This was fantastic - definitely a highlight of my conference! It was a panel discussion and I quickly realized that I really like the panel format. It was very interactive – with the panel participants talking with one another and it allowed a lot of time for Q & A. Over the last 5 years, one of the fastest growing trends in education is online schools. This panel was full of pioneers who have all had tremendous success implementing state-wide online schools.
Maribel Sevilla from ISTE Research and Evaluation was the Chair. The presenters were William Thomas from Southern Regional Education Board; Melinda Maddox of Alabama Department of Education; Matthew Wicks from the Illinois Virtual School; Robert Currie from the Michigan Virtual School; and Pam Birtolo of the Florida Virtual School. Each presenter spoke for about 5-10 minutes and then at the end we were able to ask questions. This was very well attended with standing room only.
Mr. Thomas (SREB) spoke about the considerations for planning state virtual schools. They have seen “skyrocketing” growth in virtual schooling across the country as educators search for ways to improve education. In addition, there has been a lot of success in students taking online classes. One of the biggest advantages online schools offer students is a wider variety of courses than their local school can offer. Mr. Thomas spoke emphatically about the need for quality with cost control.
Ms. Maddox addressed the importance of having state department and legislative support to back a virtual school. Their program is called ACCESS Distance Learning (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide) and it was created by the Alabama Department of Education in October 2005. It provides the infrastructure needed for online education and it also provides the courses and teachers. The aim is to provide access to AP courses; additional courses; and remediation courses that are not offered in their schools. Currently there are 12 pilot schools which offer both asynchronous and synchronous online classes.
Mr. Wicks is from Illinois Virtual High School which has been in existence for 5 years. IVHS offers curriculum to all regular and alternative education students – the goal being equity of access. Mr. Wicks emphasized the ability of online schools and courses to meet students individualized learning needs. He encouraged us all to throw away preconceived notions of what type of student is successful in an online environment. Online teaching methods have improved and it is possible to reach a wide variety of learners online.
Michigan Virtual High School has been in existence for 6 years – since 1999 - and is supported financially by the state. Mr. Currie stated that there are over 7000 enrollments for this fall. In addition, they also offer a variety of test preparation courses that are not included in the general enrollment numbers. Since 1999, Michigan has been investigating what it means to be a 21st Century student.
Michigan is the first state to require students to have taken at least one online course as part of graduation requirements. Starting in the fall, all incoming 8th graders will be required to have an online course experience in order to graduate. Mr. Currie emphasized that online learning can be for every student and can meet the individualized needs of every learner with proper online teaching and facilitation.
Ms. Birtolo from Florida Virtual School began by agreeing with Mr. Currie and Mr. Wicks – online classes are for every student. The Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In the fall, they will have over 50,000 students (grades 6-12) enrolled in their courses. They have 476 teachers. FLVS contributes their success to student-centered learning and high quality teachers. In student surveys, FLVS has found over and over that students find the connection with the teacher to be the best part of their online experience. For students, it is not about the technology or taking classes online – it is about the relationship they have with their teacher.
This session allowed for a long session of Q & A. Some topics that came up during this time included:
1. Scalability – the online school program must be able to scale up to allow for large numbers of students. They discusses how often paperwork processes are the biggest hindrance to scalability. It is important to be sure your processes are not a barrier for students who want to take online classes.
2. 11 states have virtual schools by legislative actions.
3. No virtual school offers a diploma – the diploma comes from the local school district.
4. Funding is – and will continue to be – a huge issue in online schools. Online schools cannot become more expensive than traditional schools. Currently, there is little leadership at the federal level for online school funding.
5. Quality of teaching and teacher accountability. Most of these programs have high standards for hiring and maintain a strong training program.
6. Course ownership and intellectual property is more of an issue in college courses than in K-12 online schools. Right now the model is that schools create the content for online courses themselves, or they buy the course from a 3rd party like an online school. The school decides whether they will have their own teachers facilitate the course or use a teacher from the online school.
7. Home-schooled students often utilize online schools to take one or two courses – similar to students in the districts.
The final note that all the presenters wanted to make was to again emphasize that online classes are not for a certain “type” of student. Do not pre-judge students and exclude students based on an old profile of a successful online student. Online courses are engaging and individualized – students have a strong relationship with their teacher and often receive more one-on-one help than in a traditional face-to-face class.
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