Steps to Creating a Successful Online/Blended Model Program

Transcription

1 Steps to Creating a Successful Online/Blended Model Program A Resource Handbook

2 This free permission is limited to the reproduction of material for educational/training events. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution (more than 25 copies per year) or inclusion of items in publications for sale may be done only with prior written permission. Also, reproduction on computer disk or by any other electronic means requires prior written permission. Requests for permission should be addressed to Integrated Educational Strategies P.O. Box 2227, Powder Springs, Georgia, or online at

3 Table of Contents Steps to Creating a Successful Online/Blended Program Introduction Step 1: Define the Program Structure Step 2: Collaborate With Stakeholders Step 3: Evaluate and Build the Infrastructure A. Eliminating Policy Barriers B. Developing Supportive Policies i. Governance ii. Instruction iii. Instructional Materials iv. Student Use and Engagement v. Outreach vi. Enrollment vii. Evaluation Step 4: Time to Launch! Step 5: Create a Relevant and Useful Evaluation Step 6: Share With Others Appendix A: Six Rivers Virtual Academy Achievements Appendix B: Resources Appendix C: Glossary of Key Blended Model Terms

4 Introduction Educating students who have the skills and knowledge to succeed in the 21 st is a daunting challenge for educators. We are facing educational crises needing new solutions. One of the crises is the High School dropout rate. Nearly one-third of students don t earn a high school diploma. Last year, 1.3 million U.S. students failed to graduate from high school. This year, an average of 7,200 students - every day will drop out of school. (1) A second but related crisis is literacy. How will we compete in the global economy when students cannot read? One-third of fourth graders and onequarter of eighth graders are functionally illiterate according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2) One solution? Blended Learning. Simply put, our students deserve the opportunity to be trained and educated in the skills that will allow them to compete in the global marketplace. Blended learning is at the core of that skill set. Online learning is rapidly expanding in and out of the traditional classroom. The 2010 Generation M!: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation published a study showing that 8-18 year-olds spend an average of 53 hours each week consuming media; multimedia is clearly a student s chosen modality. (3) In grades K-12, the use of online learning is increasing at 30% annually and is available to students in 48 states plus Washington, DC. (4) Six Rivers understands this revolution in learning and offers an innovative instructional model that engages students and offers them the opportunity to gain 21st century skills. They are providing them with a blended learning opportunity in order to attack weak reading skills, which contributes to poor academic performance, disengagement and for some dropping out of high school. In California alone, over 199,400 students did not graduate from high schools in The lost lifetime earnings in California for that class of dropouts alone total nearly $52 billion. If California s high schools graduated all of their students ready for college, the state could save as much as $688 million a year in community college remediation costs and lost earnings. California s economy could see a combination of crime-related savings and additional revenue of about $1.1 billion

5 each year if the male high school graduation rate increased by just 5 percent.(5) How will we compete in the global economy when students cannot read? If we can stem the tide of illiteracy by providing effective reading instruction, it will increase graduation rates, save the state money and contribute to the overall health of our nation. While most educators agree that something must be done to address these educational crises, the idea of starting a Blended Model program can be a daunting task. Some may even raise the red flag and surrender before they begin. The purpose of this handbook is to provide non-biased information related to first understanding the basics on how online learning actually works and then provide a step-by-step start-up process to integrating 21 st century technology with traditional face-to-face instruction. This handbook gives you the practical help you need to get started. In addition to this handbook, there are several resources to support you on your journey. Integrated Educational Strategies ( is a non-profit organization run by seasoned educators and provides step-by-step assistance from planning to implementation. Innosight Institute ( has just recently published a white paper entitled The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: A Profile of Emerging Models. Several different models of blended programs are defined in the paper. The International Association for Online Learning (inacol) ( is a non-profit membership organization that supports and drives innovation in online learning through advocacy, research and resources. Many terms related to online education have been tossed around the educational water cooler in recent years. The definitions of these terms can vary greatly depending on who uses them. Before moving forward you may want to glance through the glossary of common terms and their definitions as defined by industry leaders in Appendix C to provide greater clarity while reading the handbook.

