Recommendations from the New York State Online and Blended Learning Summit 2

Transcription

1 Recommendations from the New York State Online and Blended Learning Summit 2 Hosted by NYSED, inacol and the University at Albany School of Education with support from Intel, Microsoft, and NYIT Prepared by the New York Comprehensive Center September 2011 Adam Goldfarb Anushka Paul Jonathan Page Shrem 1 of 21 Emily Zyko

2 Introduction Online and blended learning expand educational opportunities and improve outcomes for a wide range of students. To facilitate the expansion of online learning across the state, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) convened a group of education leaders to share ideas and create opportunities for aligned efforts and collaboration on September 14, 2011 at the University at Albany, State University of New York. The group of leaders from schools, districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Regional Information Centers (RIC), institutions of higher education (IHE), and other technical assistance providers built upon the successful actions of the first New York State Online & Blended Learning Summit in December 2010 and explored ways to move the online learning agenda forward for the state of New York. Participants heard from Deputy Commissioner for P- 12 Education Ken Slentz, who provided an overview of the Regents Reform Agenda and the role that online and blended learning will play in its successful implementation. Deputy Commissioner Slentz shared the new Commissioner's Regulation (CR 100.5(d)(10)), which allows for credit through online and blended coursework: are aligned with the applicable New York State learning standards for the subject area in which instruction is provided; provide for documentation of student mastery of the learning outcomes for such subjects, including passing the Regents examination in the subject and/or other assessment in the subject if required for earning a diploma; provide for instruction by or under the direction and/or supervision of a certified teacher (if instruction is to be provided by a school district, BOCES, or pursuant to a shared service agreement), or of a teacher of the subject area in which instruction is to be provided (in the case of a registered nonpublic school or charter school); include regular and substantive interaction between the student and the teacher providing direction and/or supervision; and satisfy the unit of study and unit of credit requirements in section 100.1(a) and (b) of the Commissioner's Regulations. After Deputy Commissioner Slentz shared the new Commissioner s Regulation and the role online and blended learning will play in implementing the Regents Reform Agenda, Dr. Allison Powell, Vice President for State and District Services at the International Association for K- 12 Online Learning (inacol)spoke on the principal theme of Summit 2, which was supporting online teachers through strong pre- service and in- service teacher education programs, professional development, and course/instructor evaluation. Dr. Powell discussed the myths about online teachers; the roles online teachers and administrators play in providing excellent educational opportunities to students; and the professional development necessary to empower online educators. It was noted that online teachers require different pedagogy, communication, and pacing to be Page 2 of 21

3 successful. Synchronous technologies have changed the nature of communication between the teacher and students more than if they were physically in the same classroom. Further, anyone who is working with online learning needs to understand and experience these differences. (inacol, 2007) On the topic of course and instructor evaluations, Dr. Powell highlighted the inacol National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, which are currently being updated to include what teachers should know, understand, and be able to do. These updated standards will be released on October 20, Dr. Powell shared other standards available through the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB), Quality Matters, and the National Education Association (NEA) as well. In addition to providing standards for quality online and blended instruction, she noted that online teachers need support to effectively utilize technology infrastructure as well as educational supports such as release time, master teacher mentoring and peer coaching, formative evaluation, and continuous professional development (NEAGuide to Online Teaching, N.D.). Dr. Powell shared trends in pre- service teacher training programs: United States both the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Michigan State University (MSU) have partnerships for student teaching; UCF with Florida Virtual School and MSU with the Michigan Virtual School. Mexico all pre- service teachers are trained to use digital content and given laptops, and all content is digitized. Singapore teachers are trained to teach in blended environments (since 2005, SARS virus pandemic). Additionally, Dr. Powell shared trends in online teacher professional development: China training teachers to teach online to reach 100 million more students India training teachers, digitizing content, and see education as export opportunity. International Baccalaureate (IB) program master teachers to teach online; offering gold standard IB courses online. Boise State University and New Mexico State University offer certificate programs in the United States. Georgia and Idaho State Department of Education offer endorsements. Non- profit organizations, such as Virtual High School, Inc. and the Education Development Center s Ed Tech Leaders Online programs, and other regional groups offer courses to develop online teaching skills. For- profit companies offer professional development that is predominantly focused on the implementation of their product rather than pedagogy. Online schools still the main provider of proprietary teacher professional development, which often causes inconsistencies in training outcomes. Page 3 of 21

