American High School. inacol Standards for Quality Online Teachers Support

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1 American High School inacol Standards for Quality Online Teachers Support Standard A & B Teachers at American High School consider themselves part of a pioneering community of virtual educators. We recognize the value in not only collaborating amongst ourselves, but with teachers across the internet to share experiences and best practices. AHS teachers develop lessons on a daily basis, making use of a variety of online technologies. We use the internet to find technologies in a variety of mediums such as flash games, flowcharts, apps, etc. to construct flexible and effective learning for individual students or the student body as a whole. Teachers have the ability to alter entire courses to incorporate these tools, but also frequently send them to a segment of the class for whom they would be beneficial, or to specific students who require one-onone instruction. For example, teachers at AHS have created resources on Academic English and Citing Reliable Sources that have been sent via mass message for the enrichment of all students. Teachers make a continual effort to incorporate and maintain digital blended learning environments. Some of the mediums successfully implemented are the use of chatrooms, s, video conferencing, group webinars (online seminars), and instant messaging. Each teacher at AHS uses more than one of these tools with multiple students on a daily basis. Because teachers are the student s first point of contact, teachers can and often do help students troubleshoot. For example, a teacher can advise a student on a software to download to view an imbedded video and provide them with a link to do so. Students display a high level of comfort with their teachers in asking for help. All of American High School s teachers are credentialed to teach their specific subjects areas and can provide documentation upon request. Standard C Student-centered instructional strategies are frequently used throughout American High School courses. Science classes employ case studies about real-world historical events and walk students through labs that they perform individually at home or online. Classes across the curriculum use Webquests an inquiry-based activity where students are presented with a question or task that they must quest across multiple websites to fully explore. Self-directed learning happens frequently in English

2 classes, where each writing project requires a developmentally-appropriate level of autonomy on the students part to find a topic. For example, students practice persuasive writing techniques in 10 th grade by writing a letter to a publisher to entice the publisher to buy a manuscript. The students have the autonomy to choose a book they have read in class to sell, a personal favorite, or a fictional book they make up themselves. In English 11, students are instructed to write a persuasive paper on the topic of their choosing. In English 11, students are provided with a rubric of expectations and instructions on effective rhetorical devices, but must select their own subject matter to research and present. Teachers will incorporate small group work, collaborative learning, and discussion groups using mandatory video conferencing beginning November ((Four standards ask about the teacher s ability to facilitate online instruction groups. As of now, we do not have anything I would call an online instruction group. How should I evaluate and discuss this?)) American High School teachers recognize the value that diversity brings to an online community. Teachers work with students who have diverse backgrounds to be sure not only that the cultural or linguistic barriers are minimized for the student to be successful. For example, a student based out of Egypt discussed with her English teacher how to accommodate an assignment that asked the student to write a Thank You Letter following a job interview. The cultural differences between an American 10 th grader and an Egyptian 10 th grader warranted some accommodation, and that issue was gracefully resolved through a slight alteration to the assignment instruction. The student was able to gain the same practice as any American student in the end. Students with diverse learning needs can be similarly accommodated. Teachers work with school administrators, the parent, and the student to determine the student s learning strengths and use them to deliver the material. For instance, a more visual student may be encouraged to present their research through a video or power point presentation rather than an essay. The student receives the same academic benefit, but the assignment is customized for their personal strength. American High school courses use differentiated strategies to convey ideas and information. A given chapter may have videos, interactive flash games, as well as text to read. The assessments, then, ask students to assimilate what they have learned from these various media into a cohesive written or creative work. Teachers at American High School are trained in how to update their courses and how to use a wide variety of online tools. These allow teachers to adapt when they anticipate challenges in the online classroom. They can alter classes themselves, send targeted additional instruction to a small group of students, or make specific alterations for individual students. All American High School teachers were online students either