6 Step 1: Define the Program Structure For some the most difficult part of any project is getting started. There are many questions, many decisions, and many risks in starting a new program; and usually there s very little time to get it all done. The good news is that there is no right way to design a Blended Model program. Each Blended Model program will look different based on factors such as the needs of the students being targeted, the community in which it is being developed, the educators involved in designing the school, and the funding available. The goal is to build a program customized for your specific needs. However, there are key components to every successful online program that must be taken into consideration prior to implementation. The goal is to address these key components while customizing a program to meet your specific organizational needs.. The key to the success of your Blended Model program is defining your organizational structure followed by the creation of a well-thought through strategic plan. It requires asking and answering some important questions. On the following page are a few questions to help get you started. They need to be carefully thought through and answered before proceeding. Take the time necessary to clearly formulate your answers. Be sure to include your stakeholders in this process.

7 Questions to Consider When Developing a Program Structure Creating a Blended Model Program Handbook Purpose Why are you starting a blended model program? What do you hope to accomplish by beginning this program? Audience Who is your target audience? Why this audience? Describe the student you hope to attract to this school? Outreach How will your targeted student know you exist? What is your targeted geographic region? Are there other programs in the area that serve your targeted group? How will you distinguish yourself from the competition? Program Type Will your program be full or part time? What is the geographic reach of your program? How much face time will be required? Will you build your own courses or purchase a license from a curriculum provider? Mission & Vision What is your mission? Can it be stated clearly and concisely? What is your vision? Can it be stated clearly and concisely? How will you communicate your mission and vision?

8 Step 2: Collaborate with Stakeholders It is critical to the success of the school to identify your stakeholder groups and find ways to seek their input throughout the entire process of starting a Blended Model program. Giving them a measure of control over some of the decisions will help stakeholders develop a sense of ownership in the school even before the doors open. The importance of their buy-in cannot be overstated. They will support and help you sell the concept of a Blended Model program to a community that may view this new venture with skepticism. Key questions to help identify your stakeholders: Who are the people most interested in the success of the program? Who will be most effected by the program? Who are your problem solvers? Who can help design the program? Who brings a new or different prospective to the program?

9 Students District and State Department of Education Teachers Community Common Stakeholders Administration Support Staff Parents

10 Step 3: Evaluate and Build the Infrastructure A. Eliminating Policy Barriers There have been two reports recently published addressing the policy barriers to digital learning. The Digital Learning Now report published in December 2010 by the Foundation for Excellence in Education was a collaborative effort between 100 leaders in education, government, business, technology, philanthropy and think tanks to outline the reforms necessary to move digital learning forward. The Digital Learning Council agreed upon 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning and listed the policy barriers for each element. To learn more about the Digital Learning Now report go to: aspx. The Rise of K-12 Learning was published in May 2010 by Innosight Insititute. The report profiles 40 Blended Model programs across the country and provides pertinent information about digital learning. Below is the list of policy barriers that need to be eliminated according to the paper: Eliminating the cap on the enrollment of students in online or blended-learning programs or courses Eradication rules about class-size and student-teacher ratios Abolishing geographic barriers as to what online courses students may take Removing school site definitions that limit blended-learning models where a portion of student learning occurs in traditional school buildings and the rest occurs offsite Moving to a system where students progress based on their mastery of academic standards or competencies as opposed to seat time or the traditional school calendar Lifting the rules around certification and licensure to let schools slot paraprofessionals or capable but not state-certified teachers into appropriate

11 assistive or instructional roles and enable schools to extend the reach of great teachers across multiple, geographically disparate locations Allowing schools to adopt staffing arrangements and redefine teacher roles according to teacher effectiveness and student needs Enabling operators to design staffing, pay, curriculum, scheduling, budgets, student discipline, and school culture to meet the needs of their students Facilitating assessments that can be taken at any time Creating funding models that allow fractional per-pupil funds to follow students down to the individual course, not just the full-time program Tying a portion of the per-pupil funds to an individual student mastery, whereby states pay bonuses when students achieve mastery at an academic level or students realize the biggest gains between pre-and post-assessment (so as to incentivize programs to serve students who have historically struggled the most) Holding operators to strict accountability measure that allow state and district officials to identify and intervene rapidly in struggling schools an close those that fail repeatedly to meet achievement targets There are several policy barriers of greatest concern for those considering the implementation of a Blended Model program in California. Independent Study regulations is the first barrier that can pose regulatory and operational challenges. Make sure that you understand the regulations, limitations and application to your program before you begin. More information can be found on the California Department of Education website ( The second policy barrier that needs to be eliminated is funding based on seat time. Students receive state funds for the amount of time spent at school. This may work in a traditional class, but for those students engaged in fully online and/or blended learning, a more equitable policy would be to base funding on course completion. A third barrier In the state of California, is the A-G designation for some online course adoptions. For students who want to attend the CSU or UC system schools, all courses