4 Dr. Powell concluded by putting forth the following key questions to frame the day: What supports are required for Colleges of Education to redefine teacher education by adopting standards and preparing all new teachers for online and blended teaching and other professional opportunities available in the field of K- 12 online learning? What emergent forms of teacher education are evolving as a result of the shift toward school- based, blended and online training, and how can Colleges of Education partner with organizations to enhance these efforts? In other words, how can Colleges of Education step outside the box to rethink quality teacher education, and support it new ways? With rapid advances in technology continuing at an exponential rate, how can we redefine teacher education, leveraging the capabilities of the technology itself, such as developing innovative communities of practice, shared inquiry, and global networked professional development opportunities? The following three sections include a synopsis of the panel presentations and the recommendations from the more than 175 participants that were proposed during the afternoon interactive work group sessions. The panels and work group sessions were focused on one of these questions: 1. What steps are needed (and at what levels- local, regional, state) to develop teachers and leaders ready to teach and work in online and blended environments? 2. What steps are needed (and at what levels- local, regional, state) to continue expanding online and blended programs, courses and faculty in the P- 16 pipeline? 3. What are the criteria for evaluating courses and instructors in online and blended environments? Section I covers pre- service and in- service teacher education; Section II covers in- service teacher professional development; and Section III covers course and instruction evaluation in an online environment. Please note that the recommendations from the work groups are just those recommendations for growing online and blended learning at the local, regional, state, and national levels. They are not a commitment of specific policy and/or program direction. It is hoped that the recommendations are useful to local, state, and national policymakers and program creators as they work to implement new pathways for student learning and teacher practice through online and blended learning. Page 4 of 21

5 I. Pre- Service and In- service Teacher Preparation Panel Summary Online learning has flourished throughout the State University of New York (SUNY) system, as higher education does not have to confront the same regulations as P- 12 education. The University at Albany s School of Education has about 10 years of fully online programs, a new institute of online teaching and learning, and an advanced certification in online learning. The online Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology program can satisfy the need for a Masters degree for any teacher in need of professional certification and allows a teacher to experience online education through the eyes of a student. The School of Education s 15 credit Certificate in Online Learning and Teaching (COLT) is one of the only advanced graduate certificates in the country that prepares teachers for online instruction with courses available online and in the classroom. Online education is growing in New York, with a 20% growth rate in higher education online, 90% of which is asynchronous. Outcomes of a several meta- analyses showed that online learning is as good as or better than traditional methods of teaching, so the research shows that it does no harm and outcomes may actually improve in online college courses. Online education is upon us, and we need to identify how to build educator capacity for it. There are opportunities and challenges associated with building the capacity for online learning. Creating capacity for online learning requires a plan and cooperation among all stakeholders; the goal of the panel on pre- service and in- service teacher preparation is to highlight these stakeholder voices and lay the groundwork for a plan. Laura Kraebel, a music teacher, found that an online course she took as professional development was instrumental in informing her pedagogy. There are many tools to facilitate teaching online, even for subjects such as music for which you would not expect as many resources. Moreover, the fully online nature of the class helped her to understand online learning through a student s eyes, and to more fully grasp the different ways in which students must learn in an online environment. From the standpoint of a music teacher, opportunities presented by online learning include: More and more specialized classes for students, for which schools and districts can share costs. Page 5 of 21

6 Highly structured differentiated instruction. Increased access to advanced classes in rural areas. A finer grain to the subjects we can teach. Challenges include: The difficulties administrators face in translating online learning in terms of practice and regulations. A lack of sufficient, affordable technologies. Varying student facility in online learning and the attendant skills it demands of students. Dr. Sarah McPherson, the Chair of Instructional Technology & Educational Leadership at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), shared her extensive experience in online learning. The programs at NYIT focus on in- service teachers to prepare them in web- based technology for virtual education. They are project- oriented, such that an online course focuses on teachers preparing and teaching their own online courses. A special focus is helping teachers identify and address the diverse needs of their students through virtual education. They collect data to inform instruction and use that data in a variety of ways, while ensuring that assessment is formative and authentic. Dr. McPherson also found that learning communities are essential to online learning. Challenges that Dr. McPherson faced include: There are no existing certifications for online teaching, so guidelines need to be created. Administrators and unions may misunderstand online learning in terms of seat time, therefore making it difficult to accept and credit online learning at the school level. Educators often think online learning will not be especially time- consuming, but the model is more like tutoring in that educators have to answer every question posed to them and be especially attentive to individual student needs. Dr. McPherson called for ongoing training and support for online learning, as there is always more to learn. Alexandra Pickett, the Associate Director for the SUNY Learning Network the asynchronous online component of the SUNY system found through her work that teacher professional development and faculty professional development are two quite Page 6 of 21

