Modularized Developmental Education at MTDA: 3/8/10

Montana Digital AcademyRyan Schrenk, Instructional

Coordinator

Director

Robert Currie

Curriculum Director

Jason Neiffer

Instructional Coordinator

Ryan Schrenk

Ian Jeffrey Schrenk – Born 3/9/10

Where I was a year ago tomorrow:

Montana Digital Academy – employed December 1, 2011

Pilot underway with 2 schools

Where I was 4 months ago:

MTDA Connect Credit Retrieval– Over 300 enrollments, 29 schools and counting. Today: What it is, how it works and how it can work for you…

Where we are today:

MTDA SummaryWhat is the Montana Digital Academy (MTDA)?

Montana Digital Academy 20-7-1201. Montana virtual academy -- purposes

-- governance. (1) There is a Montana virtual academy at a unit of the Montana university system.      (2) The purposes of the Montana virtual academy are to:      (a) make distance learning opportunities available to all school-age children through public school districts in the state of Montana;      (b) offer high-quality instructors who are licensed and endorsed in Montana and courses that are in compliance with all relevant education and distance learning rules, standards, and policies; and      (c) emphasize the core subject matters required under the accreditation standards, offer advanced courses for dual credit in collaboration with the Montana university system, and offer enrichment courses.

Montana Digital Academy

Funded by 61st Legislature

Free to Montana K-12 Students

Housed at UM College of Education

Executive Director and Curriculum Director Hired Early 2010

Curriculum, Courses Created and Faculty Hired 2010

First Courses September 2010

Instructional Program Coordinator Hired December 2010

Three Types of Offerings

MTDA Courses

Dual Credit Courses

MTDA Connect (Credit Retrieval)

Credit Recovery,

Credit Retrieval

"What I think we want to use online learning to do is to escape the traditional factory model that treats every student the same way on the same

day" –Bill Gates January 28, 2010 USNews

Credit Recovery or Credit Retrieval

Usually defined as an in-school opportunity for students to earn academic credits that they have lost, or are about to lose, by failing a regular course.

–edweek.org 10/20/2008

History of Credit Retrieval

Remediation in math increased 72% in public 4-year colleges between 1950-1980

1983 – Nation at Risk Published

Nation At Risk led to NCLB

Alliance for Excellent Education (2008) – 30% of HS students fail to graduate on time

---Loupa (2010)

Montana has new statewide tracking system now (AIM number) with numbers quoted around 78% graduation rate

Gates – 1 to 1 Computing

Improve academic achievement

Equalizing access to digital resources

Change the nature and quality of instruction

Improve economic competitiveness by providing students with real-world skills

Why credit retrieval to keep pace?

Factors for dropout Early grade academic

achievement High school test scores Being held back a grade

-California Dropout Research Project (2008)

Types of Credit Retrieval

1. Focused Learning Efforts

K-12 After school programs Saturday or summer School Block scheduling Academies Early ID of at-risk population

College Fast-track/focused programs Adult Basic Ed Veteran’s Upward Bound

Commercial Computer-Based Solutions

2. Commercial ProductsAventaPLATONovaNETApexFlorida VirtualK-12.comKhan Academy (

http://www.khanacademy.org/)

Credit Retrieval is

needed How does a school decide what, who and

how?How do they afford it?

How to staff it?Who has time to plan, coordinate, support

it?

MTDA Connect- home-grown attempt to:

Combine intrusive focused learning

With individualized/computer based solution

MTDA Connect Credit

Retrieval Program

What is it? How Does It Work?

MTDA RoleProvide scalable state-wide solution for Credit

Retrieval

MTDA Connect Charge

Accessible/secure/comprehensive solution

Purchased centrally, shared widely

Technical support

Enrollment management

Curricular oversight

Integrated solution? Coming Soon

How Schools Get Involved

District Rep contacts us

Fills out enrollment form(s)

Go through short orientation

Figure out how to support students locally

How MTDA Connect Works

MTDA + local facilitator + academic coach

Online access 24/7 to curriculum

Modular, individualized, self-paced

Module tests open for 2 tries

Post-tests unlocked manually and monitored locally

How MTDA Connect Works

PLATO Vocabulary

Tracking and communication

Pre-test, module exemption or module mastery, post-test

Grade reports

PLATO Learning Environment (PLE)

Time-based model Based on Caroll (1963) “Quality instruction is defined by a

structure based on knowing what objectives are, access to content and carefully planned and specified wide range of instructional events”

Mastery Learning Model Based on Bloom (1987) Bloom preferred self-paced learning or

adjusting the time to the student’s aptitude

---Loupa (2010)

Bloom’s 5 Steps For Mastery Learning

1. Notify of objectives

2. Organize into small units

3. Materials and strategies should be identified and used consistently

4. Each unit has pre-test

5. Allow for/provide supplementary instruction

Academic Coach

Role Responsibilities

Why use coaches?

Wide variety of programs at local level

Balance with local needs to provide support

Grading or teaching needs

Changes equation for students

Subject matter certified

Modifications to curriculum

Communication

Monthly meeting with MTDA and Coaches

PLE messaging

Email to facilitators and students

Google docs and dropbox.com for shared files

Toll free fax to email service for written work

Phone calls

Taking Content Retrieval to the Next Level

Analysis of curriculum/prioritize offline activities Support Site Teacher Materials Curriculum maps

Suggestions for improvements

Modifications and Planning

Monthly Update Meetings

Site FacilitatorWays to track and support credit retrieval

students

Facilitators

Class management Local eyes and ears for MTDA Connect Passwords Enrollments

Tracking and Management Help logging in then making students

do it Working on curriculum Formative assistance Conduit for communication Tracking work Grades and final assessment

Final Lesson…so far

"Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.“ - Cofucius

Do’s and Don’ts

Do something

Don’t wait, our students need us

Do’s and Don’ts

Do use technology to deliver

Don’t use it to babysit or purely reward

Do’s and Don’ts

Do get “intrusive” in Credit Retrieval or Remedial Education

Don’t expect different results without changing the variables

Questions? Interested in discussing or partnering?

Contact Ryan Schrenk ryan.schrenk@mso.umt.edu ryan.schrenk@montanadigitalacademy.

org

406-243-6122 Skype: ryan.schrenk Twitter: hardball8

This presentation is available at slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/rschrenk