12 on their transcript must be A-G approved to meet admittance requirements. New schools, including charter schools must apply as a provider for A-G submission, and then submit their courses for approval. Complete information on this process can be found at: ( B. Developing Supportive Policies Schools are no stranger to policies. They are governed by federal laws or policies; they are governed by state laws or policies, they are governed by county laws or policies, and they are governed by district policies. What is interesting to note is that what might be a policy in one district may merely be a procedure in another. The term policy will vary depending on where the school is located. It is important to be aware of the federal, state and district policies in your area. Individual schools need to create their own policies so they run effectively and efficiently. School-wide policies tend to be very specific and cover more of the operational day-to-day issues like attendance. Whatever policies you establish be sure to let your attorney review them to be certain they comply with federal, state and district law. Ensure that your school policies are properly adopted by the district Board of Trustees and clearly communicated with your staff, students and parents.

13 School Policies Should Include: Governance Instruction Instructional Materials Student Use, Engagement & Safety Outreach Enrollment Processes Evaluation

14 i. Governance The governance structure established for your school needs to be part of your school policy. These are a few of the possible governance structures: Charter school managed by an independent, 501 (C)(3) Board Traditional school district program serving students from multiple sites Traditional school district program serving students from a single site Each school needs to have a decision-making group. This may be a school board or an advisory team. Policies related to the election of officers, their role in the organization, their authority in terms of the budget and decisions need to be written. In addition, once the group has convened they will need to decide the process for adopting future policies. ii. Instruction Teachers in a Blended Model program are living in two worlds the brick-and-mortar world and the online world. One issue that is a nonnegotiable in both worlds is the need for the teacher to hold a valid teaching license in the subject matter they are teaching and in the state they are teaching. Teachers need to have a clear understanding of their job expectations. A detailed job description outlining both their face-to-face and virtually responsibilities will give teachers the direction they need to be successful. There are many issues that need to be addressed in order to establish a fair and equitable working environment for teachers. Will you attempt to replicate the brick and mortar model or will you allow for greater flexibility? Another decision that needs to written into policy is how you will address scheduled work hours for your teachers. Of

15 course, they will need to be present whenever they are teaching face-to-face, but will they be expected to keep office hours when they work virtually or will they be able to make their own schedule? Depending on your target group, it may make sense to have teachers available for students evenings and weekends, which means they may need to be given a flexible schedule during the 8-4 work day. If you are integrating a virtual component, where will teachers work on their virtual days? Will they be able to work remotely? If so, can they set their own schedule? Are they expected to be available online during the typical school day or are they free to schedule work hours outside of the traditional school day? How will schedules and work time be reported to their supervisor? Smart use of the learning management system will support communication and teacher interaction. Teacher evaluations are important to address in your policies related to teaching staff. For most administrators evaluating a teacher s face-to-face instruction is relatively easy. They have had experience evaluating teachers and the classroom experience in a Blended Model program will be similar. The lesson plans and the actual instruction can be different than the brick-and-mortar lesson. Administrators will need to understand the nuances, challenges and opportunities of online instruction methods before they step into the virtual world to evaluate teachers. A good resource to help create a rubric for evaluation is inacols s National Standards for Quality Online Teaching. In addition to evaluating the virtual instruction, you will need to decide what role, if any, communication such as phone logs or s will play in the evaluation process. A teacher s evaluation of their own teaching can be useful as a component of the evaluation. You will need to determine if that should be written into your policies. One issue for which a policy is necessary is that of class size. It would be easy to default to the class sizes in a traditional brick-and-mortar school, but in the interest and fairness of teachers and students it might be best to determine class size based on the amount of 1:1 teaching necessary for the successful completion of the class. Be sure to check state regulations for your program. For instance, in California, if you govern your program under the Independent Study regulations, then you might be subject to a