7 different things. One of the most important components of her courses is helping those who take them to understand what online teaching means and how to make one s thinking evident and public. She incorporates numerous Web 2.0 technologies so that those taking her courses learn to be comfortable with and leverage these tools. In this way teachers can access their coursework even outside the course s content management system (CMS). She finds that interacting with the faculty who make courses and discussing design decisions is crucial, as is inviting experts to be involved in courses. Alexandra Pickett s challenges included: The difficulty in scaling a highly personalized experience to adequately attend to all student needs. Resistance associated with using new technologies for things like professional development and community- building. Expectations in terms of being taught, such that one must shift thinking so that those taking online courses feel responsible for their own learning. Enabling participants in online courses to continue the discussion using tools such as social networking. Dr. Jianwei Zhang, an Associate Professor at the University at Albany School of Education, highlights the challenge to develop online teachers as change agents whose task is not only to access and adopt, but also to innovate, thereby creating new models of education. Change agents: have the vision to understand new possibilities; use principle- based practice (rather than procedure- based practice) such that design goes beyond the standard routines of teaching; use inquiry and deliberate experimentation to solve problems; and collaborate to create new practices and resources. These components need to be a focus of teacher preparation for online education. Dr. Zhang makes use of project- based learning in online teacher education courses, creating networks of online and blended teachers who use wikis to facilitate collaboration and inquiry. He cautions that online learning is too early to be standardized. Guidelines and policies should leave enough openness and control for practitioners so they can continually innovate. He feels that we cannot wait for research to catch up to practice: practitioners need to be part of the research cycle itself. During the Question and Answer session, panelists stated that they found differentiated instruction to be easier online, especially using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure that students have a variety of options for completing work. Panelists stated that one key to educating the union and administrators about online learning is to ensure that teachers and administrators participate in online learning Page 7 of 21

8 themselves, creating a critical mass of competency in online learning. The following are recommended steps to develop teachers and leaders ready to teach and work in online and blended environments. Summary of Recommended Action Steps (by level of action) District, Local Education Agency (LEA), and BOCES Level Policy and Advocacy Localities could involve all stakeholders in conducting a needs assessment of infrastructure, the professional development and staff needed, and the resources necessary for implementation of online and blended learning. This would clarify the need for collaboration through BOCES. Unions could renegotiate contracts to include language addressing online teaching and allowing for observations of online instruction. Higher education has extensive experience in online education and could be called upon to contribute lessons from that experience on a regular basis. Implementation and Practice Supervision of online learning could be part of the administrator preparation program. The administrator could also learn how to set up systems that will support the success of online learning, such as properly selecting and scheduling teachers, vetting content, clarifying evaluation, scheduling students, and clarifying expectations for academic honesty. Requirements for administrator certification could be established at the State level. Schools and districts at a regional level can collaborate using web- based tools and social media, and can share open source platforms to provide budgetary and functional flexibility. The professors teaching pre- service teachers could use professional development and support to model effective elearning with prospective teachers. Page 8 of 21

9 State Level Policy and Advocacy An overall roadmap to understand where elearning fits into P- 12 education would be helpful. This can be compiled at the State level in collaboration with higher education and statewide organizations, such as the New York State Council of Educational Organizations (NYSCEA). This roadmap might include definitions of what various types of elearning could be, as well as potential expectations and proposed timelines for the implementation of e- learning, including the expectations for training pre- service and in- service teachers and leaders. This might also define action steps for training higher education faculty. Sooner rather than later would be recommended for this work as possible, so that impediments that might lead to misunderstandings in the field are eliminated. Does the Board of Regents wish to consider convening stakeholders to develop policy and guidelines for pre- and in- service teacher education? Such action might help ensure that teachers can transition to online teaching through accredited programs with a state and national imprimatur reflecting high standards and best practices. State and national standards and requirements for blended and online teaching certification could be considered. 1. Does the State wish to require online and blended professional development as part of the teacher certification process that is formally regulated, perhaps through Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) or as part of the 175 hours professional development for new teachers? Challenge: local control versus guidance. 2. Can a process be put in place to allow modification of the APPR to incorporate online teaching or insert language including online teaching? Unions, administrators, boards of education, current online educators, BOCES, NY Teacher Centers, NYSDL consortium, inacol, and the SLOAN Consortium (Sloan- C) might all be involved in this step. Recommendation would be for starting as soon as possible, phased in over three years. 3. Consideration for development of an online and blended learning specialization certificate that could be discipline- specific and potentially required as part of continuing teacher professional development. Page 9 of 21