3 completely virtually or as part of blended instruction, and they apply their own experiences whether fond memories or their remembered frustrations to create the best possible online learning environment for American High School Students. Because collaboration and interaction are essential to learning and creating a learning environment, American High School facilitates a number of different kinds of interactions. Teacher-Student interaction occurs on a daily basis through s, instant message, video calling, and telephone calls. Student-Student interaction is occurs in our chatroom and our school-specific social networking site. These interactions are monitored by teachers, and often students demonstrate mentorship and friendship amongst one another; for example, more experienced students direct new students on how to submit their assignments in the chatroom. Mandatory teacher-led group discussions and lessons via Webinar will begin November Teacher-Parent interaction occurs to facilitate student learning, and may be done over the phone or via s. American High School has a lead teacher who acts as Mentor who interacts constantly with Teachers. The Lead Teacher conducts twice-weekly meetings to discuss team goals and challenges, and acts as liaison between teachers and administrators. She is always available to teachers who have questions, concerns, or need advice on how to execute a vision they have for their students using online tools. Standard D Communication Teachers communicate with students using the message center in the LMS, Skype, Webinars, and chat sessions. Teachers are careful with their word choice when addressing students. They write in accessible language and ask students if they understand. Expectations Teachers set clear expectations in course introductions, assignment directions, and through messages. Teachers define terms of interaction with students effectively by sending regular newsletters that remind students of the expected message format. Students are given a netiquette policy to sign upon enrollment that sets the expectation for proper internet behavior. When students have questions about assignment directions, course expectations, and behavioral expectations, teachers answer these questions promptly. Some course and assignment directions are unclear to students, and teachers are actively revising these directions to clarify and strengthen the expectations.

4 Feedback and Support Teachers provide individualized feedback to each student with each assignment graded. Teachers give supplemental explanations and learning materials to students who require greater support in their feedback, and encouragement to students who have done well. When students who are struggling contact teachers, teachers support these students through messages, skype, and one-on-one tutoring sessions. At this time, teachers are investigating the tools necessary to reach out to struggling students who are not making contact with teachers. Teachers will improve their ability to engage those silent struggling students through use of a failing grades tool within the LMS that will allow them to quickly identify struggling students, then take action to contact those students and develop learning plans with them. While students are in a course, they are invited to provide feedback on lessons, tests, and assignments that they find confusing. Students and parents also contact the school counselors when they have concerns about a course or teacher. Teachers promptly use this feedback to update the courses and improve their teaching quality. At the end of each course, students fill out a course survey. Teachers use these surveys to improve themselves and their courses. Standard E Academic Integrity Each course begins with a statement of academic honesty that underscores what plagiarism is, lists ways to avoid plagiarism, and provides links to plagiarism resources like plagiarism.org. Students write essays on ethics and academic honesty as part of their coursework in Science and English courses. Teachers strive to write assignment directions in a way that clearly emphasizes student work should be in their own words. Teachers choose assignment questions that will prompt individual thought and response. For example, in English courses they are asked to write using personal experience. When providing students with resources, teachers model fair use and compliance with intellectual property policies by properly paraphrasing information and citing sources used as necessary. When teachers find a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the student is required to write an essay on plagiarism and copyright, then redo the assignment. Information is given to the student in an individualized way to address their particular underlying reasons for the act of academic dishonesty. For example, if they simply did not know how to put something in their own words, the teacher gives them resources on paraphrasing. If the student feels incapable of doing the work for themselves, the teacher provides additional support and advice so that the student finds more confidence in their own capability.

5 Privacy Standards The teachers comply with FERPA and other privacy guidelines. Students and parents are allowed access to their records and grades. If the students and parents feel that their records or scores are inaccurate, teachers and school staff review the information and make corrections. Teachers and school staff do not release any records, scores, or information without express written consent from the parent or legal guardian of the student. Parents and students are allowed to opt out of inclusion by name in any school publication. Standard F Our team of teachers here at Intervisual Technology understand that students have different levels of learning and different students learn better using different learning techniques. We have different ways of identifying struggling students whether it is a student with an individualized education program or if they do not understand how to do an assignment. We have counselors on site that contact local personnel to verify IEP or 504 accommodations. We also have tech support on site to help students with any problems that they might encounter. A lot of IEPs just require more time for them to complete their assignments and tests. Because of our school model these students do not need any special classes because here students can go at there our own pace. Other students with IEPs need more individualized help. In these cases the teacher will communicate with the parents and take a course and customize it especially for that student. The teacher will design intensive courses and will pick which assessments to give to the student give more directive custom assignments and that use more manipulatives and have more individualized lessons. Accommodations are made for students if they have any special needs, yesterday a teacher was given an IEP from a counselor and the student was taking precalculus. The teacher spoke to the parent and made an assessment using scan-tron to cover the material from algebra and algebra II that the student would need to know to be able to be successful in pre-calculus. As soon as the student returns the assessment the teacher will schedule a tutoring session to discus what the student is struggling with and instruct her to go to lessons based on what she is understanding and keep in constant contact through Skype and the message center with the student and the students parents. If anyone of the teachers has any problem with anything we can instant message whomever we need to talk with or go to their office of anyone that we might need to speak with. Standard G Teachers are able to change assessments and create entirely new assessments but as of now it would take an ample amount of time to do so. Therefore, this action is