16 25:1 maximum class size ratio. The better question might be how many students can a teacher successfully lead through a particular course? Policies related to expectations for course completion and adding and dropping courses need to be in place. In some schools a course may actually be considered complete when it is 80% done. For others it is when all lessons are attempted. What constitutes completion in your program? Some schools may allow for a two week trial period in which students may drop classes without having it affect their record, but what if they drop mid semester? How does that affect their transcript? How will it affect the payment for the course if it is purchased commercially? What about adding classes? Will students be given a window in which they can add a class? Will there be rolling enrollment? You will also need to define when a student actually begins the course. Is it when they sign up? When they complete the first lesson? Or is it when the course appears on their LMS? Finally, what if a student is not engaged in the course? At what point can s/he be dropped from the class? What is the process to remove a student from a class? The clearer these issues are outlined in your policies the more confusion you will avoid later. In a Blended Model program students are expected to have face time at a school setting, learning center or with an instructor in an academic environment. You will need to decide how much time you expect students to be engaged in this non-virtual academic environment. What policies are in place to enforce your face time requirements? What happens when the face time requirements are not met? Will you allow web conferencing as a substitute for face time? If students are expected to be on site, are there any provisions for transportation? Once students are onsite, what activities or subjects are teachers expected to cover? Is this something you allow teachers to decide or is there a school-wide subject covered onsite? Can students simply complete their online assignments with the guidance and supervision of the teacher while they are onsite? How you structure students onsite time needs to be clarified in your school policies.

17 Another instructional policy to consider writing is related to student-teacher interaction. How often are teachers to communicate with their students? Can students expect a quicker response time during the school day if the teacher is working virtually? How quickly can a student expect to hear from their teacher during non-traditional hours? iii. Instructional Materials The biggest question most educators have when starting a Blended Model program is whether to build their own courses or to buy them from a commercial vendor. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. In either case there needs to be high course quality standards. One resource that can be used to evaluate curriculum is inacol National Standards of Quality Online Courses. If you decide to build your own, you will need to develop policies to address the assembling of an instructional design team, the necessary training of the team, the timeline required to build the course, and the process to evaluate the completed curriculum. If you decide to buy commercially produced curriculum from a vendor you will need to develop policies to address how the courses will be reviewed, who will review them, and how often will they be reviewed. Selecting a commercially produced curriculum may seem like a daunting task. The decision is often based on the vision and purpose of your Blended Model program. If you are targeting AP students for a STEM program that narrows your choices to curriculum providers that offer those classes. If you are targeting students who are in need of a credit recovery program than select a curriculum that is designed for credit recovery. The selection of a curriculum would be best made by a team comprised of administrators, teachers and curriculum specialists who have the ability to test drive the curriculum and evaluate it in light of their needs. You may discover a curriculum

18 that is strong in one subject area and weaker in another. At that point, it may be possible to use two different providers, but you will need to be sure both curriculums can be supported on the LMS you ve chosen. If that cannot be done it will be important to prioritize your needs in order to make the best decision possible. The LMS is the technology tool that houses the course content and allows for communication between student and teacher. It is a necessity for a Blended Model program. Selecting an LMS is not unlike selecting an automobile. The functions are the same, but the features may vary from one provider to the next. You want to be sure to get the features in an LMS that best meet the needs of your program. There are two basic types of Learning Management Systems to choose from. The first is a commercial vendor. Schools purchase the licensing software and the company provides training and support. The commercial vendor generally spent a considerable amount of investment capital to design the best management system. They also have the experience in onboarding the LMS and can make the initial start-up quite simple for new users. In addition, they can provide the technical support needed when the inevitable glitches occur. However, cost, ongoing licensing fees and lack of flexibility in changing the course content are concerns others have raised in using commercial vendors for their LMS. A second type of LMS is using an open source like Moodle. The biggest advantage to this system is the cost. They are free to inexpensive to users. However, your personnel time will not be free. This cost must be carefully considered before venturing out on your own. The software reflects the common needs of those that use it and can be modified or customized to meet your needs. The disadvantage to this type of LMS is that there is not built in technical support although there may be vendors willing to provide tech support at a cost. Does your staff have the technical abilities to maintain and update the system as needed? Do they have the time to spare to keep it current? Other districts have discovered that this can be a larger time drain on staff members than originally estimated.