10 4. Support for national technology standards for online and blended teaching skills. Support for regional accrediting bodies incorporating these online and blended standards into accreditation. Requirements for the certification of new teachers could include online learning methods in addition to traditional methodology. Program accreditation could include meeting minimal online learning benchmarks. The State can consider development of a rubric for evaluating online instruction. A process to consider might be that any institution that already has online instruction could develop this and submit it to NYSED in an approval process. Online courses might be vetted and accepted as rigorous to be considered for use in credit toward high school graduation. State regulations could be considered for adjustment to allow P- 12 and higher education faculty to work collaboratively and participate in common professional development. The State might consider policy to include online courses as part of pre- service teacher preparation programs and part of the student teaching experience. The State could consider the revamping of teacher preparation requirements to include this preparation, such that schools might accept these courses in the marketplace. The State might consider a strategic NYS initiative on open source research and design to explore cost savings, share emerging technologies, approaches, and objects, and have a common language, platform, and repository to share information and resources. Implementation and Practice The State could consider provisions for recognition to incentivize significant change: 1. For example: National Board of Professional Teaching Standards awards for innovation in teaching ( Innovation grants might provide teachers with ipads, such that teachers get an ipad if they significantly blend or take aspects of their course online. 2. Support for a BOCES /NYSED partnership on a statewide level to highlight exemplar online and blended teachers, and make case studies of exemplar school districts to share information and network not reinventing the wheel. Support and consideration for State targeting perception at all levels: Page 10 of 21

11 1. Provide Web access to exemplars of effective practices in online and blended instruction, aligned with NYS and CCSSO Standards, on the EngageNY Web site. 2. Promote effectiveness and efficiency to promote teacher buy- in, highlighting anything that saves teachers time and makes teachers more efficient or effective. 3. Support successful teacher examples to help dispel negative or inaccurate perceptions. 4. Support the provision of professional development for administrators who supervise, hire, or evaluate teachers. 5. Collaborate with social networking communities of practice across SUNY (higher education) and NYS P- 12 (e.g., to leverage professional development opportunities. National Level Policy and Advocacy Support creation of a national certification program for pre- service teachers. Certification will be aligned with nationally recognized criteria that will provide evidence that the teacher can teach in the multiple environments of traditional, online, and blended learning. The proposed time frame for this step is Support creation of a national certification for pre- service administration. The certification will be aligned with nationally recognized criteria that will provide evidence that the administrator can supervise and evaluate teachers that may be instructing in multiple environments (traditional, online, and blended learning) at the same time. The proposed time frame is Implementation and Practice Support the creation of ecommon Core methodologies at the national level to align traditional, online, and blended learning for teachers. When students complete their practicum, instruction under a master teacher must include traditional, online, and blended learning. All partners of the Common Core could be a part of an action to potentially draft accepted methodologies for online and blended learning, and to write the guidelines for administration in terms of who will be supervising and evaluating teachers responsible for instructing traditional, online, and blended learning. This step might be piloted beginning in Page 11 of 21

12 Support creation of a standardized digital curriculum, aligned nationally but modifiable locally. Participants in this activity could include curriculum developers, technology specialists, content specialists, methodologists familiarized with differentiated instruction, and members of the Common Core. Also, a separate committee might review and test the digital curriculum. All committees could be a national collaboration. The proposed time frame to pilot this would be Page 12 of 21