6 not performed too often at the moment. However, in the near future when the new school platform, Igeneration, is fully implemented the procedure to change assessments will take less time for teachers. On the contrary, teachers are able to easily deliver projects and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals and measure students achievement of learning goals. A teacher can change an assignment that is already in place, and we can also add a second part to an assignment of material that would enrich the students learning. Also, the assessments that students take, like the quizzes and tests give immediately feedback to the students once they finish so they can see the percentage that got. As well, each student is made aware of school policy of academic policy and turning in work in their own original ideas and completing assessments on their own without another person s assistance or cheating. This is so the student knows that they, alone, have to master the content of their coursework, so they can be successful in the course. Standard H Teachers at American High School strive to meet all the standards when presenting material from the courses. Course developers align all courses with the standards required for Florida, or the NGSSS. In the new platform they state each standard and which chapters are aligned with them. Although the chapters and assignments are relevant to the standards, I do not believe that the courses and assignments were created with the standards in mind. When the courses were created, they were not created to fit those standards. The information about how they align with the standards was added afterwards. They were initially created to increase understanding of the material in the textbook chosen and to assess that understanding. Because of the nature of the way these courses were created, they do not only give students understanding of what the state requirements are; they go beyond them. The fact that courses give students further understanding than what is required can be seen as a strength or a weakness, depending on the student. While this is good for some students, it is not good for all students. Students who struggle in a subject should only be required to take courses that include the information necessary according to the standards. Courses that go beyond the standards should only be used for students who excel in those courses. They should be reserved for students who want to be placed in honors or advanced placement classes. Students who progress at an average or below average level should not be required to go past the level outlined in the standards. Courses provide authentic assessments and authentic instruction for students. In civics, students are informed why it is important to know about their community. They are going to vote someday. In anatomy, they learn about how their body works. In mathematics, students use examples that correlate to real life. Some of these include

7 maximizing profits in pre-calculus and calculating mortgage payments in Consumer math. In Algebra students learn how to use percentages to calculate discounts on things they actually buy, like food or clothing. In English students learn about letter writing and job interview etiquette. This includes how to write a letter after a job interview. Teachers understand that the real life application of the material in the course is important to the student s success. Teachers use grading styles that not only measure student understanding, but they also the student s ability to follow instructions. They understand that school is not just about learning the material in courses, but also the students ability to conduct themselves in the real world. Part of the student s grade includes using the proper heading. Students who do not complete assignments properly are asked to redo the assignments according to the assignment instructions. The goals of the teachers also include the enhancement of academic integrity. In addition to receiving a zero on the assignment, students who plagiarize are asked to write a plagiarism essay. In the assignment they must use outside sources to write the essay and cite them properly. Although courses provide summative assessment, they do not provide formative assessments. Students are evaluated based on the material, and the courses do not provide formative support. Although courses do not provide formative assessments, teacher s use the scores on the summative assessments to create formative instruction. This is provided by feedback and the permission to redo assignments. Since students do no always receive direct instruction when they are learning material, redoing assignments is a way of getting the practice that they would have received in a classroom. They learn by making mistakes and then fixing them. Teachers are also utilizing a new method of formative instruction provided by Scantron and its performance-based testing. When students take these tests, they are directed to different questions based on their performance. When they get correct answers, questions get harder and when they get incorrect answers, questions get easier. The results of the test will be used to create individualized instruction for the students. Teachers are familiar with standards and understand the relationship between the standards and the courses. They have access to revise courses and assessments. With this knowledge and capability, teachers can assure that material is aligned with the standards. Standard I We have students data readily available to us where we can use that data to incorporate instruction that would best meet the students needs. For instance, before students are enrolled in a class, if a specialized educational plan is necessary for a particular student; teachers are notified beforehand and such accommodations may