19 iv. Student Use, Engagement & Safety Most brick-and-mortar schools have students sign an Acceptable Use Policy for Technology to ensure they are using the technology at school appropriately. While this policy is necessary in a Blended Model program, there are additional issues to address. One important issue is that of privacy. Is course related communication such as submitted work, , chats, blog postings discussion threads considered private? Who can access a student s account and under what circumstances? Can a teacher not involved in a student s course view their work? Can a parent? Can the school open the student s account to show prospective students what a course looks like? What information are parents able to access? Another issue is what other online tools and resources will a student have the ability to access and when will they be allowed to access it? Social networking sites, video streaming and communication tools can all be excellent resources to supplement student learning. Yet they can also be distractions that keep students from completing coursework and using their time appropriately. Your Blended Model program will need to put policies in place to ensure students are achieving their academic goals. Internet safety and security policies should be firm and well understood for both faculty and students. You will need to decide which staff member(s) is responsible for distributing and maintaining school-issued computers, and which staff member(s) is responsible for monitoring student use of the computers. All schools deal with the issue of academic integrity. In a Blended Model program teachers will have the challenge of monitoring both their face-to-face AND online work to be sure it is completed by the student. Teachers know how to look for less than stellar academic integrity in the face-to-face environment, and knowing their students and the quality of their online work will help them identify the same in the virtual world. Online tools have been developed to assist teachers in identifying potential plagiarism. For instance, one school uses a service that evaluates all student produced writing

20 samples. The teacher submits the sample to the service online and it is returned with a hit score. The score indicates how many phrases were lifted directly from Internet sites. The higher the score, the more the plagiarism. Students are educated on this process at the beginning of the semester so that they are aware that their work will be checked for authenticity. The teacher will then grade the paper for content, prose and grammatical correctness. These tools have been a great asset for teachers both in the traditional classroom settings and the Blended Model learning setting. School policies will need to be specific when addressing academic integrity. For instance, what constitutes dishonesty? When does a parent cross the line between helping the student with their research paper, for example, doing it for them? Is it dishonest to find answer online rather than complete an assignment as given? When it comes to plagiarism, do students understand what it is and how to avoid it? Do they have the skills to summarize and put ideas in their own words? If they don t, they may not even realize what they are doing. When students are fully aware of their plagiarizing you will want to have a disciplinary policy in place that explains the entire process as well as the consequences for their actions. v. Outreach Now that you have created the best, innovative program in your area don t you want to let others know that it exists? Word of mouth is always the best outreach tool you have, but you may consider other strategies to get the word out. Well-crafted outreach materials such as flyers, folders and video will help you sell your school. Open houses, preview days, info sessions and more will let people know that your new program is open, ready and eager to enroll students in your targeted demographic area.

21 vi. Enrollment Processes If there is intent to enroll students outside of the school district it is important to include a policy stating your residency requirements. Generally, students wishing to transfer to a new district must have a completed and approved Interdistrict Transfer Form. To learn more about enrolling students beyond district boundaries check the California Department of Education website ( Unless you have a state-wide waiver, charter schools in California are bound by the contiguous county enrollment limitation. Schools can enroll students within the county in which they are authorized and any county which touches the borders of the home district county. Learning in a Blended Model program will mostly likely be a new experience for students and their families. In order to give them a clear understanding of the unique aspects of this type of education and to communicate expectations, a pre-enrollment session might be helpful. Families would have the opportunity to decide whether they would be a good fit for your school prior to enrollment. This would be a cost savings for the school as you would avoid the expense of enrolling them only to have them leave the program prior to completing the course or school year. Students cannot be enrolled in two programs simultaneously. However, many programs have established partnerships with local community colleges to allow students to take courses on their campus and then transfer the units back to the high school for graduation credit. When considering a supplemental virtual provider, ensure that the courses meet your local board standards and that the student will receive course credit for them.

22 An Example of the Enrollment Process Parent Contacts the School for Information An Information Packet is Sent/ ed to Family Enrollment Team Follows Up With a Phone Call within 5 days of Sending Info Packet to Answer Questions & Invite to Infosession Parent Attends Information Session at School Parents Submit Required Paperwork Enrollment Team Processes Paperwork The Academic Team (Guidance Counselor, Teacher, or Other Designated Staff Member) Determines Appropriate Courses for Student Student is enrolled and begins their new learning experience!