13 II. In- service Teacher Professional Development Panel Summary In recent years, the ever- expanding use of technology in education has fostered the question of how to use it effectively rather than whether it should be used. This shift in dialogue requires increased focus on understanding the nature of professional development for teachers who are going to facilitate learning in these online and blended learning environments. Experts in the field argue that curriculum development and professional development are inextricably linked. The online teaching model requires a teacher to recognize the importance of pedagogy and to design courses that help realize learning goals. Professional development endeavors will serve as the conduit for building teachers skills around facilitating 21 st century learning in their classrooms. Panelists at the second panel discussion echoed these ideas and shared their extensive experience in the field of online and blended learning. Sarah Martabano, Regional and Distance Education Coordinator at the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, began the conversation by acknowledging that, five years ago, the focus in this field was on the importance of training teachers in the use of technology tools. However, the focus has now shifted to the importance of pedagogy in such environments. Curriculum design for online learning courses also present different budget requirements, which administrators need to be aware of when implementing plans for online and blended learning. Dr. Deborah Y. Bauder, Distance Learning Coordinator at the Oneida- Herkimer- Madison BOCES introduced a sustainable model for online instruction that provides opportunities at three levels: credit recovery, as a supplement to regular classroom instruction, and fully online courses. Dr. Bauder emphasized the need for supporting teachers in curriculum development as well as the nuances of teaching in an online environment. Within the curriculum development program run by Dr. Bauder, a team of exemplary teachers come together to develop detailed lesson plans aligned to the standards; prepare resources, recommended activities and evaluations. Each lesson plan is piloted in the 1 st year, refined in the 2 nd year and then passed on to the other teachers. This ensures that there is continuous improvement based on feedback. In response to moderator Sarah Martabano s question, Dr. Bauder identified her key takeaway being that most teachers would begin the professional development program with an I teach attitude, and after the 30 hour course there was a shift to a We teach attitude. Glen VanDerwater, Associate Director of Instructional Technology for the Rochester City School District (RCSD), shared his experience in online instruction by giving the audience an overview of the Online Credit Recovery (OCR) and Proactive Credit Recovery (PCR) programs. He emphasized the need to conceptualize a program that is sustainable. Page 13 of 21

14 Partnerships ensure longevity that allows for sustainability of the program. Thus, it is important to not have vendors but identify individuals or organizations as partners in the process. The RCSD e- learning initiative provides professional development for student mentors, the online learning team members and the appropriately certified meaningful contact teacher who provides differentiated instructions for the group of students based on identified learning needs. Frances McCabe, Online Credit Recovery Mentor at the Department of Instructional Technology, Rochester City School District, spoke from the perspective of a Special Education Teacher and provided an insider s approach to establishing proven guidelines for guidance with online learning. McCabe encouraged the audience to identify obstacles in their individual school districts and outline components necessary to launch and maintain a successful online learning program. McCabe reiterated VanDerWater s emphasis on the need for strong IT support during the launch of an online or blended learning program which is valuable in ensuring sustainability of the initiative. Stan Silverman, Director, Technology- Based Learning Systems at the New York Institute of Technology, shared his experience over the years by identifying driving principles and key elements required for launching and maintaining a successful program. He explained the delivery of the first online course at NYIT in A successful model of technology- enhanced teaching and learning should be driven by an instructional framework that would entice, encourage, enable and empower the learner. Once schools and districts are connected with emerging communication technologies, certain key elements will ensure the sustainability of the program: involvement of the district teachers, an outcomes based approach, maintaining precious principles, ensuring a high level of engagement that focus on differentiated learning to support each individual student, a timeframe of 45 hours and using a roadmap methodology that lists outcomes, assesses activities, defines teaching strategies, estimates time and maps all of these to what is precious to the teacher. Elizabeth Hardy, Staff Specialist Distance Learning at the Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES, identified the recipe for success as being able to focus on curriculum, technology and teachers. According to Hardy, conversations are changing from the need for online courses to capacity building for schools and districts, work plans for teacher professional development, best practices discussions and the need for teachers to learn to network with each other to meet the present generation technology needs. She invited state and district administration departments to be invested in teacher- professional development and in conclusion encouraged the audience to begin looking at models across the BOCES and based in their needs identify what a technology- enhanced educational system should look like. The following are the collective recommendations made by Summit participants in the area of online teacher professional development. Page 14 of 21