8 come in the form of an IEP, or additional instruction such as one on one tutoring with a teacher for that student in need. One of the most important components to the LMS that the teachers have access to and is very useful is the reports drop down box. These reports show data for the time spent within the course and specifically the chapters and assessments. As well, it gives data on assessments that students are failing if there are any. So, teachers can use this information for intervention for students who are failing assessments and take the necessary actions and communicate this with the student where adjustments can made either with the students or even adjust the assessment itself if this action is necessary. Teachers have the ability to review all assessments and if they do not correspond with standards or if there are inconsistencies within the assessment, the teacher can address those issues and make adjustment within the assessments as needed. For example, teachers can adjust questions or answers in assessments if inconsistencies are found and this directly relates to students failing an assessment. As well, teachers can personalize instruction for individual students since we do communicate daily with students one on one through or Skype. This can be in the form of tutoring, or if I am communicating with a student through ; I can give an alternative assignment for a student that may not understand the coursework so that it can enhance their ability to comprehend the content. For an example, a student asked if she could be given an alternative project of creating a pamphlet instead of using a power point on an assignment because she can show her creativity; I allowed her to do so without deviating from the core content she is to show mastery of. In addition, the reports data gives teachers the necessary information to monitor students progression within the course to assure students are spending sufficient amount of time within the course; which is approximately 20 hours a week and 80 hours per month within all courses that a student is registered in. Teachers have access to every component within the course that a students have access to. In addition to that, teachers can manage the course. Though, there should be more ways for the teachers to evaluate instructional strategies to attest its usefulness for presenting specific ideas and concepts to the students; as of now the teacher can only use the data from the reports as well as the grades students are receiving to measure this. As well, current students as well as past students at the school will have their data always available; so a teacher can look at trends on how students, past and current, have or are performing on specific assignments and use that in planning instruction for the current as well as future students. Also, teachers communicate with students through and these s are kept as record of communication. However, any other communication outside of the LMS is through Skype, tutoring, or phone at the work site; teachers are required to log and maintain records of communications between students and parents if necessary; by having an account, Zoho, where teacher logs any tutoring or phone communications.

9 All teachers keep a daily schedule and are encouraged to be organized with our time. Usually, teachers spend time on grading students work, communicating with students, tutoring sessions, and teacher meeting directly related to the enrichment of the students and how to best meet students need. Teachers are readily available to give feedback to students in a timely manner, sometimes by the minute; when teachers receive s from students we are able to respond immediately if logged into the LMS. However, teachers cannot always know of the students readiness for course content because students may have other personal problems interfering with them completing their coursework at a specific time and times like that a teacher will not know what has arose at any given time unless a student communicates that with a teacher. Therefore, students are encouraged to be responsible if they are unable to log into their courses for a specialized amount of time and to communicate with their teachers if they are prevented in any way of not being able to work in their courses. Also, the grades students received and teachers can give feedback in the form of notes on assignments, essays, and worksheets that students complete that state specifically how they performed and the reasons why. Generally, students are able to self-assess by the feedback that is given to them; and teachers can give ways for improvements if necessary so the student will have useful ways on making that happen. Therefore, teachers understand their role in empowering students to do their best and expect for the students to put forth adequate effort in mastering the content. Standard J Interacting with the larger educational community to develop professionally is a priority for American High School teachers. Several teachers on staff are currently pursuing higher education within the Education field including graduate school and additional certification. This shows that their commitment to professional development and means that they are continuously engaged in an academic discussion of educational best practices. American High School teachers have also done professional observations with a blended school, where AHS teachers spent a day observing teachers using a blended virtual and in-person classroom, interacting with the students, and meeting afterward with teachers to discuss the strengths of their classroom along with the weaknesses. These professional exchanges were enriching for all teachers involved. Communicating with parents throughout the school year is cornerstone to student success. Parents have full access through our LMS to view up-to-the-minute progress reports and teacher feedback at any time. Parents are contacted via or phone by their teachers whenever necessary. Some examples include:

10 Student is failing a class Student commits some form of academic dishonesty such as plagiarism Student shows a misunderstanding of how to effectively move through their courses or complete their classwork Student work reflects a lack of effort or student is not incorporating teacher feedback into their work Student writing discusses themes that may warrant intervention (such as an essay about suicide or bullying) Student work is exceptional and merits praise Teachers also have time set aside in the weekly schedules available to schedule meetings with parents who express concerns of their own. Standard K Our team of teachers here at intervisual understand up to date with the latest technology, digital literacies, 21 st century skills, and use every possible resource to enhance the learning experience of our students. We have Skype sessions to help tutor individuals and are incorporating new technologies such as Big Blue Button to have more face to face interaction with our students in a group setting. We are using ipads and educational applications to help get across difficult material and make the learning experience fun and productive. Our teachers can create and alter the course curriculum at any time to change the content of the course. We are both teachers and curriculum designers, but we also have full time curriculum designers to help us modify courses to better meet the needs of our students or to align our courses better with the standards that we use. If a new or better media, presentation tools, or curriculum is found we can add it to our course whether it is an interesting article, video, other interactive tool. to be superior to the existing material or to compliment the existing material. In biology we not only use virtual labs but also hands on at home labs to help students grasp the subject material that is being taught but also virtual labs as well as classic teaching methods. In math some subject specific software that we use I geogebra.