23 Step 4: Time to Launch! You have worked hard for many months and the time has come to launch the program. There is much to do to get ready for the first day of school. Include these areas in your launch plan: Infrastructure Support Staffing Student /Parent Orientation Sessions Host Launch Event Instruction Instructional Materials

24 Step 5: Create a Relevant and Useful Evaluation A robust and informative evaluation system is necessary to document the first year s results, and to inform future practices. This requires an evaluation of program components such as teachers, administrators and support personnel, LMS, curriculum, facilities, marketing efforts, the enrollment process, and testing process and results. Consider utilizing the resources available through inacol to help in the evaluation process. Tactics can include online surveys, independent third party evaluators and alignment to National Standards for Quality Online Programs. ( ) Step 6: Share With Others As an educational community, we are dependent upon each other to share information and results, learn, grow, and assist with best practices. Look for opportunities to present at conferences, form a professional consortium or launch an online support community. Coffee with a colleague works too. The sky is limit! Have fun For further information, please contact: Chris Hartley, Northern Humboldt Union School District (chartley@nohum.k12.ca.us) Lisa Gillis, Integrated Educational Strategies, Inc. (lisa@iestrategies.org)

25 Works Cited 1. McKinsey and Company, The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America s Schools, 2009 (p 7). On-line from 2. National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation s Report Card: Reading Pg. 1. Publication online. Available from Generation M!: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation 4. Alliance for Excellent Education: California State Scorecard, 5. National Center for Education, Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education Issue Brief on Rates of Computer and Internet Use by Children in Nursery School and Students in Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade: Watson, John, and Jennifer Ryan. Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning. Rep. INACOL, Nov Web. 9 May

26 Appendix A: Six Rivers Virtual Academy Achievements Six Rivers Charter High School Sixth Period and Learning Centers Operator overview Operator type Individual charter school Headquarters Arcata, Calif. Focus General Grades served K-12 % FRL 52% % Black or 2% Hispanic Public $6,000 revenue/pupil Blended program Blended 9-12 grades Enrollment 6 th period: 15 Learning centers: 35 Blended Core subjects subjects Content Odysseyware SIS Schoolmaster Independent Odysseyware LMS Independent Schoolmaster gradebook Independent None assessment tool Link between Manual LMS and SIS Other tools None Notable results Too early Program model! Online Lab " Online Driver Online Offline Model description 6 th period: Students take one of six classes online in a lab with a face-toface facilitator. Learning centers: Students learn online remotely but attend a physical center one to five days per week for life skill coaching, tutoring, academic support, technical support, and training. 6 th period Supervised brick & mortar Learning centers Remote 2011 Innosight Institute

27 The Innosight Institute ( recently published a white paper titled "The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models." The paper profiles 40 organizations that have blended or have plans to blend online learning with brick-and-mortar classrooms. These represent a range of operators, including state virtual schools, charter management organizations, individual charter schools, independent schools, districts, and private entities. The following narrative is found within the The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning white paper and is used by permission of Innosight Institute. It features a profile of Six Rivers Charter High School in McKinleyville as a prime example of a district choosing to innovate learning programs with digital content. The full white paper can be accessed at the Innosight Institute website ( and Integrated Educational Strategies ( History and context Chris Hartley, principal of Six Rivers Charter High School authorized by the Northern Humboldt Union High School District in McKinleyville, Calif., faced mounting problems. Declining public funding meant that he had trouble providing the robust curriculum for his students that he envisioned, and his rural location only exacerbated the struggle to deliver a full range of courses. Looking for answers, he talked with Lisa Gillis, president of Integrated Educational Strategies (IES), to see whether blended learning could help. As a pioneer in blended learning, Gillis had a history of helping schools survey their needs and then develop a blended model based on their goals, timeframe, and students needs. Hartley decided to leverage this expertise by partnering with IES to launch a blended-learning program for his district. Blended model Hartley and Gillis agreed to a four-part technology strategy. Two parts of the strategy fell outside the definition of blended learning. For example, the first goal was to integrate online technology into traditional classrooms vis-à-vis virtual field trips, SMART boards, and other online, teacher-paced supplementation. The second initiative called for setting up the Six Rivers Virtual Academy (SRVA), a full-time virtual school for students who needed an alternative approach. SRVA opened for students beginning with the school year. The third piece, however, marked a step into blended learning. Beginning in the fall of 2010, leaders divided the school day at Six Rivers Charter High School into six periods. Students learned in traditional classrooms for five periods, but for the sixth period, they moved into a dedicated technology classroom for online instruction in core subjects. A facilitator monitored the students to ensure they stayed focused, but an online teacher 2011 Innosight Institute