15 Summary of Recommended Action Steps (by level of action) District, LEA, BOCES Level Policy and Advocacy Develop and enhance understanding of district level administrators and boards of education regarding online learning. Invite school district administrators to recognize and embrace the validity of online teaching and learning. Begin conversations with administrators principals and superintendents to start professional development in their schools and not wait for a perfect model. Implementation and Practice Draw from existing high- quality professional development resources that focus on pedagogy. Develop professional development courses at the district level that help inform teachers about what to expect in an online and blended learning environment. Have a work day for the advisory group comprised of school stakeholders to create professional development courses and a rubric to assess learning and mastery of skills. Carry out a cost- analysis to support the integration of online and blended learning. Provide an experience allowing teachers to take a course in online and blended learning environments. Share defined rubrics for online teacher evaluation with teachers. Address issues of resistance to the use of technology and discuss challenges teachers will face when teaching in these new environments. Encourage teachers to design low- risk courses by drawing materials from open source offerings. Establish pilot opportunities so that teachers can test what they have learned in the professional development sessions. One idea is to lead a virtual class for a group of other teachers. Bring Library Media Specialists into the mix so that there is conversation around where to find appropriate online curricular resources. Identify elements that will ensure sustainability of teacher professional development initiatives. Recognize that many platforms for online learning have costs attached to them and that free offerings may sometimes be difficult for teachers to use. Therefore, teachers have to be provided technical assistance throughout the school year Page 15 of 21

16 Establish a continuous improvement process based on feedback from teachers and students. At the regional level, use a Learning Management System (LMS) to roll out the professional development training. State Level Policy and Advocacy Support dissemination of information that helps teachers understand the difference between online instruction and blended instruction. Consider highlighting potential compensation structures that might facilitate such as dissemination, understanding the work, effort, and cost of building content, courses, or practices. Discuss how to provide funding to pay either for the infrastructure for online professional development or to purchase an online professional development product that has already been created. Use the Engage NY website to build common awareness around best practices for professional development and instruction in online and blended environments. Publish additional research around exemplary online and blended instructional programs on the Engage NY website. Implementation and Practice Help identify exemplary programs for professional development, service agencies, and outreach programs to serve as resources for schools. Support opportunities to learn about technology infrastructure, tools, and resources. Support development of a rubric on what a good professional development course might look like. Support access to professional learning communities, to help ensuring that teachers have a chance to network and learn from each other. Consider resources for professional development online and content resources which are aligned to the Common Core standards that teachers can use when developing their curriculum for the Engage NY website. Encourage conversations around changing assessments so that they are contextualized, focusing on deep learning, application, and demonstration of understanding. Explore the option of developing a central repository for professional development and instructional content that is available for purchase and can be tweaked at the school level. Page 16 of 21

17 Partner with higher education institutions and school districts to support the acquisition and analysis of data that supports teacher success in the classroom and improved student learning outcomes. National Level Policy and Advocacy Support funding to pay for online professional development or provide assistance for states to purchase existing professional development products and services. Implementation and Practice Draw from existing high- quality resources for professional development. Ensure that states have a plan in place to have all curriculum material aligned to the common- core standards. III. Course/Instructor Evaluation in an Online Environment Panel Summary The third Summit panel focused on course and instructor evaluation in an online environment. The discussion covered a wide range of issues that are important when focusing on effective evaluations. The discussion included: How platforms can be used to effectively evaluate courses and teachers. How partnerships can be leveraged to better inform programs. How data and analytics can be used to measure student engagement. How policy makers have the opportunity to shape state policy regarding evaluations. Liz Azukas, the Director of Curriculum Support for ilearnnyc, spoke about what distinguishes the ilearnnyc platform from others in online learning. The platform offers personalized instruction using blended learning models and individualized pacing. It also offers expanded opportunities for learning, as students have access to courses not offered at their schools. Additionally, the platform offers increased flexibility, as students can complete their work at any time and from any place. One major component of ilearnnyc is that they have brought all their vendors together into one LMS, making it easy to evaluate content and ensure the highest quality of standards. Page 17 of 21

