limit access to courses offered through virtual school2008 law requires that districts make online learning available to all students

Course registrations, Florida Virtual School

State example: Florida2007 Florida Tax Watch Report:

Students academically performed betterServed higher population of underserved studentsNew standard of accountabilityBetter use of tax payer dollars with results

State Trends: Georgia

Georgia Department of EducationProfessional DevelopmentOnline Teaching Endorsement

Georgia Virtual SchoolAP Courses: Year 1Core/Basic Courses: Year 2Credit Recovery: Year 3

State example: Missouri

Rare state-led program that is bothHigh school and elementaryFull-time and supplemental

Different model: run by a very small SEA staff contracting with outside providers

State example: MichiganOnline Learning Graduation Requirement

First state to require “online learning” in 2006 as part of updated, more rigorous high school graduation requirementsIn new requirements: “every student must have an online learning experience or course” before graduating from high schoolWhy? Need for online learning is greatest with students to access skills they will need to get ahead and compete in an increasingly technological workplace

State Trends: NM

New Mexico P-20 E-Learning Network AP and college preparatory courses in high schoolDual/concurrent enrollmentCore content area coursesForeign languagesRemediationOffered by:

UniversitiesCommunity CollegesK-12Pre-K

State example: Alabama ACCESSTies online learning to tech infrastructure$30M over 3 years: upgrade network, 21st century classrooms, train teachers, invest in contentGoal: To deliver high quality courses to students statewide via online learningACCESS students: Chinese, French, German and Latin; advanced placement (AP) calculus, AP English literature and composition, AP macroeconomics, and marine science are courses now available"Using technology to provide those opportunities not only increases the rigor of instruction, but it also acclimates students to the use of technology and prepares them for a 21st century workforce.” -Governor Riley

State example: Wisconsin

Lawsuit challenged full-time online schools over funding and role of teachers and parentsOnline schools were threatened with closing and losing all fundingLegislature heard from students, parents, teachers, responded by updating law and changing the definitions in the education code to explicitly allow online schools

State example: Colorado

State audit in late 2006 found many problems with lack of oversight by the state Trujillo Commission and state Board of Education task force made recommendationsLegislature took action: followed recommendations to allow for sustainable growth of online programs by introducing limited regulation and reporting

Common to CO and WI: initial questions about online learning due to audit or lawsuit, subsequent review of laws and regulations; then, action and support from the legislature to address online learning innovations

Challenges and Recommendations for States: Online Learning

Different models in all 50 statesFinancial: Equitable funding models

Reducing inequityFunding based on seat-time not viable; performance-based; competencyFunding systems should be fair and flexible for both traditional and online models

Equity: Expanding Access for All StudentsRegulatory policy has not kept pace with innovation of allowing online learning for all students

Program and Teacher QualityQuality assurance should be fair for both traditional and online modelsOnline CoursesOnline TeachingOnline Program oversight and accountability

Teacher PreparationDifferent set of skills for online teaching (offer in pre-service and in-service)Professional development and certificationTrue teaching reciprocity needed across states (as in North Dakota) to deal with teaching shortages

ResourcesProfessional Development

NACOL hosts conference: Virtual School Symposium (Phoenix, October 2008)NACOL Monthly Webinars

National Quality Standards for K-12 Online LearningNACOL National Standards of Quality for Online CourseNACOL National Quality Standards for Online TeachingComing . . . National Standards of Quality for K-12 Online Learning Institutions

K-12 Online Learning ReportsKeeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning by John Watson, Evergreen ConsultingNACOL Promising Practices Series

Blended LearningCredit Recovery NACOL National Primer on K-12 Online Learning

NACOL Research Reports:Access and Equity in K-12 Online LearningProfessional Development for Virtual Schools

21st Century Skills and Virtual SchoolsIdentifying Needs of States for Online Courses and Services

NACOL State Needs Assessments Project (11 states)

“Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make email usage look like a rounding error.” - John Chambers, Cisco CEO