28 delivered the curriculum. The facilitator also instigated face-to-face discussions, as prompted by the online teacher, in the small-group areas set up within the classroom. Hartley and Gillis believed that this 6th period design provided an ideal solution to deliver a diversity of courses in the school s rural setting at an affordable price. It also facilitated credit recovery for students who needed to retake a course to graduate. Fourth, the leaders set up a learning center to serve as an alternative education school for students pursuing independent study as a way to meet their personal and academic needs. Students who enrolled in this alternative program studied online remotely for four days each week and then attended the center the remaining day. The center was available for student drop-ins every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., if students preferred to work on-site. During the required face-to-face days, students received help with their specific social and academic needs, including attending life-skills classes and having access to academic and technical support. Hartley and Gillis selected Odysseyware to provide the curriculum and learning management system. Northern Humboldt Union High School District had its own student information system, which did not integrate with the Odysseyware platform. Administrators have had to upload information between the two systems manually. Results Initial enrollment in the learning centers exceeded expectations. It grew from 15 students in September 2010 to 35 full-time and 19 concurrent students by February School leaders noted that students participating in this program showed an overall interest in subjects and higher levels of engagement. They responded well to the pacing-guide approach by demonstrating higher levels of productivity and credit recovery. Attendance rates and credit completion rates have both improved for 80 percent of participating students. In addition, the program has helped senior students who were behind get on-track to graduate. Roughly half of them follow an individual learning plan, which they formulate with their instructors. The individual plans have been instrumental in providing the necessary academic and emotional support for them to progress faster. Hartley and Gillis agree that the learning-center approach has provided a one-on-one connection and a support system that have strengthened student understanding of the material, met the diverse needs and individual learning styles of students, and built a sense of community amid an independent learning environment. Students have reported an increase in their level of confidence and commitment to perform in an academic setting. On the horizon The next steps in the project implementation include incorporating elements of synchronous course delivery into the online learning, increasing professional development, improving academic support for students, and increasing the use of online-learning tools. Six Rivers Virtual Academy has benefited from a grant with the California K-12 High 2011 Innosight Institute

29 Speed Network. Support from the Northern Humboldt Union High School District also has been instrumental in the success of the program. The district especially has been proactive in providing resources for the design and implementation of the virtual academy. In terms of policy needs, school officials say that California s UC A-G policy limits coursework that students can take online to meet the prerequisites for college admission in California, and that this poses a barrier to full online access for all students Innosight Institute

30 Appendix B: Resources Six Rivers Charter High School Six Rivers Charter High School is an equality-based community that encourages individuality, learning, and creativity to enable students to break through the boundaries of our limited world. Integrated Educational Strategies As the national leader with California expertise, IES is a nonprofit that assists charter schools and school districts in the planning, implementation and evaluation of Blended Model instructional program. inacol inacol is a non-profit membership association with over 3,800 members. Members represent a diverse cross-section of K-12 education from school districts, charter schools, state education agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutions, corporate entities and other content & technology providers. Alliance for Excellence in Education The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. Consortium for School Networking (COSN) Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the premier professional association for school district technology leaders. CoSN is committed to providing the leadership, community and advocacy tools essential for the success of these leaders. Foundation for Excellence in Education The Foundation for Excellence in Education is a nonprofit that is working to ignite a movement of reform, state by state, to transform education for the 21st century. Innosight Institute Innosight Institute uses theories to show how innovation can drive the answer to many of society s most vexing problems. They use these theories to conduct ongoing research and then promote these ideas to policymakers and other stakeholders to drive change.

31 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE ) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the nonprofit, national member association that serves, supports and represents the interests of the educational technology leadership of state education agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) The Software & Information Industry Association is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to the leading companies that are setting the pace for the digital age.