18 Dr. Lauren Goldenberg, a Senior Research Associate at the Education Development Center, Inc., stressed the importance of partnerships and how they can be leveraged, ultimately leading to the highest quality learning experience for all students. She described a study she is conducting in collaboration with WNED/PBS TeacherLine NY on online professional development for high school science teachers; preliminary results on teacher and student impact are promising. She also mentioned the research efforts of her colleagues at the Northeast and Island Regional Education Laboratory; look for results of a study on virtual algebra learning for eighth- graders soon. She reminded the Summit participants that this was a great opportunity to partner with practitioners to find out what works, for whom it works, and under what conditions. There is no definitive model for all students or teachers so it is important to collect and analyze evidence to form the most effective strategies. Dr. Devan Rosen, an Assistant Professor of New Media at Ithaca College, spoke about online interaction using network analysis techniques. The focus was rooted in engagement and how engagement means different things to different people. It is difficult to discern engagement in online environments when the mechanisms and frequency with which students connect are cloaked. However, information can be revealed through data and analytics, specifically through network analysis. Network analysis establishes connections between things and depicts information flowing between people. Network analysis can parse through user interaction not only within chats, but can show connections throughout the whole online environment by specifically measuring each click a student or teacher make. David Rothfuss, assistant in Research and Educational Services at New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), discussed teacher evaluation from the perspective of annual professional performance reviews (APPR). He stated that an APPR is broken down into 3 components: student growth on state assessments (20%), locally selected measures of student achievement (20%), and other multiple measures of teacher effectiveness (60%). He stressed that districts and LEAs have the opportunity to control and shape how 80% of this review is decided. In making these decisions, it is important to consider the specific nature of online learning in light of the NYS Teaching Standards. There also needs to be a focus on professional development for effective online teaching. Finally, it is necessary to train evaluators in the nuances of how to understand, appreciate, and critically observe online environments. After many rich discussions across groups, there was consensus reached on the following action steps that should be taken to ensure effective evaluation of courses and instructors in online and blended environments. Page 18 of 21

19 Summary of Recommended Action Steps (by level of action) District, LEA, BOCES Level Policy and Advocacy There were no policy and advocacy action steps for the District, LEA, and BOCES level. Implementation and Practice Instruction as it administered by teachers, along with course design, were major components for action. Courses need to follow sound instructional design principles. They must be competency- based, at students own pace and instructional level, and must provide opportunities for student choice. Teacher instruction of online or blended courses is equally important and ties in with the instructional design of a course. There should be appropriate scaffolding, differentiated instruction, and consistent evaluation. All course materials, including course descriptions, syllabi, projects, and assessments, should be provided to administrators for evaluation. State Level Policy and Advocacy A guide or guidelines for standards and practices for online and blended learning, based on inacol, ISTE, and other online learning standards and rubrics. These guidelines would provide teachers and administrators with an appropriate framework for alignment with the Common Core standards. Rubrics are necessary for both instructors and courses. The State should consider criteria for online teacher evaluation, both pre- service and in- service. This criteria could be in the form of a rubric that can included in the state- sanctioned rubrics process; it should be reviewed and amended to reflect online and blended teacher practice. Additionally, the State could consider support for criteria required of vendors provided online and blended courses. This rubric might vet vendors on all content, all in one place. New York State can consider clarification and guidance on APPR requirements aligned with online learning. Teacher evaluations might measure results and reflect competencies, not time. Course evaluation could focus on both pedagogical and technical perspectives. Additionally, consideration for evaluators of courses or teachers required to have experience in online learning environments could be made. Page 19 of 21

20 Implementation and Practice Increased flexibility to support expansion of the capacity of districts and schools who are attempting or are planning to administer online learning options. This could be done through a variety of potential initiatives. o Formation of a directory of high quality programs currently taking place throughout the State. A rubric might be created that can be used to understand the evaluation of the program, and should not be vendor- specific so that vendors can be compared. o Another way to build capacity would be the creation of a sample implementation guide which would instruct programs on what resources are beneficial and what kind of district capacity is needed for a successful program. o It was deemed important to share metrics from courses in order to use such information to strengthen programs. Evidence could be collected via both student and teacher surveys and feedback. Student engagement could be evaluated using network analysis. All these data could be compiled, analyzed at research centers, and distributed over a shared platform. National Level Policy and Advocacy Support for the creation of ecommon Core curriculum and methodologies at the national level to align traditional, online, and blended learning for teachers. This standardized digital curriculum could align nationally, but can be modified by individual teachers. All partners of the common core could be a part of this action to write methodologies that include online and blended learning. The consensus among groups called for teachers to have substantial experience relating to online learning before being a teacher of record. One suggestion was the creation of a national certification for pre- service teachers. Certification could be aligned with nationally recognized criteria that will provide evidence that the teacher can teach in the multiple environments of traditional, online, and blended learning. Similarly, national certification for pre- service administration might be considered. Implementation and Practice Pre- service teachers should have practical experience in instruction in an online setting. Page 20 of 21

21 Administrators could be required to attend training and professional development sessions in order to understand and be immersed in online learning and online instruction. Page 21 of 21