32 Appendix C: Glossary of Key Terms The key definitions of blended model terms below have been adapted from inacol and Keeping the Pace Adaptive content digital instructional materials that adjust difficulty based on user responses. Advanced Placement: An Advanced Placement course is a college-level course taught in the high school context following a syllabus aligned with the College Board Advanced Placement test for that course. 1 Asynchronous - communication that is separated by time such as or online discussion forums; it may be accessed from multiple settings (in school and/or out of school buildings) At-risk student: A term used in the literature to refer to students who have learning and behavioral disabilities and are unable to cope in the traditional classroom and to students who are lower performing academically. 2 Blended learning: is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brickand-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace. Brick and mortar schools: Refers to traditional school or traditional school building, as contrasted with an online school. Charter school: A tax-supported school established by a legal charter between a granting body (such as a state or a local school board) and an outside group (such as parents, teachers, or other educators) which operates the school without many local and state educational regulations. Content repository: A venue for saving and sharing content. A digital content repository is an online venue for saving and sharing digital content. Course enrollment: The number of students formally in a course. For state schools, this figure is used to calculate a school s share of state FTE funds. Enrollment figures need to specify when during the course the figure is calculated. Credit recovery: Refers to a student passing, and receiving credit for, a course that he/she previously attempted but did not succeed in earning academic credit towards graduation. Digital learning any type of learning that is facilitated by technology.

33 Distributed learning: Distributed learning is any learning that allows instructor, students, and content to be located in different locations so that instruction and learning occur independent of time and place. Drop out rate: The number of students who do not complete a course as a percentage of the number who enrolled. Face-to-face: When two or more people meet in person. Filter (Browsers): Software that restricts access to designated websites. Full-time equivalent (FTE): The number of students at a given institution if every student were full time, based on the local definition of full time. Full-time online schools - also called cyber or virtual schools, work with students who are enrolled primarily (often only) in the online school. Online schools typically are responsible for their students scores on state assessments. In some states most fulltime online schools are charter schools. Highly qualified teacher: The current Federal definition of a highly qualified teacher is one who is fully certified and/or licensed by the state; holds at least a Bachelor s degree from a four-year institution; and demonstrates competence in each core academic subject area in which he or she teaches. Hybrid Learning - often used synonymously with blended learning; typically refers to blending multiple modes of learning combining online and on-site pedagogies and materials within the same classroom. Independent study - In California, Independent Study is considered non-classroom based instruction. Generally, a student does not attend a traditional school site on a daily basis and is given the freedom to complete their assignments in an alternative environment. A Master Study Agreement is necessary for enrollment and funding. This form of study is advantageous to those students who desire a virtual environment or for students who cannot attend the traditional school day due to illness, athletics, arts, rural geographic location or other special needs. For more information, see the California Department of Education website at ( Instructional designer: Someone who is trained in the principles of instructional design, as well as curriculum, and designs courses. Learning Management System (LMS): The technology platform through which online courses are offered. A LMS generally includes software for creating and editing course content, communication tools, assessment tools, and other features for managing the course.

34 Licensed content: Content whose use is restricted and only available with permission, generally for a fee. Local Education Agency (LEA): In general this refers to a public school or school district. The term is formally defined in federal law and refers to the public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools. Non-profit organization: A legal entity incorporated in the state in which it expects to do business, organization formally organized as a not-for-profit in that any profits used in the operation of the organization. Online course: Any course offered over the Internet. Online course provider: An organization that provides online courses. Online learning - instruction via a web-based educational delivery system that includes software to provide a structured learning environment. It can be a teacher-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically (also cyber learning, e-learning, distance learning). Online learning resources: Any digital material available for use in courses, both online and site-based. Online professional development: Professional development delivered over the Internet, both to those teaching in site-based schools or those teaching online. Online tutor: Someone who helps individuals or groups, to better understand specific content. Tutors do not teach courses but support students. Open education resources (OER) freely available instructional materials that can be redistributed. Open source: Software products where the author(s) of the software agree to provide the source code for the software so others parties can contribute to the development of the software and/or modify it for their own use. The Open Source Initiative defines ten attributes that define open source software. Pace/pacing: The speed with which a teacher or a student moves through a course. Part-time instructors: Instructors who do not teach a full course load.